Legal Administrative Assistant
Mental Health & Court of Protection Departments
Please send your CV and cover letter to hr@gnlaw.co.uk – applications without a cover letter will not be accepted.
About GN Law
GN Law is an independent law firm with a committed team of solicitors, paralegals and support staff. We represent clients locally in North Finchley, Whetstone and Barnet and more widely across London and the UK.
Our specialist areas of law include:
● Court of Protection – safeguarding the rights and interests of vulnerable individuals
● Mental Health – supporting and representing patients detained under the Mental Health Act
● Claims Against Police & Public Authorities – challenging misconduct and abuses of power
● Wills, Trusts & Probate – helping clients plan for their future and the future of their families
● Family – supporting families through divorce, financial matters and children cases
We are looking for a Legal Administrative Assistant to join our busy team, working across our Mental Health and Court of Protection departments.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is highly organised, confident using IT systems and enjoys working in a varied role where no two days are quite the same. You will provide essential administrative support to our fee earners and wider teams, helping to ensure that files, diaries, enquiries and funding-related administration are kept accurate and up to date.
You do not need a law degree or previous legal experience for this role. We are looking for someone with excellent organisational skills, a good eye for detail and the ability to remain calm and professional when managing a busy workload.
About the Role
The successful candidate will provide administrative support across both the Mental Health and Court of Protection teams, with responsibilities including:
Mental Health Administration
• Assisting with keeping paperless files on our case management system, tidy, accurate and up to date.
• Assisting with file opening, including completing risk management forms and relevant case and matter details.
• Scanning documents for fee earners, including handwritten appointment notes, and ensuring documents are saved correctly and dated appropriately.
• Keeping paper files organised and up to date, including front labels, forms, wallets and correspondence clips.
• Assisting with new enquiries, including taking initial enquiry calls and contacting the relevant Mental Health Act Office regarding section dates and solicitor involvement.
• Liaising with supervisors regarding case allocation.
• Booking fee earners onto wards and maintaining the department's movements diary.
• Completing letters and other administrative documentation.
• Assisting with file administration, including submitting requests to see Tribunal doctors and providing dates of availability to the Tribunal.
• Providing typing and document support, including medical records, report considerations and letters.
• Assisting with billing administration by ensuring paper files are complete and adding the appropriate 'destroy date' to files before they are sent to Accounts.
Court of Protection Administration
New Enquiries
• Taking new enquiries and ensuring they are directed to the appropriate person or team promptly.
• Responding to new enquiries where appropriate, including referring matters on where there is a conflict of interest or the department does not have capacity.
General Administration
• Assisting with file opening, including completing risk management forms and relevant case and matter details
• Scanning documents for fee earners, including handwritten appointment notes, and ensuring documents are saved correctly and dated appropriately
• Taking responsibility for the Court of Protection Outlook diary, including internal meetings, training dates, organising rotas and other departmental commitments.
• Maintaining and updating departmental documents relating to key contact details
• Listening to departmental voicemails and directing messages to the appropriate fee earner.
• Completing the weekly department meeting spreadsheet and providing it to the relevant manager ahead of the department meeting.
• Merging, compressing and converting documents using Adobe and other relevant software.
• Drafting and sending administrative letters and forms
• Maintaining a register of file reviews and live lists, identifying any missing reviews or outstanding information.
• Supporting the team with funding-related administrative tasks as required.
About You
We are looking for someone who is:
• Highly organised, with excellent attention to detail and the ability to keep on top of multiple administrative tasks.
• Confident with technology and software systems, including Microsoft Office, Adobe and general computer applications.
• A quick learner who is comfortable learning new systems and processes, including Unity, CCMS and other legal software.
• Professional and confident on the telephone, with a friendly and helpful manner.
• Able to communicate clearly and professionally with clients, colleagues, hospitals, solicitors, counsel, local authorities and other external organisations.
• Able to prioritise competing demands effectively and remain composed in a busy environment, even when faced with changing priorities or urgent requests.
• Proactive and able to use initiative when dealing with day-to-day administrative matters.
• Reliable and able to take ownership of tasks from start to finish.
• Accurate and methodical, particularly when working with confidential client information and legal documentation.
• Comfortable working as part of a team and supporting colleagues across two busy specialist departments.
• Discreet and professional when dealing with sensitive and confidential information.
Experience & Qualifications
No particular degree or legal background is required for this position.
Previous experience in an administrative, legal, professional services or client-facing environment would be beneficial, but we are equally interested in candidates who can demonstrate the right skills, attitude and ability to learn.
The successful candidate will ideally have:
• Strong general computer literacy.
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills.
• Confidence using Adobe and other document-management software.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organisational and time-management abilities.
• A strong attention to detail.
• The ability to learn new systems quickly.
• The ability to work independently while also being a supportive team member.
• A calm and practical approach to managing a busy and varied workload.
Why Join Us?
This role provides the opportunity to gain valuable experience within two specialist areas of law and to work closely with experienced legal professionals.
You will play an important role in keeping both departments running smoothly, with exposure to a wide variety of legal, administrative, client-facing and funding-related processes.
If you are organised, approachable, confident with systems and enjoy being the person who keeps things moving behind the scenes, we would love to hear from you.
Deadline for applications is 25th September. Interviews will be held on week c. 28th Sept.