Legal Secretary

Location: Los Angeles
Schedule: 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Position Type: Full-Time/Regular

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. We are currently seeking a Legal Secretary, reporting to our Office Administrator.

The role will reside in the Los Angeles with hybrid work capabilities and will be responsible for providing secretarial and administrative support to attorneys, advisors and other administrative personnel as assigned. Legal Secretaries are expected to perform all job duties with a commitment to providing superior service to clients, producing quality work products, and maintaining an atmosphere of teamwork and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities of this position include:

• Manage full and active calendar of appointments and ensure partners and attorneys are prepared for all commitments. Anticipate and assist in prioritizing conflicting needs, follow-through on projects to successful completion, often with tight and conflicting deadlines.
• Review monthly and/or bi-monthly prebills and coordinate billing attorneys’ time entry captures, correct narrative edits, apprise billing partners of performance to budget, prepare and edit spreadsheets regarding same.
• Review weekly reports of Value of Time vs. Budget; keep deal lead apprised. Be able to convert estimates of added hours to a matter for a specific timekeeper into dollars, bearing in mind the client’s / matter’s fee discount if applicable.
• Setup and maintain case and client files, including drafts, redlines, and versions thereof, in document management system.
• Create (and track) closing sets / executed copies; when matters are signed / close, coordinate closure, and issuance of invoice.
• Coordinate conferences, meetings and appointments, often involving participants from inside and outside the firm, and multiple locations and time zones.
• Perform administrative tasks, including drafting and preparing legal, administrative and other documents (e.g., correspondence, memoranda and project work), and overseeing new client/matter requests, time & expense reports processed by the Attorney Resource Center.
• Receive, screen and transmit telephone calls, conference calls and messages to/from attorneys, clients, outside contacts, and staff.
• Coordinate domestic and international travel arrangements, securing air and ground transportation, arranging hotel and/or meeting accommodations, preparing detailed itineraries and travel agendas.
• Proofread and redline work for accuracy of copy, format, grammar, punctuation, and syntax.
• Handle incoming and outgoing mail.
• Coordinate work as needed with office, firm and third-party service departments, including Document Services, IT, Mail Room, Duplicating, Facilities, Conference Services, Attorney Resources Center, Billing & Collections, and Accounting.
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge in support of the practice management’s evolving needs.
• Provide back-up assistance, as needed, to attorneys or others in the practice group who require support.
• Accept overflow work from the secretarial team members as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications (Experience, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities):

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Minimum of 5 years of legal secretarial experience required
• Specialized secretarial degree, associate and/or bachelor's degree desirable but not required
• Demonstrates and focuses on high level of internal and external client services
• Thorough knowledge of the proper preparation of client bills and conflict-checking forms, including communication with partners, attorneys, billing & collections staff, and client contacts
• Ability to type at least 70 words per minute with accuracy
• Advanced knowledge of MS Word (e.g., formatting, paragraph numbering, Styles, Paste Special, Header and Footers, Footnotes, Tables, Table of Contents, Track Changes and Mail Merge)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite; NetDocuments; ChromeRiver; InterAction; Intapp; Carpe Diem, iTimekeep
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including grammar, spelling and punctuation
• Ability to read, comprehend and follow instructions
• Thorough familiarity with legal terminology pertinent to general legal concepts and specific area(s) of assignment
• Proficiency with advanced telephone functions, including conference calling and voicemail
• Excellent telephone manner
• Familiarity with legal filing and record-keeping practices
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to perform clerical tasks with a high degree of accuracy
• Proficiency on office equipment used on a regular basis including computers, printers, copy machines, and telephones
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team, take initiative, set priorities and see projects through completion
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, meet deadlines, handle multiple tasks, and respond to changing priorities
• Ability to establish effective working relationships within the office and firm, and with clients, vendors and others outside the firm
• Ability to perform mathematical functions - add, subtract, multiply, divide, work with percentages, etc.
• Strong service orientation
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality of client and office information and adhering to the Firm’s Core Values
• Commitment to professional growth

The base salary range for this position in California is $90,000 to $105,000.Additional information about benefits and rewards can be found here.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP participates in E-Verify for purposes of verifying employment eligibility

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