Legal PA

About the Role

A&O Shearman is seeking a Legal PA to join the Debt Finance team in the Riyadh office. This full-time role involves supporting the global co-head of the relevant global practice group and the associated management team, including interaction with practice group teams across various firm offices. The Legal PA will also provide high-quality administrative support to fee earners, enabling them to focus on legal services and client development.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage daily diary events and schedules for partners, counsel, and fee earners, including issue resolution.
• Coordinate meetings, ensuring all necessary arrangements are made.
• Proactively manage fee earners to ensure timely attendance at meetings with appropriate documents.
• Handle telephone calls professionally, acting as a filter.
• Manage emails, voicemails, and post, routing communications and highlighting urgent tasks.
• Plan and coordinate comprehensive travel arrangements, including flights, hotels, transfers, and itineraries.
• Prepare holiday/absence handover notes and coordinate team coverage for fee earner absences.
• Support deal/matter administration, including file opening, client care, and end-of-matter details.
• Assist with Compass meetings for associates and seat reviews for trainees, and support associate onboarding.
• Provide support for projects led by partners.

Deal and Document Support

• Coordinate and manage the matter inception process, including preparing engagement letters and terms.
• Engage with matter managers to identify and support efficiencies throughout the matter lifecycle.
• Manage all aspects of matter administration and provide guidance on protocols.
• Type letters, correspondence, presentations, reports, and legal documentation, including digital dictation.
• Proofread all work to ensure accuracy and high standards.
• Prepare and distribute agendas, presentations, and meeting papers.
• Complete urgent document edits for matters not handled by document production.
• Liaise with Document Production to ensure timely completion of documents.

Financial Administration

• Demonstrate understanding of the end-to-end billing process and financial system.
• Submit expense claims for fee earners and maintain copies.
• Update Intapp Time, complete timesheets, and prompt fee earners as needed.
• Liaise with the billing team to action write-offs before documentation production.
• Edit time narratives within 3E and use 3E to view time, print billing guides, and prepare invoices.
• Work with the Working Capital Controller and Credit Control team on billing, ensuring disbursement invoices are authorized.
• Complete follow-up actions from monthly working capital meetings.
• Facilitate and educate on the process for submitting expense claims for fee earners and manage partner/counsel expenses.

Business Development Support

• Support client pitches, including coordinating with Business Development, Creative Services, and local printers for timely document production.
• Organize client events and ensure post-event follow-up.
• Conduct research on clients or potential clients and prepare briefing packs.
• Maintain and update Dynamics experience records and event calendars, liaising with fee earners and Business Development.
• Monitor key client contact and prompt for communication, advising partners of client activities.
• Build relationships with PAs at key clients and ensure A&O Shearman databases are current.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Proven experience partnering with senior stakeholders to influence and deliver business objectives.
• Strong commercial awareness, analytical thinking, and sound judgment.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to challenge constructively.
• Professional, discreet, and trusted in handling confidential information.
• Collaborative team player committed to continuous learning and development.
• Successful candidates will need to provide a copy of their national ID/Iqama.