Paralegal - Commercial Projects - Cambridge

The role

We are seeking a paralegal to join the Commercial Team based primarily in our Cambridge office. You will work with a number of partners and other lawyers in the Commercial Team, undertaking a broad range of tasks on a mixture of large scale commercial projects for a range of clients including in the government and education sectors. The work will include:

• assisting with reviewing, drafting, amending and reporting on contractual documents;
• preparing documents using agreed standards and precedents;
• drafting letters and email correspondence;
• document management, including managing online document platforms;
• arranging meetings and preparing documents for meetings;
• notetaking in meetings and circulating action points to the client and internal teams;
• managing change logs, updating and proof-reading documents;
• managing and updating template contract documents;
• engrossing final documents;
• assisting on completion, including managing electronic execution requirements (e.g. DocuSign);
• producing completion bibles; and
• producing reports for clients.

As well as supporting the team with client work there will also be opportunities to be involved with business development and support relationships with key clients.  This would include

• supporting other lawyers to manage and build client relationships;
• assisting with preparing tender documents;
• drafting blogs and other website content; and
• arranging and supporting business development events with multipliers and clients.

Who will I be working with?

Working under close supervision, you will have diverse and interesting work within this team, which is primarily based in Cambridge.

What skills and attributes would I need?

• Ideally have prior work experience as a paralegal/legal assistant.
• Good academics minimum 2:1 degree and the LPC is preferred.
• Good document management skills.
• Excellent written English and ability to produce clear, logical drafting.
• Attention to detail.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Hard working.
• Pro-active.
• Ability to prioritise and to adjust to changing requirements.
• Ability to work to deadlines with commitment and enthusiasm.
• Ability to build relationships with clients, potential clients and multipliers.
• Listening and questioning skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and team skills.
• Excellent IT skills (including Word, Excel and ideally DocuSign).
• Flexible in approach.

You will be able to demonstrate:

• an ability to understand the environment that clients work in;
• an ability to assimilate a lot of information quickly and focus on the key issues;
• good time and file management skills to enable you to juggle multiple matters;
• dedication to providing outstanding client service;
• ability to work under pressure and to deadlines; and
• an enthusiasm and willingness to work as part of a team.

Pre-employment screening

Please note that, in the event that we make an offer of employment, we will conduct pre-employment screening that includes checks relating to your professional and academic qualifications, references from previous employers, your eligibility to work in the UK and any disciplinary history recorded with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). You will also be required to complete a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability.

Disclosure and barring service check and security clearance

This post is also subject to a satisfactory response from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (to check for any previous criminal convictions) and, given the nature of the work-type, you may also be required to undergo national security vetting to SC level – the latter can be undertaken following commencement of employment.

And finally

Mills & Reeve is committed to building a diverse workforce and fostering an inclusive environment in which all our people can thrive. We hire people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes our firm stronger, and we have a collaborative culture that celebrates different perspectives and values respect for one another, working together, and openness and integrity. Our approach to flexible working means that we work in a way that achieves the right balance for our people, our clients and for our business.