Practice Assistant, Commercial Real Estate

Open Date:
11,
Close Date:
3,
The Vancouver office of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP BLG is seeking a Practice Assistant, Commercial Real Estate.
Purpose of the Role
The Practice Assistant will be expected to act as a workflow coordinator for other support services including delegating and reviewing the completion of document production, file management, copying/scanning work and other administrative work. The Practice Assistants will take an active interest in, and obtain a thorough understanding of, all aspects of client requirements to provide exceptional service levels to the lawyers and our clients.
Key Responsibilities
The key responsibilities of this role are:
Administrative
Manage calendars, ensuring they are up to date and reminding lawyers of meetings etc. on a daily basis
Arrange meetings, book conference rooms, refreshments, check rooms prior to meetings etc. and liaise with other attendees, both internal and external
Arrange for travel bookings and related details to be made through the support teams
Arrange photocopying, printing, organizing couriers, sending out of letters, faxes etc.
Arrange for files to be opened and closed, supervise general filing requirements and record keeping
Coordinate/conduct conflict searches with the assistance of the Administrative Assistant
Use effective systems to ensure that both short and long term tasks are completed within required timescales
Support lawyers in marketing activities including involvement in preparation of pitches and presentations
Communication
Take internal and external telephone queries, responding as appropriate and/or ensuring that all messages are passed on in a timely manner
Liaise with administrative support departments on behalf of lawyers as required
Liaise with the department?s Team Leader over any planned absences, arranging cover as necessary and communicating this to the relevant lawyers.
Client relationship management
Take an active role in the care of clients and be wholly familiar with contacts/clients
Enter, maintain and update client details and relevant information in the Firm?s CRM contacts system
Deal with basic client queries and general administration
Arrange client meetings
Document production
Check correspondence, attachments, documents, reports, presentations, faxes etc. produced by the Document Production team before they are passed to the relevant lawyer and undertake basic/minor amendments where appropriate
Produce and maintain Excel spreadsheets as required
Financial - Billing
Assist lawyers and Practice Group Billing Coordinator in the billing and credit control process by liaising with the lawyer and accounts and to produce standard prebill financial/time reports through the system
Send bills to clients, with appropriate covering documents
Request cheques, bank transfers and paying in money received, as appropriate
Other duties and responsibilities
In addition to providing support to the lawyers to whom they report, a Practice Assistant will also provide assistance to their immediate colleagues in the department and, where practical, other departments
Team duties will therefore include:
Assisting other members of the firm, both proactively and at the request of the Team Leader
Any other duties as requested by the Lawyers or Team Leader
Key Competencies
1 ? 3 years of Legal Administrative Assistant experience;
Experience within Commercial Real Estate
Knowledge of law firm practices and procedures;
Accurate typing speed of approximately 60 words per minute;
Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, research tools and other systems implemented by the firm;
Knowledge of iManage considered an asset;
Ability to communicate in a professional manner with clients and lawyers;
Ability to interactprofessionally with clients and all members of the firm;
Excellent telephonemanner and competent knowledge of telephone system
Strong organizational skills and time management skills;
Excellent attentionto detail.
Ability to follow instructions with mínimal supervision and take initiative;
Able to set priorities while maintaining flexibility;
Conscientious, approachable and enthusiastic;
A team player with excellent interpersonal skills.
How to Apply
We thank all applicants for their interest in this position, however, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
Everyone at BLG is required to carry out the duties of their role while upholding the important principles of our respectful workplace policies, and treating everyone with respect, regardless of position. At BLG, valuing diversity and inclusion is key to a respectful workplace.
Please note that relatives of current BLG employees and partners are not eligible for consideration.