Legal Administrative Assistant [Employment]

Pierce Atwood Llp - Portsmouth, NH

Full-time

Portsmouth, NH

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

Pierce Atwood LLP is seeking an experienced Legal Administrative Assistant to join our Employment Group in Portsmouth, NH. This position is crucial for supporting our attorneys by managing their schedules, communications, and various administrative tasks. The ideal candidate will be proactive, detail-oriented, and capable of handling confidential information with discretion. The role involves reviewing the partner's email inbox throughout the day to identify urgent matters that require immediate attention or scheduling calls. Additionally, the assistant will summarize open items weekly to ensure nothing is overlooked. The Legal Administrative Assistant will maintain the calendar for calls, meetings, and business trips, ensuring that the attorney is informed of their responsibilities in advance. A significant part of the job includes substantial word processing work on large employee handbooks and employment agreements. The assistant is expected to take the initiative in addressing internal and client emails and to become familiar with all active client matters to provide assistance as needed. Other responsibilities include screening and routing incoming telephone calls, assisting callers, sorting and distributing mail, composing routine correspondence, preparing PowerPoint slides for webinars, and coordinating all aspects of webinar planning with the marketing team. The assistant will also coordinate conferences, meetings, and travel arrangements for attorneys and clients, prepare monthly bills, and ensure their accuracy. Additionally, the role requires setting up and maintaining client files, processing new matter reports, preparing expense reports, and tracking continuing legal education (CLE) credits. The assistant will provide backup coverage to a busy litigation group and cover reception on a rotating basis or during vacation periods. This position requires a strong ability to multitask, prioritize tasks under time constraints, and demonstrate a can-do attitude. The work environment is hybrid, with three days in the office and two days remote, and the candidate should be prepared to work more than 37.5 hours when necessary to complete specific projects or tasks.

Responsibilities

• Review partner's email inbox throughout the day to identify emails that need immediate response and/or require a scheduled call.
• Review partner's email box weekly and summarize open items.
• Maintain calendar of calls, meetings, and business trips, informing attorney of responsibilities in advance.
• Perform substantial word processing work on large employee handbooks and employment agreements.
• Take initiative to address as many internal and client emails as appropriate.
• Become familiar with all active client matters and provide assistance as needed.
• Screen and route incoming telephone calls, conference calls, and messages to attorneys, clients, and staff promptly.
• Assist callers and respond to inquiries as needed and refer callers to other attorneys when appropriate.
• Sort, date stamp, and distribute incoming and outgoing mail promptly.
• Open and review materials as directed.
• Compose/draft routine correspondence for attorney signature.
• Prepare PowerPoint slides for frequent webinars.
• Coordinate with marketing in all aspects of webinar planning.
• Coordinate conferences, meetings, appointments, and travel arrangements for attorneys and clients including conference room scheduling, preparing materials, and greeting clients.
• Prepare bills monthly and edit and finalize bills to ensure accuracy.
• Coordinate preliminary conflict checks to ensure attorney and firm ability to represent potential client.
• Set up, organize, and maintain client files.
• Read and review material to be filed, and retrieve documents and files when requested.
• Perform a variety of administrative functions including processing new matter reports, preparing expense reports, tracking CLE credits, etc.
• Provide back-up coverage to a busy litigation group.
• Cover reception on a rotating basis or during vacation periods.
• Perform other functions as requested or needed.

Requirements

• 3+ years legal experience.
• Bachelor's degree a plus.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to take initiative.
• Strong multitasking skills.
• Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete them under time constraints.
• Strong technical aptitude.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills required.
• Attention to detail to ensure the highest quality work product for the client.
• Solid writing/editing skills.
• Ability to proofread typed materials for contextual grammatical, typographical, and spelling errors.
• Demonstrated ability to be a team player.
• A can-do attitude.