Senior Paralegal

Senior Paralegal

Major Accountabilities:

1.   Performing Paralegal related assistance to the Managing Partner and Associate by:

• Producing information by transcribing, formatting, inputting, editing, retrieving, copying, and transmitting text, data, and graphics; coordinating case preparation as instructed by Attorney;
• Conserving attorneys time by reading, researching, reviewing, verifying, and routing correspondence, reports and legal documents to the respective parties (internally & externally);
• Drafting letters and documents; collecting and analyzing information; initiating telecommunications; organizing client conferences, and attorney meetings; scheduling couriers, clients, and other special functions;
• Coordinating with Commercial legal Clerk and Bearer to ensure that all court and legal documents are filed with the Courts, Government Entities, and clients as directed by Attorneys;
• Maintaining Attorney’s calendar by planning and scheduling conferences, teleconferences, and travel;
• Communicating and obtaining information on behalf of Managing Partner where appropriate; following-up on delegated assignments; preliminarily screening prospective clients through predetermined protocols and policies;
• Coordinating with other team members of the legal team on special projects and initiatives to ensure timelines are achieved;
• Maintaining current knowledge of new trends and innovations in the field of law office practices; attends & participates in professional group meetings as well as participating in professional development activities such as: seminars and conferences;
• Escalating (when required) all matters requiring the immediate attention of the Partners or respective Associate Attorneys.

2.   Managing clients transactions by doing the following:

• Liaising with the Accounts team and respective attorneys to ensure accuracy of all recorded clients transactions;
• Ensuring the timely preparation of clients statements when requested;
• Providing updates to clients and Attorneys when requested;
• Preparing and dispatching for review and final sign-off by Managing Director/Associate all documents associated with sale/purchase transactions, property developments and all other litigation/commercial and criminal matters;
• Coordinating with clients, Attorneys, financial institutions and Accounts team to ensure the timely issuance of letter of undertakings, hypothecations and disbursal of funds to close transactions as quickly as possible.

3.   Provide service delivery that is consistent with Ramsay & Partners by:

• Initiate, plan, prioritize and manage work activities and projects to ensure that they are completed efficiently, on time and to an acceptable standard;
• Collaborating with other team members to ensure a high performance, customer service-oriented work environment that supports achieving Ramsay & Partners stated mission, objectives, and values;
• Tracking matters, monitoring, and keeping other people informed of progress via regular updates and status reports;
• Meeting time schedules, resource requirements and budgets based on performance indicators established for specific projects/initiatives;
• Being courteous and responsive in all interactions with customers and staff;
• Maintaining the confidentiality of customer/staff information;
• Acquiring and maintaining a sufficient awareness of all Ramsay & Partners Services and Policies in order to respond to customer enquiries;
• Working in collaboration with Receptionist/Operations Officer to ensure that any customer complaints are being acknowledged and responded promptly;
• Adhering to established regulations and procedures within assigned authority and responsibility, reporting any unusual occurrences or fraudulent activity to any of the Partners for immediate attention or investigation.

4.   Assisting Managing Partner and Associates with their respective billings by:

• Documenting and inputting attorney billable time and reimbursable expenses; and tracking payments as directed by Attorney’s;
• Monitoring transactions and coordinating with Attorney(s) and other team members to ensure client matters are closure in a timely manner in order to have invoices being issued on time;
• Liaising with Attorney(s) pertaining to Sale matters, Purchaser & Vendor statements to ensure these documents are accurately completed and issued (when needed) promptly;
• Utilizing the Firm’s Management software to record, update and track all client related matters;

5.   Maintaining confidentiality as per the Firm’s standards and procedures by:

• Maintaining client confidence by keeping client/attorney information confidential;
• Utilizing the Firm’s filing and retrieval systems and storing as per Company standards all client related recordings of meetings/discussions; transcripts; and documents;
• Conducting a review periodically to ensure that closed files are properly labelled;
• Collaborating with Receptionist to ensure that client files are up-to-date with most recent documentations;
• Ensuring that all documents sent for printing are retrieved from the printer immediately;
• Ensuring that no client files or documents are left outside of filing cabinets at the end of each day;
• Ensuring work area is neat as well as computer/laptop is locked when not being used.

6.   Performing any other duties as assigned.

Education/Work Experience/Key Competencies:

• First Degree in Law, Government or Media and Communication
• Certificate/Diploma in Paralegal/Legal Secretary Training
• Minimum 2-3 years working experience as Legal Secretary or Senior Secretary in a law firm.
• Experience with Practice Management Software for law firms.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Customer-Focused as well as Results oriented.
• Ability to work under minimal supervision.
• Good organizational skills and ability to work on own initiative.
• Documentation skills.
• Project Management skills.
• Proficient in various computer applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Dimensions:

• The incumbent receives direction from the Managing Partner and the other Partners.  Responsibilities are performed in accordance with established policies and procedures, however, some initiative and independent judgment is required in the completion of assignments.  All client related issues and unusual situations are to be referred to the Partners immediately.

Working Conditions:

• This position is primarily non-physical with intermittent periods of sitting or standing.  There is some movement of materials (usually done by lifting) required i.e. files, trays, filing/storage boxes, etc.   The incumbent works in an office environment in which all the relevant tools associated in fulfilling the job functions are provided by the Firm.
• Generally, this position requires intermittent periods of concentration while communicating with staff, clients and external agents while working on a computer terminal.  There are occasional interruptions to work routine and unpredictable volumes during busy periods, which can create pressure.