DLA Piper has a unique approach to our legal secretarial function that allows us to stretch and develop your skills ensuring you are given interesting work at an appropriate level whilst making sure you are not over-burdened. You still have contact with clients and partners, but you will collaborate and work with a wider range of people in the department than in a traditional secretarial model.

We have two (2) levels of role in the team:

• Team Leader - monitors incoming work and team capacity and distributes jobs and projects to members of the team, whilst also operating as a senior level secretary. They are also responsible for communicating with fee earners to keep them informed on tasks or projects status.
• Secretary - provides general secretarial and administration services as part of the secretarial team.

We are looking for an experienced secretary who enjoys a fast-paced international environment to join our Tokyo office today

Main duties and responsibilities

• Working collaboratively with rest of the team to deliver and provide seamless secretarial and administration solutions to assigned practice group fee earners
• Provide high level support to partners and fee earners as a legal secretary; providing administrative support to fee earners with conflict searches and audit requests
• Completes practice group specific tasks to develop specialist expertise (e.g. super-user on specific tools, global billing, client reporting, knowledge management support)
• Responds and deals with external or internal telephone calls and queries in a professional manner and takes clear and concise messages as required
• Coordinating internal and external client meetings effectively ensuring rooms and conference facilities are booked, liaising with attendees and ensuring that any required catering and technical equipment is in place
• Assisting fee earners with the organization of meetings including preparation of agendas and collating meeting papers in a timely manner
• Organising and assisting with client functions, entertainment and seminars, as required
• Organising complex travel arrangements including booking and confirmation of reservations, flights, hotels, taxis, rental cars, after flight transfers. Liaising with third party provider to obtain visas and producing detailed itineraries
• Managing group and fee earner contacts maintaining up to date client record including in SNAP, Outlook and Interaction (CRM tool)
• Adding value by taking a proactive approach to tasks and anticipating potential problems before they arise
• Ensuring accurate and timely use of our finance management system to facilitate matter opening, maintenance, closure and archiving. Generating accurate billing reports, letters, drafting bills and issue all finalise bills in a timely manner. Managing accounts payable (invoices), expenses and disbursements. Recording time for fee earners when required (including non-billable productive time) on a daily basis
• Completing financial reports where required, from internal systems highlighting outstanding monies to be billed and updating particular client financial schedules where necessary
• Understanding and managing DLA Piper document management processes (iManage/ iCloud)
• Utilising document production for the creation of all first draft documents
• Seeks help or clarification from Team Secretarial Team Leader and confirms understanding when uncertain about a task or when instructions are not clear
• Assists on ad-hoc projects as and when required, for example managing bundles, assisting during team events, indexing documents, etc.
• Any other secretarial or administrative duties as required.

Experience
About you

• Minimum 3+ years' experience as a legal secretary or in a similar position

Skills & Attributes

• Experience working with Office 365 ProPlus, document management tool, billing system (SNAP/SAP) and collaboration tools (Skype for Business, Zoom and MS Teams)
• Excellent communicator in Japanese and English, both spoken and written
• Excellent diary management
• Strong organisational skills and an ability to prioritise and complete simultaneous projects when numerous and diverse demands are involved
• Ability to accurately prepare and maintain records, files, and reports
• Detailed understanding and experience of billing
• Applies knowledge and judgement to solve problems and make decisions
• Flexible approach to working practices in order to meet business needs
• Armed with a can-do attitude, proactive, friendly and professional demeanour
• Ability to process and handle confidential information with discretion
• Mature, with an attention to detail and highly resourceful and work well under pressure
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to build rapport and develop profession relationships internally and externally
• Conscientious and diligent with an eagerness to learn and develop skills
• Ability to work successfully as both a member of a team and independently with minimal supervision

About Us
We're a global law firm helping our clients achieve their goals wherever they do business. Our pursuit of innovation has transformed our delivery of legal services. With offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, we deliver exceptional outcomes on cross-border projects, critical transactions and high-stakes disputes.

At DLA Piper, we understand that inclusion is not a one-size-fits-all concept. We embrace and celebrate the range of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences that each individual brings to our firm. By fostering a culture that welcomes and appreciates all aspects of our individuality, we ensure that everyone has the opportunity to succeed.

Our commitment to inclusion and positive social impact enables us to provide exceptional service to our clients and communities, while nurturing a unique and inclusive culture for all our people. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people – however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.

We are committed to being accessible and accommodating any reasonable adjustments needed throughout the recruitment process to ensure an inclusive experience for all. If you need any support or adjustments, please let us know.

Where local legislation permits, we will conduct relevant pre-engagement screening checks prior to your first day.

Apply now