About us
Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals and over 600 staff based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.
We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.
Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do. RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 6th best law firm to work at in 2026.
With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 42% of our partnership.
The team you will join
The Social Housing Team consists of around 25 fee earning and support staff, which sits within the Firm’s Property Department and acts for a broad range of national and regional Registered Providers and local authorities on a wide range of issues affecting the sector.
We are a multi-disciplinary team, used to working together on major projects. The breadth of our expertise means that we provide our clients with a fully comprehensive service which covers all the legal needs of RPs and other bodies within the affordable housing sector.
Ranked 1 tier in Chambers and Legal 500 this is an opportunity to join a highly regarded and expert team which has experienced significant growth in recent years and with high profile tender wins that growth is set to continue.
The work you will be doing
You will work as part of an administration team to provide professional, proactive, high level administrative support to an allocated group of fee earners and to the wider fee earning team.
*Produce and amend documents with speed and accuracy
*Assist in maintaining compliant and accurate file management and office systems
*Format, paginate, number and present documents in Birketts LLP ’house style’
*Process all forms including new client form, new matter form, money laundering form, training course booking forms etc
*Ensure that all electronic filing and paper-based filing is up to date and maintained at regular intervals
*Respond to internal and external telephone enquiries
*Manage diaries in Outlook and make all necessary travel arrangements
*Able to communicate with a wide variety of different people from first time buyers to multi-million pound investor clients, buying and selling agents and mortgage brokers
Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.
What we are looking for
We are seeking a highly organised and detail-oriented Legal Secretary to provide support to the team. Ideally you will have the following skills and experience:
*Strong administration experience
*Positive, enthusiastic and professional approach
*Strong attention to detail and high-level organisational skills
*Excellent spelling and punctuation
*Self-motivated, ability to use initiative and provide pro-active support to fee-earners
*Ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadline
*Prior experience working in a legal environment is preferred
Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and professionalism
Hybrid Working
Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. This role attracts a split of 60% office days and 40% working from home days per week.
Benefits
As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:
*25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays
*Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
*Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
*Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
*Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
*Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
*Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
*Paid CSR Day
*Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
*Subsidised gym membership
*Electric car scheme
*Dress for your Day Policy
You can find out more on our website: https://recognition-reward-benefits/
Inclusivity and Culture
At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth.
Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.
We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.