Administrative assistant

Role Forbes Solicitors are looking for an Administrative Assistant to join our Wills, Probate, Tax and Trusts at our Oak House Office, based in Walton Summit, Preston. This is a full-time role, working Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. This is a great opportunity for an experience administrator to further progress their career to develop their skills and knowledge and a join a collaborative and professional team. Whilst the role will be working to the fast-pace, customer focus and high standards of a law firm, the role will also provide a sustainable work-life balance and relate to the regional area in which it is based. The role will be responsible for delivering successful outcomes such as: Successfully and accurately advise on the relevant and appropriate services that the team can provide based on the enquiry information and client requirements, with the aim of converting the enquiry into confirmed business; Utilise strong communication skills to build rapport with potential clients, gain all relevant information, understand the client needs and expectations and articulate this back to the client and onto the legal advisor; Deliver an informed and professional response to new enquiries including providing relevant customer service information and quotes; and filtering the types of enquiries that the team does not deal with and signposting them elsewhere; Maintain a detailed and up to date knowledge and understanding of the services provided by the team, developing basic legal knowledge to successfully support both potential clients and the department; Maintaining accurate information on referrals in and out the department; Monitor and action emails into the team email address allocating post and documents accordingly; Liaise with archive requests as directed by other members of the team, i.e. the retrieval and restore of deeds, documents and files; Update and maintain Wills and Deeds database on behalf of the team including logging documents in and out, whilst arranging for Wills, Deeds and Lasting Powers of Attorneys to be stored appropriately; Coordinate diary appointments and room bookings for the team and clients, i.e. team meetings, client meetings, 1-2-1’s and taking minutes as and when required; Check and distribute incoming post to fee earners and collate, check and process all department outgoing post; Supporting with general day to day administration for the team, i.e. letter drafting, updating templates, safe database, experts register, quality control of files; Contribute to the on-going development of the team and including peers and team members, processes and systems. Organisation Forbes Solicitors offer the full range of legal services to individuals, commercial clients, and a number of specialist sectors where we excel nationally. We have offices across the North but our roots are firmly based in Lancashire. Our clients tell us that we stand out from other firms. We are real people who are passionate about getting the best results. Working together and listening to our clients, we provide genuine and practical advice. We are looking for someone who displays our values; specifically, someone who can excel, is engaged, is a real person, displays fairness in all they do and has a one team ethic. Benefits We are committed to being supporting organisation that keeps the people at the focus and therefore we offer a range of additional benefits including: Competitive Salary; 33 Days Annual Leave, including bank holidays; Annual Leave Purchase Scheme (Subject to T Cs); A day off for your Birthday; Ongoing Training and Development; Progression Opportunities; Company Pension; Service Awards; Health Care Benefits (Health Cash Back Plan and Mental Health Counselling Services); Other Employee Discounts; Recruitment and Legal Department Referrals (Subject to T C’s); Annual Events. Applying If you are interested in this role specifically or just working at Forbes Solicitors, please do head to our website to learn more about us. We will be progressing applicants to the next stage based on applications demonstrating the following the knowledge, experience, and skills: Have 5 GCSEs graded 9-4, or equaliviant, including English and Maths; Previous administration or secretarial experience is essential; Strong interpersonal, time management and organizational skills; Proven experience of working in an informative customer service role; Excellent verbal and written communication skills including strong listening skills and ability to understand and articulate customer query or need The ability to deal with Clients by telephone and in person Have the ability to build rapport and trust with clients; Knowledge of filing as well as other office procedures; Ability to work unsupervised as well as part of a team; Strong IT skills and the ability to use multiple platforms such as word, excel, outlook and other case management systems/databases Strong attention to detail and accurate, detailed recording of information. Forbes is an equal opportunities and disability confident employer and accredited to Investors in People and ISO 9001 quality management systems. We support the principle of equal opportunities in relation to any opportunities which we might provide through the engagement of employees; the provision of services to clients; and the appointment and engagement of suppliers. We are committed, wherever practicable, to maintaining a workforce which broadly reflects the local community in which we operate.