Legal & Financial Assistant

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Legal & Financial Assistant is part of a five-person administrative team in Harvard University's Office of the General Counsel and reports to the Department Administrator. The role provides day-to-day administrative support to seven University Attorneys across varied legal practices, with additional coverage for other attorneys and office functions as needed. The position starts in a hybrid format and may transition to fully on-campus work in Cambridge if required by the department; commuting to the Cambridge office is expected as required. The schedule is 37.5 hours per week, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The position has a three-month orientation and review period.

The assistant manages legal and financial administrative workflows, including attorneys’ calendars and travel, legal correspondence and files, legal invoice intake and processing, reporting, payments, and office projects. The role also supports staff training on financial policies and legal billing processes, coordinates with the Insurance Office, and provides reception coverage as needed.

Requirements

• At least 3 years of experience in an administrative support role.
• Extremely proficient with Microsoft Office products, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Be a notary public or be willing to obtain notary public certification at the OGC’s expense.
• Familiarity with legal terminology or willingness to learn.
• Superior interpersonal skills and proven ability to interact and collaborate professionally with varied constituencies.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Prior work experience in a law firm preferred.
• Experience with Harvard’s financial systems preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct administrative support to a group of University Attorneys, including complex calendar management, room booking, correspondence, conference and travel arrangements, expense reports and reimbursements, and electronic and paper legal-file management.
• Process and edit correspondence, memos, and legal documents; photocopy, scan, and redact documents; and transcribe handwritten documents.
• Create, organize, and maintain hard-copy and electronic files for legal matters using the office’s electronic docket and document-management systems.
• Arrange meetings and schedule rooms and equipment.
• Collaborate with other administrative staff to improve office functions and complete group tasks.
• Cover administrative support for other OGC attorneys during staff absences and perform other assigned duties.
• Maintain the platform for legal invoices received by the department, enter missing invoice details, gather matter and funding information from OGC attorneys, and serve as the primary contact for outside law firm billing departments.
• Pull data and prepare reports on spending by case or vendor as requested by attorneys and the manager.
• Direct invoice payments and process payments directly as needed.
• Process payments received by the Office of the General Counsel, including depositing checks according to University protocols.
• Coordinate closely with the Insurance Office.
• Prepare training for administrative staff on financial policies and the department’s legal billing processes.
• Lead essential University-business projects, including fiscal-year-end processes and accruals reports, with minimal supervision from OGC senior management.
• Provide reception-desk coverage as needed.
• Manage office-wide functions with minimal supervision and coordinate other department projects as needed.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off, including parental leave.
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one.
• Retirement plans with university contributions.
• Wellbeing and mental health resources.
• Support for families and caregivers.
• Professional development opportunities, including tuition assistance and reimbursement.
• Commuter benefits, discounts, and campus perks.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed