Practice Assistant

Job summary/key accountabilities

• Providing at all times an effective and efficient practice management service to all members of your designated team of barristers (and additionally to members outside of that team if and when required, in agreement with your Senior Practice Manager, the other members in that team and/or the Deputy Practice Director)
• Assisting with the on-going management of the practices and expectations of all members’ of your designated team via the careful maintenance and furtherance of relationships with existing clients and the active development of new business opportunities as and when they arise
• Providing assistance when required to ensure efficient and timely runs to court and dealing with printing requests on behalf of team members – e.g. emailed instructions and other paperwork etc.
• Deputising for the Practice Manager/Senior Practice Manager in their absence so as to ensure the continued smooth functioning of the team
• Working with the other Senior Practice Managers/Practice Managers to ensure the continued effectiveness of the clerking function as a whole, including ensuring full inter-team co-operation and support asrequired in orderthat this overriding objective is achieved at all times
• Having a general understanding of the financial position of both chambers as a business entity and, in particular, of the financial expectations of the individual members of your team
• Having a basic understanding of the wider internal and external strategic issues facing both chambers and the legal world generally and, where required, contributing positively to chambers’ strategic plan
• Ensuring that chambers remains strictly at all times within the requirements of the BSB Handbook

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Specific responsibilites

A. Practice Management function

• Ensuring at all times, via your own personal conduct, that chambers’ practice management function remains within the requirements of the BSB Handbook;
• Answering the telephone in a timely and professional manner as per established quality standard procedures (including the telephones of colleagues on other teams if and when required);
• Dealing with or where suitable referring onwards to the relevant barrister or member of staff, any queries or enquiries that might generally arise - either verbally, via the telephone, or in writing - and ensuring clear and comprehensive notes are kept on the LEX system at all times;
• Ensuring that instructions and other case-related papers in relation to the members of your team are entered onto the LEX system as soon as possible, along with any other notes as may be necessary; and making sure that they are passed immediately to the relevant member of your team for action/information;
• Ensuring your team complies at all times with the established best practice requirements in respect of money laundering, complaints, conflict searches and fair distribution of work requirements;
• Professional management of the diaries of all members of your team;
• Preparing in advance for and attending, as required, appointments to fix hearings in all divisions of the High Court, in liaison with your Team Leader, and ensuring that all relevant details are fully recorded on the LEX system, that the Senior Practice Management and relevant member(s) of the team are fully informed of the outcome, and generally that chambers’ established procedures are adhered to at all times;
• Ensuring that a high quality level of support is received by members of your team (and other members of chambers as necessary/agreed) at all times in relation to their attendances at court and at conferences: for example, but not limited to, ensuring the time and location of hearings/conferences is communicated well in advance; overseeing where necessary the prompt delivery to and collection from court of papers; the copying of authorities; and any other reasonable barrister requests and requirements in relation to the above;
• Ensuring the prompt exchange and lodging of Skeleton Arguments and lodging of Minutes of Order and associated record keeping in line with the Code of Conduct guidelines;
• Ensuring requests for fee quotes for members of your team are clearly and comprehensively recorded and either dealt with directly or allocated accordingly;
• Ensuring responsibility for fee quotes in relation to hearings being undertaken by members of your team are either dealt with directly or are allocated to another practice manager within your team in order that the client receives the quote in good time, as per the established regulatory requirements;
• Entering and/or costing times/worksheets received from members of your team within chambers established time frame requirements, as required;
• Taking full details of any fee disputes as and when they arise and either dealing with them personally if straightforward or, where appropriate, referring matters onto your Senior Practice Manager or the feesteam for consideration;
• Assisting in the weekly runs to get updates from members of your team as required by the Senior Practice Manager, or in their absence;
• Assisting in providing cover for the late shift in the clerks’ room as required;
• Ensuring the requirements of the arrangement for the out of hours “on call contact” are adhered to at all times when it is your turn to act in that capacity (including dealing, from time to time, with any urgent issues that may arise in respect of members of your team outside of normal working hours);
• Any other tasks as might reasonably be required by your Senior Practice Manager, Practice Director, Deputy Practice Director or Executive Director, members of chambers and/or their clients.

B. Marketing/Practice Development

• Ensuring an efficient and professional clerking service is received by clients at all times in order that existing relationships are maintained and new relationships developed via the client experience;
• Ensuring that a general knowledge of all members’ practices is maintained, and that a detailed knowledge of every member of your team’s specific practice is developed and kept up-to-date at all times;
• Maintaining an awareness of the work expectations of all members of your team, including assisting the Senior Practice Manager in identifying those practices which from time to time require additional specific focus/development;
• Attending client visits with potential new and/or existing clients where required/agreed with the Senior Practice Manager and/or Deputy Practice Director, and ensuring a full note of the discussion is produced and circulated within 3 days of the visit having taken place;
• Supporting members of chambers, where required, in the regular seminars/talks given by chambers generally, individual interest groups and individual members of your team, including the following up of leads/feedback as appropriate;
• Generally supporting and assisting chambers’ Marketing Manager and Marketing Assistant in the marketing of chambers and its members.

C. Support and deputising for the Practice Manager and Senior Practice Manager, setting a positive example in the practice management room generally, and interteam relationships

• Generally providing first line support to the Senior Practice Manager in all aspects of assisting them with the smooth functioning of the team as a unit;
• Deputising for the Senior Practice Manager and Practice Manager as and when required;
• Leading by example at all times via effective performance of Practice Assistant role, and in particular setting a positive example to the more junior members of staff;
• Supervising, where necessary, the performance of the Junior Clerk in ensuring that a high-quality practice management service is delivered to members of the team and their clients at all times;
• Ensuring that inter-team co-operation and good working relationships are developed/maintained with the other teams, and ensuring that support is both provided and requested from the other teams as and when necessary in order to ensure that the clerking function performs effectively and efficiently at all times;
• Ensuring that any barrister and/or client concerns/complaints received via the clerks’ room are dealt with promptly and the necessary action taken, including referral to the Senior Practice Manager, Practice Director, Deputy Practice Director and/or Executive Director where necessary;
• Ensuring the established practice management room procedures are adhered to at all times, including identifying when colleagues, particularly more junior members of staff, require assistance/guidance in order to achieve this;
• Attending and having input into the weekly practice management meetings in order that maximum benefit is gained from them;
• Generally seeking to maintain and develop good relationships with all staff in chambers.

D. Financial/Strategic understanding

• Having a general understanding of the on-going financial position of chambers as a business entity, both in income and expenditure terms, and assisting in the process of chambers meeting its stated financial targets;
• Having a general understanding of the financial expectations of members of your team and assisting in the process of those members maximising their income as well as identifying and seeking to address any potential issues that may arise in this respect;
• Positively contributing to the development and implementation of chambers’ strategic plan;
• Developing a broad understanding of the external/market based pressures facing chambers and the legal world generally and making suggestions for policy changes/topics for consideration as and when deemed beneficial as likely to be beneficial to the business.

E. Other

• Any other tasks as may reasonably be required from time to time in order to properly and fully fulfil the role required by Chambers of a Practice Assistant.

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Person Specifications

• A-levels, BTEC, ILM 3/5, other qualifications preferred
• A minimum of 3 years’ relevant experience in a similar environment
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Motivated, proactive and eager to learn
• Capacity to work effectively in a highly pressured environment
• Ability to work as part of a team and on own initiative
• Well-presented, articulate and ambitious

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Benefits

• Payment of reasonable travel costs
• Performance-linked bonus
• Private medical insurance
• Workplace pension
• Annual holiday allowance