Legal Assistant - Private Client

Job title

Legal Assistant

Department

Private Client

Our Purpose

To forge long-term relationships that have a positive impact on our people, our clients, our business partners, and our community.

Our Commitment to Our People

We do not think there is a magic formula to the Higgs culture. The key is to listen to and respect our people. If we take care of our people and our people take care of our clients, then everything we want as a firm will take care of itself. We are friendly and open to new ideas.

Our Core Values

Higgs core values are “CLEAR” – Care, Legacy, Excellence, Authenticity, Relationships

Role Purpose

To join the Private Client department as a Legal Assistant in the Wealth Preservation team.

Key Responsibilities 

In line with policies and procedures key responsibilities include:

Client Interaction:

• Acting as the first point of contact for clients, providing information and updates where appropriate.
• Assisting in the preparation of client onboarding and compliance documentation.
• Ensuring client records are kept accurate and up-to-date.
• Attending meetings for the purposes of assisting with the completion of documentation and acting as witness

Legal Research & Documentation:

• Conducting basic legal research and summarising findings for the legal team.
• Assisting in the preparation of documentation under the supervision of a solicitor.
• Organising and maintaining case files.
• Ensuring safe storage of completed documents to include saving to the relevant area and providing copy documentation to the instructing client
• Handling incoming and outgoing correspondence, including emails, phone calls, and post.

Team Collaboration:

• Liaising with other departments and external parties to facilitate case progression.
• Working closely with the PA’s in the team with regard to new instructions, to include using the new enquiries procedure which involves taking initial details and gathering relevant information in order to organise the first initial meeting and to allocate the client relationship to the appropriate fee earner to take further
• Supporting the fee earners with the billing process to include preparing draft bills for approval and assisting with the relevant communications to distribute invoices
• Supporting the wider team during busy periods, such as trials or critical deadlines.

Person Specification

• Personal effectiveness and self-management
• Good communication, organisational and team skills
• Good attention to detail
• Flexible and dependable, able to take the initiative
• Able to remain calm under pressure and work to tight deadlines
• Conscientious, approachable and enthusiastic
• Able to quickly build confidence, respect and trust with others

Technical Knowledge

• A good working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint

What You Need to Know

Higgs offers hybrid working wherever possible. Our Higgs’ Best FIT (flexible, inclusive, together) principles are designed to ensure that people can complete their best work from the most appropriate location. If you are looking to work flexibly then let us know and we will do what we can to accommodate your request.

We encourage a ‘dress for your diary’ approach which means dressing in a manner appropriate for your schedule or the specific appointments you have on any given day.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package together with excellent opportunities for professional development and training.

Equal Opportunities

As charter signatories to The Law Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Charter, Higgs are committed to developing a diverse business by engaging with the widest pool of talent. We recognise this is an ongoing journey and regularly monitor our figures which can be viewed here.

People Driven. Legal Excellence.