Legal Receptionist & Office Coordinator

Legal Receptionist & Office Coordinator

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Law Office of Patrick M. Erker is seeking a dependable, organized, and personable Legal Receptionist & Office Coordinator to join our small, established law office in Port Angeles, Washington.

Our practice focuses on estate planning, probate, and adult guardianship and conservatorship matters. We place a high value on professionalism, responsiveness, attention to detail, confidentiality, and providing an exceptional experience to our clients and their families.

The Legal Receptionist & Office Coordinator serves as the primary administrative point of contact for the office and is responsible for helping ensure that the firm's day-to-day operations run smoothly. This position manages incoming communications, prospective-client intake, scheduling, office organization, and other administrative functions so that the attorney and senior legal assistant can remain focused on substantive client and legal work.

This is an excellent opportunity for an organized and motivated individual who enjoys working with people, takes pride in doing things correctly, and would like an opportunity to develop professionally within a law-office environment.

Prior law-office experience is helpful, but is not required. We are willing to train the right person.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

· Starting compensation of $20.00-$22.50 per hour, depending upon experience and qualifications.

· Initial performance and compensation review following approximately three months of employment.

· 80 hours combined paid time off, plus recognized legal holidays.

· Employee retirement, medical, and vision benefits available following twelve months of employment.

· Paid job-related educational and professional training, including notary training and bonding where appropriate.

· Opportunities to assume additional responsibilities and advance professionally based upon demonstrated ability, reliability, initiative, and the needs of the firm.

· A small, supportive, and collegial professional work environment.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Legal Receptionist & Office Coordinator is expected to take primary ownership of the administrative front-office functions of the firm. Job hours range from 8:30 am. To 4:30 p.m., with lunch from noon to 1:00, and duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

CLIENT AND PROSPECTIVE-CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS

· Serve as the primary point of contact for incoming telephone calls, emails, website inquiries, visitors, and other routine communications.

· Answer incoming calls professionally and warmly, determine the general purpose of the call, accurately document relevant information, and appropriately respond to or route the inquiry.

· Take complete and accurate messages and ensure that communications requiring follow-up are directed to the appropriate team member.

· Respond to routine administrative inquiries when possible without unnecessarily interrupting other staff.

· Greet clients, prospective clients, professional contacts, and members of the public in a courteous and welcoming manner.

· Assist with client document drop-offs, pickups, and other routine office interactions.

· Maintain client and prospective-client confidentiality at all times.

PROSPECTIVE-CLIENT INTAKE

· Conduct initial intake for prospective clients by obtaining names, contact information, referral information, the general nature of the legal need, and other information requested by the firm.

· Perform preliminary practice-area screening using established firm procedures to determine whether an inquiry generally falls within the firm's areas of practice.

· Accurately enter prospective-client information and communications into Clio and other designated firm systems.

· Schedule appropriate initial consultations according to established firm scheduling procedures.

· Provide prospective clients with consultation information, preparation instructions, invoices, appointment confirmations, and other standardized communications as directed.

· Recognize issues requiring attorney or senior legal assistant attention and appropriately escalate those matters rather than attempting to provide legal advice.

The Legal Receptionist & Office Coordinator does not provide legal advice.

SCHEDULING AND CALENDAR MANAGEMENT

· Maintain and manage a dynamic office calendar involving client consultations, follow-up meetings, document-signing appointments, court-related deadlines, assigned tasks, and other firm commitments.

· Schedule, confirm, reschedule, and appropriately document appointments.

· Ensure that relevant client information and documents are available to the attorney and senior legal assistant in advance of scheduled appointments.

· Help protect attorney and senior legal assistant work time by resolving routine scheduling and administrative matters independently when appropriate.

· Identify scheduling conflicts and bring matters requiring substantive judgment to the appropriate team member.

CLIENT AND MATTER ADMINISTRATION

· Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records of telephone calls, emails, in-person interactions, appointments, and other relevant activity within Clio and designated firm systems.

· Assist with opening new client matters and maintaining organized electronic and physical client files according to established firm procedures.

· Scan, upload, organize, and appropriately route client documents and correspondence.

· Assist with administrative components of matter closing and file organization.

· Help maintain accurate client contact information and other administrative matter data.

· Perform routine copying, scanning, printing, mailing, and document-assembly functions.

COURTHOUSE, FILING, AND DOCUMENT SUPPORT

· File legal documents with the Clallam County Superior Court as directed.

· Schedule ex parte hearings and submit bench copies as directed.

· Submit and record documents with appropriate departments within the Clallam County Courthouse facility as directed.

· Retrieve and distribute documents and correspondence from courthouse mailboxes.

· Deliver legal documents within a reasonable local distance when necessary.

· Follow established procedures carefully when handling original legal documents and time-sensitive filings.

GENERAL OFFICE COORDINATION

· Retrieve, sort, distribute, and appropriately route incoming mail, deliveries, and legal documents.

· Retrieve mail from the firm's post-office box and courthouse mailboxes.

· Prepare the conference room before consultations, document-signing appointments, and other client meetings.

· Maintain an organized and professional reception and client-meeting environment.

· Operate standard office equipment, including computers, printers, scanners, copiers, telephone systems, and related office technology.

· Help identify routine administrative needs and address them proactively.

· Perform other reasonable administrative duties necessary to support the operation of the firm.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The successful candidate does not necessarily need previous law-office experience. More important to us are judgment, reliability, communication skills, organization, professionalism, and the ability to learn.

· Exceptional reliability and a strong work ethic.

· A professional, friendly, and confident telephone and in-person presence.

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

· Strong spelling, grammar, and punctuation skills.

· Close attention to detail and accurate recordkeeping.

· Strong organizational and time-management abilities.

· The ability to prioritize competing demands and complete tasks accurately and timely.

· The ability to return to interrupted work without losing track of outstanding responsibilities.

· Initiative and the ability to work independently while recognizing when guidance is appropriate.

· Sound judgment regarding when an issue can be handled administratively and when it should be escalated.

· Comfort learning and using computer software, electronic calendars, client-management systems, and other office technology.

· The ability to maintain strict confidentiality concerning clients, prospective clients, and firm matters.

· Honesty, professionalism, good judgment, and a team-oriented attitude.

· A genuine desire to provide excellent service to clients and members of the public.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

· Prior experience in a professional office, customer-service, administrative, banking, medical, legal, or other detail-oriented environment is preferred but not required.

· Previous receptionist, administrative, scheduling, or client-service experience is helpful.

· Prior law-office experience is welcome but is not necessary.

· Familiarity with Clio or similar practice-management/client-management software is helpful but not required.

· Ability to type at least 35 words per minute.

· High school diploma or GED required.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This position is intended to begin with a strong focus on reception, client service, intake, scheduling, and office administration.

As the employee demonstrates reliability, judgment, accuracy, initiative, and mastery of the position's core responsibilities, opportunities may become available to assume additional responsibilities within the firm's estate planning, probate, and guardianship/conservatorship practices.

Advancement is based upon demonstrated performance and the needs of the firm. The firm values and rewards employees who develop their skills and create increasing value for the clients, team, and practice.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical requirements described below are representative of those ordinarily necessary to perform the essential functions of the position:

· Ordinary ambulatory ability necessary to retrieve work materials and perform intermittent walking, standing, and stooping.

· Ability to carry and lift lightweight office materials weighing less than approximately 20 pounds.

· Visual acuity sufficient to read and work with documents, computer screens, names, words, and numbers.

· Hand and finger dexterity sufficient to operate a computer keyboard and ordinary office equipment.

· Speaking and hearing ability sufficient to communicate effectively by telephone and in ordinary in-person conversations.

Pay: $20.00 - $22.50 per hour

Expected hours: 35.0 – 40.0 per week

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Salary : $20 - $23