Legal Assistant - Banbury, United Kingdom - Spratt Endicott Limited

Description

Are you attracted to working within a collaborative and supportive team?

• Are you looking to work for a firm where expertise, professionalism, a meaningful work life balance and having fun come first?

SE-Solicitors, a Top Tier Legal 500 firm have an exciting opening for a Legal Assistant to join our business.

Investing in our people is a fundamental principle of our culture, taking the time to understand our employees and their work-life needs, wants and expectations.

In return we offer you a career enhancing role with identified development opportunities and a great working culture in a thriving part of the country.

The role is based in our Banbury office.

Banbury is a great mix of a busy market town with excellent schools and amenities including the Castle Quay shopping centre with a 10 Screen Cinema, restaurants and a hotel.

Atmospheric lanes and the streets of the Old Town alongside the town's Museum set directly beside the beautiful Oxford Canal.

Being on the edge of the Cotswolds and the Oxford/Cambridge arc, we are surrounded by stunning villages and beautiful countryside.

We are a business with an enviable mix of clients ranging from private individuals to nationally renowned and international businesses.

Only an hour from London and even closer to the hubs of Oxford, Northampton, Leamington Spa, Milton Keynes, Birmingham and Cheltenham.

We are looking to recruit an Legal Assistant to support the delivery of the Commercial Recoveries strategic objectives as we continue to grow.

You will manage a portfolio of clients, providing an exceptional recovery service.


Main Activities, Duties and Responsibilities

• Ability to provide a prelegal service for clients
• Answering incoming calls from both clients and debtors
• Attaching instructions and providing further details to the administration department to set up new accounts
• Being able to issue a claim using a statement providing by the client and entering judgment on client's instructions
• Accurate and timely completion of correspondence and Court documents
• Ensuring diaries are up to date and that clients have been chased for issues, judgment, enforcement etc. Working to deadlines
• Keeping accurate records, keeping Proclaim up to date and completing thorough and accurate phone note.
• Ability to take payments using Sage pay
• Answering telephone calls and maintaining a professional tone even when faced with conflict/difficult conversations
• Running weekly and monthly reports for clients and for billing purposes
• Paying invoices for trace agents, high court enforcement agents and raising Court fees.
• Keeping up to date knowledge on Court costs and Solicitor's costs and advising clients on costs at each step when required
• Assisting colleagues when the business requires including covering work when they are on holiday and working as part of a team
• Use various search tools such as Companies House, Corporate Researcher, Insolvency Register and the Land Registry
• Reconciliation of ledgers, paying out to clients weekly and monthly whilst adhering to SAR
• Proof reading/checking admin letters and issues prior to them being posted to the debtor/Court
• Preparing matters for issue, entering Judgments, instructing the bailiff and high court enforcement agent
• Informing clients of the best way to proceed on matters and providing the costings of these and discussing the process and answering their queries
• Be able to handle difficult conversations with the debtors and with the client
• Being able to advise the client on the appropriate methods of enforcement for that particular matter. Treat all cases individually.
• Be able to identify vulnerable debtors and handle the file appropriately
• Sending Monthly Invoices to Clients.
• Consolidating invoices
• Assist with credit control when required.

Person Specification

• Works well as a member of a team
• Pays attention to detail
• Holds a flexible approach
• Able to prioritise workload
• Punctual, honest and trustworthy
• Excellent communication and client service skills
• Understands requirements under Data Protection Act
• Understands confidential nature of the environment
• Knowledge and skills
• Personal and other skills

Knowledge & Skills

• Collections or Credit Control Experience
• Essential
• Excellent organisation capability with the ability to effectively prioritise
• Essential
• Solid understanding of Microsoft Office suite and other relevant IT platforms
• Essential
• Strong written communication skills
• Essential
• Demonstrate a good understanding of client relationship management
• Essential
• Ability to undertake basic legal work under supervision and use initiative where required
• Essential
• Previous experience within a legal support or administrative role
• Desirable
• Understanding the Legal Process and Enforcement options available
• Desirable

Job Types:
Full-time, Permanent


Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• E