Owen Reed is looking for a highly organised Legal Secretary to join the Construction team at a top law firm in London. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Legal Secretary to provide proactive and high-quality secretarial support to Senior Associates and Associates within a busy and fast-paced Construction practice. The successful Legal Secretary will play a key role in ensuring the smooth running of the team, delivering exceptional administrative support and maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and professionalism.

Working Arrangement

This is a 12-month fixed-term contract, full-time office-based role in London, with a degree of flexibility around working hours required.

About the Role

As a Legal Secretary within the Construction team, you will provide centralised support to a group of fee earners, acting as a key point of contact both internally and externally. The Legal Secretary will manage competing priorities, support diary and inbox management, prepare high-quality documentation and work closely with Executive Assistants and Legal Secretaries across the wider business.

The Legal Secretary will be expected to take ownership of workload, ensure deadlines are met and proactively support fee earners across matter management, compliance, billing and general administrative processes. This is a fantastic opportunity for a Legal Secretary who thrives in a structured but fast-moving legal environment and enjoys being a trusted part of a collaborative team.

Key Responsibilities

• Take ownership of and manage workload, delegating tasks to central support teams where appropriate.
• Proactively monitor and manage team inboxes during absences, ensuring timely responses and communication.
• Manage complex calendars, schedule meetings and coordinate all logistics including room bookings and updates.
• Prepare, edit and proofread legal documents in line with house style and quality standards.
• Collaborate closely with Executive Assistants, Legal Secretaries and central support teams to ensure seamless service delivery.
• Provide cover support during holidays and absences across the wider secretarial team.
• Respond to tasks promptly and ensure deadlines are met while managing expectations effectively.
• Act as a professional point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, managing calls and correspondence.
• Support finance and compliance processes, including billing coordination and cash collection activities.
• Ensure expense claims are submitted accurately and in a timely manner.
• Identify and resolve issues proactively, escalating where appropriate to ensure smooth workflow.
• Support continuous improvement by contributing ideas and adapting to changing business needs.

About You

The ideal Legal Secretary will be highly organised, proactive and adaptable, with strong experience supporting legal teams within a professional law firm environment. You will demonstrate excellent attention to detail, strong communication skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure.

You will have:

• Previous experience as a Legal Secretary within a law firm (essential).
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills with the ability to manage competing deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail, even under pressure.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
• Minimum typing speed of 60 WPM.
• Experience supporting finance, billing or compliance processes is desirable.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and build effective working relationships.
• A proactive, flexible and ‘can-do’ approach.
• Calm and professional manner when dealing with high-volume workloads.
• Ability to anticipate needs and take initiative in a fast-paced environment.