The Practice Assistant is responsible for providing professional core business support to the firm's fee earners.
The support provided will be as part of a team with shared responsibilities and collective accountability, working with the firm's other Business Professionals teams.
The Practice Assistant is expected to create positive working relationships with fee earners and their colleagues in order to provide excellent business support.
The Practice Assistant is responsible for ensuring that all activities are carried out in compliance with the firm's policies and regulatory requirements.
The Practice Assistant must be flexible and adaptable, with the ability to adjust to different practice areas and teams, as required
Key Responsibilities
This role sits within the Milan office and includes responsibility for delegating and steering work to the appropriate specialist CC team, which may include the Service Centre, DPU, Design and other Business Professionals teams.
The Practice Assistant is responsible for providing clear direction and taking full ownership and management of their work to ensure that tasks are prioritised by business need and completed in a timely manner.
When working agilely, the Practice Assistant is expected to provide a consistently excellent level of support without disruption to the business and stakeholders.
Practice Management
- Managing diaries: organising meetings across different time zones, coordinating meeting requirements, including room bookings, managing diary conflicts, preparation for meetings, including necessary documentation, liaising with internal and external attendees on availability, and deal with the resources in charge of organising catering
- Assisting Partners with trainee and lawyer administration: scheduling meetings for trainee mid/end of seat and lawyer appraisals, preparing relevant paperwork, reminding Partners to complete paperwork within time frames, assisting with paperwork completion on the appraisal system
- Participating in the delivery of ad hoc responsibilities, projects and tasks; for example, but not limited to, room moves, absence and holiday coordination and IT initiatives
Client Focus and Support
- Progressing and assisting with client relationship initiatives: arranging and attending meetings, calls or other associated actions, as required
- Reminding and assisting fee earners with the updating of CVs
- Creating or amending PowerPoint presentations, Excel documents or fee quote documentation to an intermediate level.
This will include involving specialist CC teams, as necessary, and ensuring that presentations/
documents/pitches are delivered to both fee earners and Business Professionals (including the Client and Market Development team) as per their initial brief
- Building relationships with internal and external clients and key stakeholders, as appropriate, and maintaining knowledge of matters from inception to completion for allocated fee earners
- Collating and capturing the correct client and matter-related information in the core systems: Intapp for example, sector information in Intapp
- Supporting client and market development teams with client relationship activities: cross-practice client events, maintaining and updating client contact information on Interaction, including mailing lists, RSVPs and registration
Financial and Matter Management
- Processing and managing all expenses and invoices in a timely manner, including for third parties, and liaising with Accounts Payable, when required
- Keeping track of updates to pre-bills, and ensuring smooth running and preparation of bills
- Attending work in progress (WIP) and debtor meetings, as required, and following up on action points with the Billing team
- Assisting with good housekeeping of documentation, including post-closing administration.
Best Delivery
- Providing guidance on the firm's processes and best practices, including changes to policies and procedures, and guidance on the firm's systems and Best Delivery tools
- Encouraging use of the firm's Best Delivery hubs and having knowledge of the Best Delivery tools to provide efficient support to the fee-earning community.
**Skills**:
- Exceptional organisational skills with excellent attention to detail
- Understands the importance of the role and how this contributes to the practice area and wider firm strategy
- Client orientated with proven experience of building strong relationships both internally and externally
- Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
- Aware of confidentiality and the use of discretion, when required
Experience
- Supporting new business, client or business development teams with pitches, events, marketing materials and client research
- Proven experience of supporting on financial matters, i.e.
knowledge of recording time sheets, e-billing, expenses and invoices.
- Previous experience of working within a professional services firm is an advantage
Knowledge
- Intermediate t