We are Eversheds Sutherland, a global law firm, with 5,000+ colleagues in more than 30 countries. We’re full‑service with deep niche and sector experience. Whatever challenge, wherever in the world, we’re equipped and ready to meet it. We live our values, we’re purposeful and purpose-led. So although the world is fast-moving and rapidly changing, we see it as a place where everyone can thrive. We’re ambitious for our clients, our communities – and for you. Whether you’re starting out on your career or well established, whether you’re a lawyer or in business services. If you’re looking for what’s next, we are too.

What to expect

For business professionals, our environment is highly collaborative with value being placed on diversity of ideas, skills and mindsets. Not least yours. It’s energetic, fast-moving and there’s always something new to get involved in. You will get exposure across geographies and the firm as a whole. The future is a place of opportunity. Focusing on your success and for what’s next, will ensure you thrive too.

Our team

As one of the largest full service global law practices, our support team play a fundamental role in delivering a professional client service for both our UK and international offices. Adding value and supporting our stakeholders is the key to the success of our teams. If you thrive on being challenged and enjoy working in a highly motivated team, have a can-do approach with good communication skills, we look forward to meeting you.

We believe people develop through learning and are transforming our approach to learning and performance through our feedback and development culture and an innovative approach to professional development for all of our people. This underpins our high performance culture so that our people feel managed, supported and developed continuously and as part of their everyday work. Our comprehensive learning programmes are delivered globally using a blended learning approach, which combines technical and business skills as well as talent development.

Key Responsibilities

• Client focussed with regular meetings with stakeholders to discuss actions, priorities, expectations and future planning
• Comprehensive and proactive diary and travel management, anticipating future demands and actions required, using knowledge and initiative to resolve conflicts
• Organising and planning meetings, to include coordinating agendas and papers for internal and external meetings, booking travel and arranging for necessary equipment and refreshments using technology and resources available for both physical and virtual meetings
• Managing workflow, delegating and owning transactional activity ensuring a successful conclusion
• Acting as liaison point for clients and colleagues
• Dealing with and screening calls, delivering a positive client experience
• Assisting with client queries during stakeholder absences/mailbox management and actioning as necessary
• Draft replies to incoming internal and external correspondence
• Be a champion for process changes
• Paper and electronic filing
• Prepare and submitting expenses
• Utilise CRM as a key business tool, including managing, updating, reporting and research
• Flexible approach, adopting a blended work pattern approach in hours and location, to accommodate stakeholder and client needs
• Providing comprehensive financial administrative support to stakeholders; ensuring compliance with legal, firm wide and practice group specific policies and procedures
• Managing the end to end file management process
• Pitch/PowerPoint creation for stakeholder group liaising with the marketing/pitch team as needed

Role and key responsibilities

The role of Legal PA is to work as part of our Practice Group Support team to provide professional and proactive support to an allocated group of stakeholders, operating with a high level of confidence. Effective communication and influencing skills are vital together with an assertive, proactive and forward thinking approach. Taking ownership of tasks through to completion and going above and beyond to fulfil business needs.

Our Legal PAs are responsible for a wide and varied range of tasks to support our business. We empower our people to stretch their skills and encourage ongoing personal and professional development, leading by example to junior team members. To increase motivation and help you succeed, we offer a variety of technical training and soft skills courses and are committed to a culture of continuous feedback.

Skills and experience

We are looking for:

• Experience of working within a similar environment providing PA support to senior stakeholders
• Excellent communication, organisation and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to liaise with senior stakeholders and demonstrate flexibility and resilience
• Seeks to provide an outstanding level of client services at all times
• Excellent problem solving skills and using initiative, anticipates what is needed and takes appropriate action
• Strong relationship building skills, both internal and external
• Influence, negotiate and manage conflicting demands using initiative
• Ability to delegate and own transactional activity
• Strong team ethic; offer to support where necessary
• Intermediate to advanced skills in Microsoft applications including Outlook and Teams
• Desire to strive and go the extra mile
• Flexible and easily able to adapt to change
• Marketing/business development, co-ordinate and organise events, creating interaction working lists, flyers, communicating with attendees on requirements and dealing with the end to end process
• Build and maintain collaborative working relationships with all clients and colleagues, building trust and strong networks
• Demonstrate client service excellence by being responsive to all requests, effectively utilising all communication channels available across a blended work pattern
• Continuously seeking opportunities to embrace technologies which improve our ways of working and that drive efficiencies in day to day activities
• Ambassador for self-serve technology, role modelling the use of technology to support day to day tasks as well as aiding team members to embrace new technology-enabled ways of working
• Champion and promote the use of Eversheds InHouse with stakeholders, as appropriate
• Supporting the wider PA team, covering team members during absences or when required

What’s in it for you?

At Eversheds Sutherland, we provide benefits focused on looking after you: your development, your performance, your financial future and your health, as well as providing the opportunity to make a contribution to the world.

• We’re fair, transparent and equitable
• We share in the success of the firm, reward alignment to our values, going above and beyond and your individual performance
• We support flexible ways of working through our remote working policy and commitment to flexible, agile and hybrid ways of working
• We support your health and performance through our dental, healthcare and wellness support
• We support everything you are and all you bring through our powerful commitment to diversity and inclusion
• We provide a platform for your career, whatever your ambitions through our structured professional and personal training, mentoring and development programs
• We provide experience and opportunity through international and cross-function exposure
• We provide an opportunity to give back through our pro bono work and community engagement
• We help you plan ahead through retirement planning, insurance and assurance

Diversity and inclusion

At Eversheds Sutherland, “Inclusive” is a core business value. We bring together different skillsets, global mindsets and approaches. We foster diversity of thought and the freedom to put ideas into action. We have an inherent respect for the individual. We have a strong belief in collaboration and teamwork. Sharing ideas, asking questions, solving challenges and meeting our clients’ goals: together.

We want all our people to thrive at work and reach their full potential and we work hard to continue to build a diverse and inclusive culture, monitor and report on our progress and impact, and develop our approach. This is reflected in our policies, systems and processes, and in our work with diversity membership organisations.

Many of our people work flexibly in some way and we are open to considering how we can accommodate flexible working arrangements alongside role requirements. If this is important to you, please talk to us about it during the recruitment process.