Baker McKenzie

Think Opportunity, Think Baker McKenzie!

We have an exciting opportunity for a legal secretary to join Baker McKenzie in Sydney and work with our Partners in the Commercial Real Estate team!

Our practice

The Legal Secretary, Commercial Real Estate will deliver timely, efficient and high-quality administrative, secretarial and practice group-specific services to one Partner in the Commercial Real Estate practice group, as well as Associates and others primarily across the Commercial Real Estate practice group. The role-holder will be responsible for drafting and preparing correspondence, formatting documentation, managing expenses, matters, and billing, overseeing financial reporting, coordinating diary management, filing and travel bookings, and performing general administrative duties

Main responsibilities:

• Manage high volume monthly billing processes, financial reporting and specific client invoice requirements, including drafting and circulating invoices, distributing invoices to clients and necessary weekly, monthly and quarterly reporting responsibilities for key clients
• Answer the phone; appropriately screen calls, resolve simple queries wherever possible, take and relay messages promptly, and, if necessary, redirect queries
• Create, draft, edit and format a range of legal correspondence and documents, presentations and pitch documents, using version control and track changes
• Support the client matter intake process
• Reconcile expenses
• Undertake conflict searching
• Time entry - production of narratives, creation of glossaries, etc.
• Screen and organize correspondence (with voicemail, email, and regular postal mail) in the author’s absence and as per requests
• Work directly with clients, develop and maintain relationships, and assist with business development activities
• Organize couriers, conferences and functions, travel and accommodation, internal and external meetings (including room, car spaces, catering, invitations, etc.) for authors
• Assist with client events and social functions for the Practice Group
• Manage authors' calendars and schedules, and keep informed about authors' whereabouts at all times
• Assist in preparing and distributing relevant documentation to authors before critical dates (e.g., meetings, court proceedings, settlements, etc.)
• Identify, open, generate, maintain, label, update and close files, according to task, author and the Firm’s requirements
• Manage various ongoing projects as required

About you

You will have:

• previous experience in a legal practice,
• Real Estate experience is desirable, but not essential,
• experience in a monthly billing process,
• a high level of accuracy and attention to detail,
• a minimum typing speed of 50 wpm (90% accuracy rate),
• excellent computer literacy in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook,
• excellent customer service and client relationship skills,
• iManage and Chrome River experience is preferred, but not required,
• Certificate IV in Business Administration or equivalent is desirable; and
• ability to work well in a team environment.

About Baker McKenzie

At Baker McKenzie, we are different in the way we think, work and behave. The first local, truly global law firm in Australia, we commenced operations in Sydney in 1964, in Melbourne in 1982 and in Brisbane in 2014. With our breadth of experience in the local market and global connectivity, we are the law firm of choice for Australian and multinational companies. We have 6,500 lawyers globally who work seamlessly together – across practice groups, sectors and markets – to provide our clients with the connected perspectives, integrated solutions and seamless guidance they need to succeed in an increasingly interconnected global market.

Baker McKenzie Australia can offer you access to complex, market-leading matters working with some of the world's best legal minds – people who know the law and who understand business. We have an unrivalled ability to provide training and secondment opportunities across our global network. Locally, we have an inclusive culture of learning, coaching and opportunity where you will work as part of teams on matters that often cross borders. We value people who think ahead and get noticed.

Our benefits

• Financial benefits: competitive remuneration package, generous bonus scheme, salary continuance insurance, life insurance, salary sacrifice options, employee discounts, referral rewards, and travel insurance for you and your family

• Learning & development opportunities: client and international office secondments and regional and global development programs
• Flexibility: Hybrid and flexible working arrangements to balance your work and lifestyle
• Leave: 26 weeks paid parental leave for all parents with no minimum service, ability to purchase additional annual leave and flexible public holidays
• Health & wellbeing programs: Employee Assistance Program including confidential counselling and wellbeing and financial coaching for you and your immediate family, flu vaccinations and discounted health insurance
  
  

Inclusion, Diversity & Equity

Baker McKenzie is committed to providing a diverse, inclusive and equitable culture for all its employees, with equal opportunity for all to progress and have a meaningful career with our Firm. As part of our inclusive culture, we welcome applications from people of all genders (including if you identify as transgender or gender diverse), sexual orientations, abilities, cultural backgrounds, as well as First Nations peoples and people with caring responsibilities, neurodivergent lived experiences and disabilities. We want all applicants to be given the best possible opportunity to succeed in our recruitment processes, so invite you to let us know of any reasonable adjustments you require to equitably participate in our recruitment processes or in performing the requirements of a role at Baker McKenzie.

We appreciate that everyone's needs are different. Please contact us so that we can work with you to best support you in our recruitment processes. We are happy to share accommodations we've made in the past and are keen to work with you personally, to set you up for success.

Apply today!

If you are interested in the above role, we would love to hear from you! Please click "apply now".