Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is a world-leading global law firm, where our ambition is to help you achieve your goals.
Exceptional client service and the pursuit of excellence are at our core. We invest in and care about our client relationships, which is why so many are longstanding. We enjoy breaking new ground, as we have for over 170 years.
As a fully integrated transatlantic and transpacific firm, we are where you need us to be. Our footprint is extensive and committed across the world’s largest markets, key financial centres and major growth hubs.
At our best tackling complexity and navigating change, we work alongside you on demanding litigation, exacting regulatory work and complex public and private market transactions. We are recognised as leading in these areas.
We are immersed in the sectors and challenges that impact you. We are recognised as standing apart in energy, infrastructure and resources. And we’re focused on areas of growth that affect every business across the world.
All of this is achieved by supporting the growth of our people, who help us deliver on our ambition – which is to help you achieve yours.
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer: Your goals. Our ambition
The Opportunity
Primary Objectives
This role is for a paralegal to work as an integral member of the London-based arbitration group, offering support to the partners and fee-earners and to the Arbitration practice manager/Knowledge Counsels (KCs) within the group.
This full-time, dual role will therefore involve:
Supporting fee earners in the team with legal research and other substantive tasks on client matters. The candidate will also assist in helping to prepare materials for hearings and help to organise the administrative and logistical aspects of hearings (including in-person and virtual hearings) under the supervision of the fee earner team.
Supporting the Practice Managers/KCs in Knowledge, practice management, BD and external-facing profile work. This will include legal research, drafting legal notes, maintaining and updating model forms, drafting blogs, helping with the production of client-facing materials, managing, and organising practice and pricing data, maintaining and populating blogs, assisting with knowledge and data management and organisation and helping with practice management tasks.
Primary Responsibilities
Support for the fee-earners and partners
You will be providing dedicated support to partners, associates and trainees on a specific matter within our arbitration group. The work you will be doing may include:
Assisting with general document and matter management including compiling bundles.
Assisting with electronic and hard copy disclosure exercises.
Proofreading, sense-checking and cross-referencing submissions.
Conducting legal research.
Conducting searches on document and knowledge databases.
Assisting with ad-hoc queries and requests from the team.
Hosting and organising virtual and in person hearings.
Assisting with billing.
Support for the Arbitration Practice Manager/KCs
The KC team work to ensure that the global practice is kept up to date with legal developments, develop training and write talks for the partners. They are also focused on the management and BD of the global group, working alongside the Global Arbitration practice heads, Andrew Cannon and Simon Chapman KC, and the BD team. The right candidate will have the opportunity to grow and expand this aspect of their role. They will need to develop a solid understanding of the team's specific practice areas, Commercial and Investment Treaty arbitration and Public International Law, as well as the wider Disputes practice and the firm.
The work you will be doing may include:
External facing firm profile work, including blog management, helping to maintain and populate client-facing arbitration webpages.
Helping to produce and edit blog posts and other thought leadership.
Researching and collating knowledge material, as well as preparing draft presentations.
Internal knowledge management, including precedent management, maintaining and amending intranet pages, liaising with the Library and library management.
Assisting with preparing submissions and surveys regarding the profile of the practice.
Maintaining the Global Arbitration practice management system, Genesis, training associates and trainees on how to use Genesis, working with Digital team and data scientists to improve data collection and analysis.
Assisting in training trainees on research skills.
Ad hoc research and general queries - for KCs and fee earners.
Qualifications, skills and experience
Knowledge of, or willingness to be trained in, commercial and investment treaty arbitration and public international law.
Law degree or undergraduate degree (ideally 2:1 or first).
Completion of LPC/BVC/SQE and office administration or paralegal experience ideal but not required.
Interest/experience in business development and practice management.
Excellent analytical skills and interest in the use of data to drive change and to win business.
Excellent communication skills, oral and written.
Excellent research skills.
Excellent client service skills and commercial awareness.
Experience of, or willingness to be trained in, management of blog and internet pages.
Competencies
Very strong organisational skills and ability to prioritise.
Ability to use initiative and be pro-active.
Enthusiastic, positive, and committed team member.
Attention to detail with a high level of accuracy.
Takes personal responsibility for getting things done.
Team
DisputesWorking Pattern
Location
LondonContract type
Fixed Term ContractDiversity & Inclusion
We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values—Human, Bold, and Outstanding.