Secretarial Resources Manager

Job Description

Serves as the primary liaison between firm leadership, attorneys/paralegals and legal secretaries and is responsible for managing daily workflow and secretarial support; ensures the timely and cost-effective completion of secretarial work and firm administrative work. Provides leadership and direction to the secretarial supervisors. Makes decisions regarding workload assignments, performance management, and salary recommendations for supervisors.

Assists with proactively supporting client service by actively participating in the Firm’s Service Excellence initiative. Ensures that secretarial staff members are providing quality service to internal members/departments of the Firm as well as external clients and vendors by displaying professionalism via electronic and print correspondence, over the telephone and in-person and by encouraging an atmosphere that rewards a “can do” attitude. 

Responsibilities

• Oversees the supervision of secretarial coverage for scheduled and unscheduled secretarial absences by arranging assistance from “neighboring secretarial team(s)”; communicates continually with attorneys/paralegals and secretaries to ensure that required support is available and satisfactory; communicates and interacts with other Secretarial Supervisors and Managers to coordinate workload with the other firm offices as required.
• Oversees the managing and monitoring of secretarial work flow to ensure timely completion of all client work; resolves workload balancing concerns and related issues of individuals “secretarial teams” with attorneys, paralegals and secretaries; delegates and reassigns work as necessary to balance workloads whenever practical and minimizes overtime and related client/firms expenses.
• Interacts with firm leadership, management, attorneys/paralegals and secretaries on a regular basis to ensure secretarial support and concerns are addressed in a timely fashion.
• Manages and escalates secretarial employee relations for assigned office(s). Partners with Human Resources on employee relations and performance management activities.
• Works with key training and other members of the secretarial administration team to develop training programs for new and existing secretarial staff; participates in the development/delivery of orientation for new attorneys/paralegals to communicate information which fosters effective support and working relationships; establishes and evaluates the effectiveness of secretarial mentoring programs.
• Strategizes and executes secretarial training and initiatives as needed, which can require high level interaction and planning with Senior Leadership.
• Oversees and manages the performance review process for secretarial function.
• Analyzes and assesses ongoing secretarial requirements and recommends staffing changes to meet the firm’s client and administrative needs.
• Works with Human Resources regarding secretarial recruiting efforts including screening resumes, conducting first level interviews and coordinating follow-up interviews with the lawyers, as appropriate.
• Works with the firm’s Information Services department as an advocate for computer applications and training, which support the needs of the firm’s secretaries in the production of client work; works with IS personnel to ensure that computer applications are efficient and “user-friendly”; participates in the testing of new applications; keeps abreast of firm’s technology; seeks to develop innovative means to improve the delivery of secretarial services through the use of technology and methods.
• Develops and implements firm-wide and legal department secretarial practices and procedures.
• Assists the Director of Secretarial Services in creating and maintaining secretarial budget and annual expenses for assigned office(s).
• Assumes additional responsibilities as necessary. 

Required Skills

• Excellent organization, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent computer skills.
• Knowledge of word processing and other computer applications; demonstrated ability to act as a technical resources to maximize use of technology in the effective delivery of secretarial services.
• Experience in interviewing, employee counseling and problem solving.
• High degree of sensitivity with ability to maintain confidentiality. 

Education

• BA/BS Preferred 

Required Experience

• 5+ years of managerial and supervisory experience in a legal or professional services organization, including knowledge of Human Resources policies and practices, is required.