Personal Assistant (PA)

About Us
Established in 2000, Express Solicitors is an award-winning law firm that deals with personal injury and clinical negligence claims. Based in Manchester, we serve clients nationwide and are currently ranked 64 out of more than 10,000 law firms. We have a 5-star rating on Trustpilot from over 8,000 reviews, which coming from our clients means a lot to us. We are proud of the work we do helping injured people, and this is the core of our business.
The Role

Our established Employers’ Liability team are currently looking for a Personal Assistant to support a Partner within the well established department.

The ideal candidate must have legal secretarial experience within personal injury. Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office packages, and a strong command of English spelling, punctuation and grammar are both essential. An audio typing speed of 65+ wpm is a distinct advantage. The PA is expected to be pro-active and to use a high degree of self-management and initiative.

Responsibilities

  • To prepare correspondence and documents through audiotyping and word processing.
  • To administer daily digital filing and the opening, closing, storage and retrieval of client files.
  • To prepare correspondence and enclosures for despatch if required.
  • To make appointments, arrange meetings and to manage the fee earner diaries.
  • To provide support to other secretaries and the administration team as required.
  • To attend clients both in person and on the telephone and to provide such support in a professional and friendly manner in keeping with the firm’s standards for client care.
  • To undertake any specific training as and when required.
  • To ensure the confidentiality of all clients’ documentation and information.
  • Help us live our service promise and deliver excellent levels of client care.

Person Specification

  • Demonstrable legal secretarial experience.
  • IT literate.
  • Strong comprehension of English spelling, punctuation and grammar.
  • Acute attention to detail.
  • Excellent word processing and audio typing skills.
  • Exceptional customer service skills, including professional and friendly telephone manner.
  • Experience of working in a Personal Injury law firm, or civil litigation firm is advantageous.
  • Previous experience of working in a fast paced environment.
  • Prior exposure to Proclaim case management system is desirable.
  • Audio typing speed of 65+ words per minute.
  • Previous experience of working with court forms and creating pleadings.
  • Use of digital dictation, ideally Big Hand

Salary & Hours

  • Salary of £27,000 to £30,000, dependent on experience.
  • Our standard working hours are 8:30am to 5:30pm Monday-Thursday and 8:30am to 5pm Friday.
Benefits
Hybrid Working

3/2 hybrid working pattern after probation.
23 Days Holiday

Rising to 26 days, plus bank/public holidays.
Extra Holidays

3 holiday buy backs and an extra day for your birthday after service length requirement.
Looking After Your Health

Private medical insurance available after 2 years’ service, annual flu jab and Employee Assistance Programme.
Looking After Your Well-being

24/7 onsite Gym, Netball/Football team, 10km Manchester team and more.
Work Life / Balance

Active social committee with generous departmental and firm-wide social budget.
Back to blog

Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...