Legal Secretary (Corporate)

Akin•Los Angeles, CA

23h•Hybrid

About The Position

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The firm is seeking a Legal Secretary to support the Corporate practice in its Los Angeles office. This full-time, regular position reports directly to the Office Administrator and assigned Attorneys. The role involves providing secretarial and administrative support to attorneys, advisors, and other administrative personnel. Legal Secretaries are expected to deliver superior service to clients, produce quality work products, and contribute to a collaborative and continuously improving team environment.

Requirements

High School Diploma or equivalent.
Minimum of 5 years of legal secretarial experience required.
Demonstrates and focuses on high level of internal and external client services.
Thorough knowledge of the proper preparation of client bills and conflict-checking forms, including communication with partners, attorneys, billing & collections staff, and client contacts.
Ability to type at least 70 words per minute with accuracy.
Advanced knowledge of MS Word (e.g., formatting, paragraph numbering, Styles, Paste Special, Header and Footers, Footnotes, Tables, Table of Contents, Track Changes and Mail Merge).
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite; NetDocuments; ChromeRiver; Intapp; iTimekeep; Adobe Acrobat.
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Familiarity with legal filing and record-keeping practices.
Strong organizational skills.
Ability to perform clerical tasks with a high degree of accuracy.
Ability to work independently and as a member of a team, take initiative, set priorities and see projects through completion.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, meet deadlines, handle multiple tasks, and respond to changing priorities.
Ability to establish effective working relationships within the office and firm, and with clients, vendors and others outside the firm.
Strong service orientation.
Commitment to maintaining confidentiality of client and office information and adhering to the Firm’s Core Values.
Commitment to the office and firm.
Commitment to professional growth.

Nice To Haves

Specialized secretarial degree, associate and/or bachelor's degree desirable but not required.

Responsibilities

Manage full and active calendar of appointments and ensure partners and attorneys are prepared for all commitments.
Anticipate and assist in prioritizing conflicting needs, follow-through on projects to successful completion, often with tight and conflicting deadlines.
Review monthly and/or bi-monthly prebills and coordinate billing attorneys’ time entry captures, and correct narrative edits.
Work in conjunction with internal departments, such as but not limited to Accounting, Value, Docketing, Attorney Resource Center, and Office Services.
Setup and maintain case and client files, including drafts, redlines, and versions thereof, in Akin’s document management system NetDocuments.
Create (and track) closing sets / executed copies; when matters are signed / close, coordinate closure.
Coordinate conferences, meetings and appointments, often involving participants from inside and outside the firm, and multiple locations and time zones.
Perform administrative tasks, including drafting and preparing legal, administrative and other documents (e.g., correspondence, memoranda and project work), and overseeing new client/matter requests, time & expense reports processed by the Attorney Resource Center.
Receive, screen and transmit telephone calls, conference calls and messages to/from attorneys, clients, outside contacts, and staff.
Coordinate domestic and international travel arrangements, securing air and ground transportation, arranging hotel and/or meeting accommodations, preparing detailed itineraries and travel agendas.
Prepare, format, revise, and finalize a variety of legal documents, correspondence, and presentations using Microsoft Office and other document management tools.
Handle administrative tasks such as processing conflict checks, submitting expense reports, managing attorney time entries, scheduling meetings, and travel, and maintaining calendars.
Maintain paper and electronic files in compliance with firm policies, ensuring information is accurate and accessible.
Foster strong working relationships across teams, collaborating with departments like Document Services, IT, Mail Room, Duplicating, Facilities, Conference Services, Attorney Resources Center, Billing & Collections, and Accounting to ensure seamless support.
Maintain professional and technical knowledge in support of the practice management’s evolving needs.
Anticipate attorney and team needs, other duties as assigned.
Provide back-up assistance, as needed, to attorneys or others in the practice group who require support.
Accept overflow work from the secretarial team members as needed.