Administrative Assistant

Administration and OperationsAll Practice AreasCharleston

Job Description

At K&L Gates, we are looking for smart, imaginative and hard-working people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and ideas to join us.  Perhaps our search for talented visionaries and your search for important and impactful work lead to the same place.

The administrative assistant is responsible for providing administrative and clerical support for a variety of individuals or departments.  Based on office/department specific needs, this may include typing correspondence, reports, or other documents; maintaining files; distributing mail; proofreading; copying; faxing; distribution; maintaining calendars; scheduling meetings; making travel arrangements; completing reception/switchboard activities; maintaining conference or other facilities; maintaining records, etc.  Also performs various projects and duties to assure continuity of office support for the location.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS
Timekeepers, clients, other administrative assistants, Local/Firmwide Shared Support Services staff, chiefs, directors, managers and other department team members

ESSENTIAL DUTIES
• The daily make up of tasks changes depending on departmental needs
Using various software types, edits, proofreads, copies, and distributes various documents and maintains various internal databases
• Maintains calendars
• Schedules and coordinates meetings, including room requirements, refreshments, catering, audio visual coordination, invitee lists, etc.
• Answers telephones, directs appropriately, and greets visitors
• Distributes and screens correspondence
• Makes travel arrangements and submits expense reimbursement reports
• May assist or provide back up support for reception/switchboard, office services, conference center, records, or library
• Provides assistance for a variety of location meetings and initiatives, including partner meetings, employee meetings, charitable events, firm gathering, educational meetings, client meetings, business development initiatives, etc.
• Supports the firm on various functions, including timekeeping requirements, ordering/inventory of supplies, resolving billing issues, and completing check requests
• This position may serve as a confidential secretary for an administrative department
• Performs all other duties as required and assigned

ADDITIONAL DUTIES
• May be required to enter, edit, and track daily time in Elite according to deadline
• Responsible for any other duty that would ensure efficient support to the lawyers and clients of the firm
• Provides assistance on projects that may involve the operation of the office
• Ability to proofread typed material for grammatical, typographical, or spelling errors
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and complete numerous tasks by deadline dates
• Excellent interpersonal skills required to work with a variety of personalities (both internal and external) to achieve successful collective outcomes
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all contacts
• Ability to function effectively in confidential situations, think clearly, maintain complete confidentiality, and utilize prudent judgement and tact
• Ability to follow oral and written instructions
• Must possess a flexible approach to the work environment and be fully reliable both during and outside normal business hours to ensure functions of position are met

EXPERIENCE SKILLS REQUIRED
• High School diploma or General Education Degree (GED), Bachelor’s Degree preferred
• Administrative experience working in professional services or related office preferred
• Requires Internet and personal computer proficiency with intermediate Microsoft Office 2010 and Outlook skills
• Accurate typing of no less than 50 wpm

ADDITIONAL ABILITIES REQUIRED
• Effective communication skills, including the ability to communicate requests and instructions effectively to employees and clients
• Frequently work in a fast paced environment with unscheduled interruptions
• Responsibilities may require adjusted work schedules, overtime and evening/weekend hours in order to meet firm needs
• Mobility within the office, including movement from floor to floor
• Carries out responsibilities in an honest, ethical, and professional manner
 

 

ABOUT THE FIRM

K&L Gates is a fully integrated global law firm with approximately 2,000 lawyers across five continents. We have experienced dramatic growth in the past decade and now rank among the largest U.S. based law firms in the world.  We take pride in constantly striving for innovation, imagination and an entrepreneurial spirit. We come up with big ideas and then roll up our sleeves to get the job done, guiding our clients through their most complex issues in a variety of industry sectors and across multiple regions of the world.

The industry recognition the firm has garnered in the past five years emanates from the foundation of a global community aligned on behalf of our clients. The people at K&L Gates are committed to working together to create a legacy for each other, the firm, our clients, and the communities in which we serve. We thrive in an inclusive and socially conscious environment that embraces diversity and takes a holistic approach to the career evolution of all our professionals.

To learn what makes us different from other law firms, including our collaborative approach, entrepreneurial spirit, and our commitment to diversity, check out our video, “Grow Your Career at K&L Gates.”

If you agree that we are different from other law firms - and the right place for you to grow your career - please apply for this position.  For more information or to view other job opportunities, please click here to go back to our careers page.

Notice: We participate in E-Verify in certain Firm locations for purposes of verifying employment eligibility.

BENEFITS

We offer a dynamic work environment and excellent benefits.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Firm is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the Firm that employment decisions shall be based on merit, qualifications and competence. Employment practices shall not be influenced or affected by virtue of a person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, military status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. This policy governs all aspects of employment including, without limitation, recruiting, hiring, compensation, benefits, promotion, assignment and dismissal. In addition, it is the Firm’s policy to provide an environment that is free of unlawful harassment of any kind including, without limitation, that which is sexual, racial, age-related, disability-related or ethnic background-related.