Legal Secretary

Practice Group / Department:

Fee Earners - Tokyo

Job Description

We're Norton Rose Fulbright - a global law firm with over 50 offices and 7,000 employees worldwide. We provide the world’s preeminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. At Norton Rose Fulbright, our strategy and our culture are closely entwined. We know that our expansion will mean little unless it is underpinned by truly global collaboration and we understand that pioneering work only takes place when our people have room to move and think beyond boundaries. As well as the relevant skills and experience, we're looking for people who are innovative, commercial and value the work that they do. 

Work experience and abilities

• Relevant secretarial experience preferred however those with many years in domestic or international law firms, or international companies may apply
• Candidate should possess effective and efficient administration skills
• Ability to manage pressure and conflicting demands, and prioritise tasks
• Good verbal and written communication skills both on Japanese & English
• Good PC skills including Word/Excel/PowerPoint, Outlook
• Ability to work in a team and essentially a good team player
• Must have flexibility in responding/meeting fee earners’ /office management’s requests
• Polite and helpful, organized, approachable and responsive
• A pro-active and ‘can-do’ attitude towards existing working practices

The Job

• To produce and amend documents with speed and accuracy, and to format, paginate, number and present documents in house-style
• To support other members of the secretarial team and to provide cover as and when necessary to ensure that work is completed to a high standard.  Lunch hours are on roster basis. 
• Manage diaries of allocated fee earners in Microsoft Outlook including:

• - making appointments;
• - arranging meetings/conferences;
• - sending and responding to invites;
• - booking restaurants

• To prepare papers for meetings and deal with any necessary paperwork etc. following meetings attended by fee earners
• Manage conference rooms and video conference setting
• Make travel arrangements to include preparing itinerary, booking hotels, booking flights etc.
• To maintain and update client and other relevant contact details on in-house database
• To undertake secretarial billing related tasks in accordance with our standard procedures
• To set up vendor request and prepare vouchers for invoices
• To prepare & submit Expense Claims to Finance Dept. for assigned fee earners
• To carry out photocopying, scanning, and printing (including bulks) as required
• Upkeep and management of archive/storage, and arrange for documents to be archived
• Establish filing systems and ensure filing is accurate and up to date, and maintenance of files including opening new files, preparing labels and folders
• To maintain and update all office’s inventory lists
• Answer the telephone in a timely and professional manner, and take accurate telephone messages (including action required, telephone number, etc.) and deal with them appropriately
• To provide full support to fee earners in the full range of activities that are performed and to carry out any other duties as reasonably requested.
• Assist with reception duty:
• - Secretary takes reception task when guests for fee earners visit and serving beverages for guests when necessary.
• - Secretary is also required to receive courier/deliveries as a part of receptionist task and deliver envelopes/goods to relevant recipients in the office, and keep good records of them. 
• - Maintain the office and pantry.
• - Assist with hotel bookings for the visitors and organizing room/work station/security card in the office.
• Liaise with Asia IT team as and when required to resolve IT related issues, assist with setting up iPhones, laptops, testing, etc.
• Perform other ad-hoc tasks as instructed by the Office Manager.

Work Conditions

• Working hours – 10.00 hrs to 18.00 hrs, Mondays to Fridays
• Work is almost entirely office-based.  Deadlines can be imposed at short notice, demanding flexibility and occasionally the need to work extra hours to complete tasks after 18:00 or before 10:00AM.  

Overtime Allowance will be paid with relevant fee earner’s prior approval in writing & approval signature on Overtime Claim sheet. 

Probation

Probationary period is six months after joining the firm. 

***** End *****

Note:  The above is a guideline and standard practice and procedure for all secretaries and may be amended from time to time.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

To attract the best people, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work, have a sense of belonging, and realize their full career potential. 
Our new enabled work model allows our people to have more flexibility in the way they choose to work from both the office and a remote location, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of service. We offer a range of family friendly and inclusive employment policies and provide access to programmes and services aimed at nurturing our people’s health and overall wellbeing. Find more about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion here.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams. We strive to create an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you require any tailored adjustments or accommodations, please let us know here.