Personal Assistant

Personal Assistant

Salary: £27,000 per annum plus company benefits

Location: Guildford, GU1 4HD

Contract: Full Time, Permanent

Shifts: 37.5 hours per week, Monday – Friday, 9am-5:30pm with 1 hours unpaid lunch break

Work model: Hybrid

Williams Lea seeks a Personal Assistant to join our team!

Williams Lea is the leading global provider of skilled, technology-enabled, business-critical support services, with long-term trusted relationships with blue-chip clients across investment banks, law firms and professional services firms. Williams Lea employees 5,500 people worldwide, who provide efficient business services at client sites in often complex and highly regulated environments, from centralised Williams Lea onshore facilities, and through best cost company offshore locations.

Purpose of role 

The role of the Personal Assistant is to provide enhanced, proactive support to fee earners to enable them to operate efficiently. The support provided needs to be a seamless legal service to clients. The Personal Assistant role is expected to use a high degree of self-management and initiative and to maintain a high level of confidentiality.

The Personal Assistant will act as workflow manager for other support services. This includes delegating and supervising the completion of document production, file management and copying/scanning work which are primarily undertaken by other relevant business support services.

Key responsibilities 

In line with policies and procedures, key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Proactively managing complex diaries

Answering telephone calls in a timely fashion, taking clear and detailed messages

Organising internal and external meetings

Liaising with clients via email or telephone and acting as a point of contact in keeping with the firm’s standards for client care

Assisting fee earners in the billing and credit control process. Generating accurate billing reports, draft bills, and accompanying letters in a timely manner

Assisting fee earners with finance tasks, namely requesting cheques, CHAPS/BACS payments, bank transfers and paying in money received, as appropriate

Ensuring accurate and timely use of client relationship management tool to facilitate matter opening, maintenance, closure and archiving

Maintaining up to date client records on the firm’s client relationship management tool, including client contact details, client specific requests in relation to billing and bill formats, details of other parties etc in line with the firm’s policy and processes

Co-ordinating fee earner movements and making travel arrangements

Managing the client and matter inception process ensuring files are opened in a timely manner in accordance with the firm’s policies

Managing the process of submitting partner/fee earners expenses in a timely manner

Co-ordinating the completion of document production (including digital dictations/manuscript amendments), e-filing and file management, photocopying and scanning services, organising couriers, sending out of letters/faxes etc

Managing the production of official papers including bundles and relevant documents

Drafting documents from precedents

Liaising with fee earners and support staff based in other offices

Demonstrating flexibility with working practices/processes in line with the business need, especially in times of pressure/ high workload

Personal attributes 

Previous PA experience is essential

Previous experience within a legal or professional services setting preferable

Exceptional standard of written and verbal communication

Proficient multi-tasker

Competent with the Microsoft Office suite

Team player

Rewards and Benefits

We believe in supporting our employees in both their professional and personal lives. As part of our commitment to your well-being, we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to:

25 days holiday, plus bank holidays

Salary sacrifice schemes, retail vouchers – including our TechScheme which can be used on a range of gadgets such as Smart TV’s, laptops and computers or household appliances.

Life Assurance

Private Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Health Assessments

Cycle-to-work scheme

Discounted gym memberships

Referral Scheme

You will also have the opportunity to work for a global employer who is dedicated to offering each and every employee an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding career with future career development prospects!

Equality and Diversity

The Company values the differences that a diverse workforce brings to the organisation and will not discriminate because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation (each of these being a “protected characteristic” in discrimination law). It will not discriminate because of any other irrelevant factor and will build a culture that values openness, fairness and transparency.

If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like to make a reasonable adjustment to enable you to make an interview please contact us at (we do not accept applications to this email address).