PA - Global Regulatory, International Trade

Keen to become part of a truly global, collaborative team of professionals? Your journey begins here. Job title PA Department Global Regulatory – International Trade Office location London office Reports to Head of Secretarial Services Working hours 35 hours per week, 9:30am to 5:30pm but additional hours may be required.  We are happy to consider agile and flexible working patterns.  Our approach to hybrid working allows for up to 40% of time working from home and 60% working in the office.  Please contact a member of the recruitment team to discuss further. Firm description Hogan Lovells Cadwalader brings together more than 3,100 lawyers across 36+ worldwide offices, combining global reach with deep sector expertise.  Our combination marks a new chapter. A unique foundation for forging a legal career fit for the future. Strategically placed at the intersection of business, finance, and government, with on-the-ground expertise at every turn. Working seamlessly across practice areas and continents. Where matters span time zones and teams work together to solve complex challenges.

Role Description
Delivering a professional secretarial, organisational and administrative service, including supporting client billing.  The role requires a proactive and responsible individual with a proven track record of independently managing their workload, demonstrating initiative, and delivering comprehensive, client-focused solutions in a dynamic and evolving environment for an allocation of lawyers within a legal group
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Key responsibilities/accountabilities
Organisational Skills
Take ownership of tasks from start to finish, ensuring delivery of high-quality work on time and to expectations
Organise and prioritise workload and maintain a level-headed approach in a dynamic working environment, communicates regularly with fee earners to provide status updates
Plan for and deliver high quality, accurate work whilst managing deadlines, responding to change and the competing priorities of all work
Demonstrate strong organisational skills, regularly act on own initiative, identify issues and propose potential solutions
Diary, Meeting and Mailbox Management
Support inbox management and proactively manages conflicting demands and scheduling challenges and providing solutions
Proactive diary management including arranging meetings and associated logistics, conference calls, lunches and other appointments using business knowledge
Organising travel whilst ensuring adherence to the Global Travel Policy requirements (including flights, accommodation and restaurant suggestions/reservations) and providing the fee earners with detailed itineraries
Taking accurate and detailed telephone messages
Client Interaction & Relationship Building
Build an understanding of the nature of the fee earners’ work, get to know their clients and build relationships with them and the client PAs
Initiate regular communication with allocated fee earners to understand their priorities and support requirements
Take ownership of client enquiries, resolving or escalating (or identifying alternative contacts) as appropriate
Build a network of strong working relationships both internally and externally
Demonstrate awareness of client circumstances and pressures, and proactively anticipate and prioritise client needs
Business Development & Commercial Awareness
Demonstrate active interest in the firm’s clients, business needs and commitment to responsible business
Assist partners and fee earners with their BD responsibilities including pitches and proactively updating CVs and credentials
Billing and Financial Administration
Work independently to a high standard in billing cycles, with a good understanding of client preferences and firm systems
Supports the client billing process using 3E by preparing and generating bills, maintaining accurate records of expenses, disbursements, and fees, liaising with the billing department to track payments, and responding to internal and external requests for supporting documentation and further details
Demonstrates a strong understanding of risk and compliance procedures, including the preparation and management of client engagement letters. Skilled in supporting firm-wide compliance initiatives by ensuring documentation accuracy, upholding confidentiality, and promoting adherence to internal policies and external legal requirements.
Team Contribution
Support wider team and department administration tasks to manage workload peaks and troughs when capacity allows
Provide cover for others in the wider team as requested and support team admin (including across other practice areas where necessary)
The role and responsibilities are subject to change at any time to reflect the needs of the business
Collaboration and Communication
Actively contribute to a collaborative team environment by sourcing, sharing, and exchanging knowledge while supporting new colleagues
Proactively communicate with line manager on workload issues, capacity and hybrid working arrangements
Learning and Adaptability
Take responsibility for your own continued learning, undertake recommended training, keep up to date with and comply with firm policies.
Learn and maintain strong knowledge in your own practice area
Documentation and Filing
Proficient to produce long, complex and accurate documents; remain up to date with HL house-style and able to correctly apply to documents, manuscript amends, audio dictation and document comparisons, proofreads own work to ensure accuracy
Utilises the firm’s document support services effectively, with clear instructions and realistic deadlines, taking ultimate ownership of task
Consistently maintain accurate filing systems, including e-filing, in accordance with the firm’s archiving protocols, effectively retrieving stored files promptly and the opening of new matter files
Demonstrate proficiency in firm templates, styles, and document processes, ensuring consistency and quality.
Person Specification
The candidate
Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to interact with people at all levels
Self-motivated individual with a proactive approach
Keen to take ownership
Ability to think quickly and solve administrative challenges effectively, leveraging support service departments when needed
Client orientated approach – client-focused both internally and externally
Willing to become involved with a desire to learn
Demonstrate resilience and adaptability when faced with change, consistently maintaining strong performance under challenging conditions
Flexibility with overtime
Skills and experience
Previous legal PA experience, preferably within International Trade
Excellent secretarial skills, fast accurate typing
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong document production skills
Strong billing experience including e-billing, preferably 3E
Excellent organisational and administrative ability
Excellent attention to detail
A working knowledge of French (desirable)
Professional/Technical Skills:
Accurate typing at minimum 60 wpm
Advanced knowledge of MS Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Experience of 3E and billing processes
Qualifications and training
Minimum 5 GCSEs or equivalent at 4 or above, including English and Mathematics
AGILE WORKING STATEMENT
Our goal is to embed flexibility across our business by giving everyone the opportunity to work in an agile way, whether as a regular pattern or on an ad hoc basis and we will be happy to discuss this further.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYMENT STATEMENT
It is the policy of Hogan Lovells Cadawlader to provide equal opportunities for all employees in relation to recruitment, training and promotion.  Decisions in these areas will be made only by reference to the requirements of the job and shall not be influenced by any consideration of age, disability, ethnic origin, gender identity, religion, sex or sexual orientation.
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