Legal Administrator

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 500 lawyers and legal professionals based in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: property, corporate services, litigation and private client advisory.

We are defined by our next level law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do.

With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 40% of our partnership.

Our vibrant, energetic Court of Protection team of lawyers is highly regarded in the region, specialising in all aspects of Court of Protection law, including contentious and non-contentious applications to the Court.

We provide straightforward, practical advice and have the skills and experience to ensure that the right decisions are made. We liaise with family, friends and professionals, and handle each situation with a high level of care and sensitivity. We deal with Court of Protection matters for severely disabled clients (including those with brain injuries and birth injuries) and manage large personal injury or clinical negligence awards. We also manage the affairs of many elderly clients living with dementia and mental health issues.

The team has many years of experience in Court of Protection law and is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about our subject. We also offer a professional deputyship and attorneyship administration service where we are appointed as deputies/attorneys in more complex cases or where there is no suitable person known to the incapable party who is able or willing to act.

To work as part of the Court of Protection team to provide professional, proactive support to the fee earners within the Court of Protection team. Assist the secretarial team as and when required.

The ideal candidate will be someone looking to remain and progress within the department.

Technical ability:

• Assisting fee earners with day to day administration of Deputyship and Attorneyship cases to include:-
• arranging appointments, accompanying fee earners to home visits and drafting attendance notes;
• telephone calls to clients, care providers and organisations (including the Office of the Public Guardian and the Court of Protection) to provide general updates, check progress of applications and reporting back to fee earners;
• arranging online payments on behalf of Deputyship or Attorneyship clients;
• assisting with completion of annual Deputy Reports;
• preparation of trial bundles;
• completion of application forms, standard letters/emails for fee earner review;
• General administration;
• Other duties as may from time to time be given.

Administrative skills:

Manage diaries of allocated fee earners in Microsoft Outlook to include:

• Making appointments;
• Arranging meetings;
• Assist with Court of Protection costing and billing processes; and
• To carry out photocopying and scanning as required.

Professional Skills:

• To immediately clarify instructions from fee earners should they be unclear or if deadlines are not made explicit;
• To respond to internal and external telephone enquiries politely and professionally and take accurate telephone messages(name/number/company), passing them on to the relevant fee earners etc;
• To proactively support members of the secretarial team and to provide cover as and when necessary to ensure that work is completed to a high standard and meets the required deadlines;
• To provide full support to fee earners in the full range of activities that are performed and to carry out any other duties as reasonably requested.

General Approach

• To show a positive approach and interest in the work that your fee earners are undertaking;
• Show initiative when responding to queries and actively try to seek solutions to problems;
• To support your fee earners when clients are demanding the work product to be delivered; and
• To support and build working relationships with your own fee earners as well as other members of the team and to actively work for the interests of the whole team.

The below would be desirable, but not essential.

• Educated to A level standard or equivalent.
• Excellent spelling and punctuation.
• Excellent written and verbal communications.
• Ability to use discretion / work with empathy.
• Excellent IT skills, including Outlook, Word and Excel.
• Positive and enthusiastic approach to team work.
• Self-motivated, ability to use initiative and provide pro-active support to fee-earners.
• Ability to pay attention to detail and check own work.
• Reliable and well organised.
• Ability to remain calm and work under pressure to meet strict deadlines.
• Commitment to ongoing learning and development.