Executive Legal Secretary

About the role

Reporting to the Director of Administration/Office Manager, the Executive Legal Secretary provides secretarial and administrative support to assigned advocacy attorneys in our Cleveland office. This position requires high-level technical and professional skills, superior judgment with minimal supervision, excellent client service skills, the ability to manage competing priorities and identify the order of work to be completed, and excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Compose and type drafts of general correspondence, reports, memoranda, pleadings, expense reports and other documents requiring intermediate to advanced word processing skills; edit documents for proper phrasing and grammar without altering meaning.
• Open new files, initiate business intake/conflict of interest check process, and maintain client and general files.
• Learn and adapt to various practice group specific requirements.
• Enter and edit timekeeper daily time, mail invoices and/or assist with collections.
• Prepare special projects using specialized software such as Excel and PowerPoint.
• Conduct redlines and document conversion and clean up while adhering to Firm style and guidelines.
• Operate computer equipment in performance of daily duties; use word processing functions necessary to perform required job duties; manage electronic documents for easy retrieval.
• Handle telephone inquiries independently, providing information or routing callers; assess urgency and maintain confidentiality; assign billing codes for long-distance charges.
• Sort, read and distribute daily incoming hard copy and electronic mail; determine routing and required signatures; coordinate outgoing mail and/or deliveries.
• Schedule appointments and maintain attorney’s calendar; receive and assist clients; arrange business itineraries and make travel arrangements or coordinate with the Firm’s travel agency; prepare travel/entertainment expense reports based on attorney’s receipts and itinerary.
• Arrange conferences and meetings; prepare necessary materials, information and supporting data.
• Research and abstract information and supporting data; make written and oral contacts to obtain or verify information.
• Support team and other secretaries in telephone coverage, overflow work assignments and coverage for absent secretaries.
• Independently take action during attorney’s absence; use initiative and judgment to ensure matters requiring attention are referred or handled to minimize disruption.
• Maintain client and administrative files in an organized manner and in accordance with firm procedures; maintain current lists of file numbers, account numbers, client names and addresses and other required information.
• Manage special projects, such as file scanning, for the office.
• Duplicate correspondence and other printed material or arrange for duplication.
• Handle pressure, overtime hours as needed, interruptions, and multiple projects with frequently changing priorities and deadlines.
• Act in accordance with the Firm’s policies and procedures and maintain confidentiality.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree (A.A.) or equivalent from a two-year college or technical school.
• At least two years of legal secretarial experience, preferably in a law firm or other appropriate comparable experience.

Skills

• Language: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations; ability to multitask; ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals; ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from lawyers, clients and employees.
• Mathematical: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals; ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
• Reasoning: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists; ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Technical: Proficiency with MS Word and 60 wpm typing speed; basic knowledge of PC and Microsoft Office products such as PowerPoint and Excel; some knowledge of accounting/billing software preferred.

Physical demands

• Regularly required to remain in a stationary position.
• Occasionally required to move about inside the office to access file cabinets and other office equipment.
• Frequently required to communicate and exchange information with internal colleagues and external clients.
• Continually operate basic office equipment such as a computer, printer, and copy machine.
• Required vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• Must be able to lift boxes with files or trial binders weighing approximately 15 pounds from time to time.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $65,000–$90,000 annually.