Personal Assistant Legal Secretary
Resume:
CURRICULUM VITAE
SIONE LEE HUTH
PERSONAL DETAILS
Nationality:
South African
Identity number:
Languages:
English
Contact details:
Cell: 082-***-****
Home Tel: 021-***-****
Email: *****.****@*****.***
Home: 16 Meyrick Avenue, Plumstead, Cape Town
Availability:
January 2023
Salary expectation:
Negotiable
SECONDARY EDUCATION
Matric
Ellerslie Girls High (1982)
TERTIARY EDUCATION
Legal Secretarial Diploma
Paralegal course Litigation and Insolvency
Cape Technical College (2 year course)
HR
UCT HR 8 week online
COMPUTER SKILLS
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)
Elite and Elite 3E
Continual inhouse Cyber Security training
Document Management -Filesite and then i-Manage
WEBBER WENTZEL (1991 to 31 September 2022)
Report to:
Contact No:
Kim Rew (Equity Partner), (also assisted Kelcey Inglis Partner, Senior Associate and other professionals in the team)
Duration:
Practice Area:
Left firm on 1 October 2022
DR: Insurance
Position Held:
Reason for leaving:
Legal Secretary
Personal growth – share vast experience in all areas of a law firm
Duties & Responsibilities:
Type, check and file legal documentation & correspondence using the firm’s standard templates. This includes Dictaphone typing.
Check documentation drafted by legal professionals to identify, query and in need rectify errors and/or inconsistencies with house rules and standard legal practice e.g. incorrect order of rules.
Download and/or integrate e-mail file attachments from clients i.e. spreadsheets and graphs, checking to ensure that format settings are upheld and that data integrity is not compromised.
Re-format and re-phrase typed documents where necessary.
Index and paginate documents.
Scan relevant documentation into File Site under matter number.
Save all relevant e-mail correspondence onto matter number in worksite.
File all documentation and relevant correspondence in date and time order.
Access and retrieve information from File Site as requested.
Invoicing & Collections
Capture and collate time units and narratives onto billing templates. This includes preparing invoices for split bills and capturing narratives onto Excel for overseas clients. Calculate billing and conversion rates for foreign currencies where relevant.
Gather requisite FICA information from clients and/or parties responsible for invoice payments.
Print out pro forma invoices for verification and checking by fee earners.
Make amendments to time and narratives as required.
Submit invoices for final sign off and distribution.
Follow up with clients after 30 days to collect invoice payments and keep a log of all client contact.
Escalate problematic invoice payment problems to fee earners in need and monitor and record payment status.
Escalate outstanding invoice payments to Finance Credit Control after 90 days.
Check and assist Finance with account allocations in need.
Process expenses as authorised.
Legal Administration
Open up matters for new clients on e-works and collect all the requisite client details and documentation.
Draft routine documentation and correspondence e.g. general letters and/or e-mails, on a no check basis in line with established precedents and practices.
Collate briefs to counsel.
Assist with the collation, preparation and filing of court documents.
Check to ensure that all requisite documentation requirements are in order.
Follow up with clients and other parties to ensure that outstanding documentation is received.
Submit applications for trademark registration and assign trademarks as directed.
Close (archive) files on e-works.
General Office Support
Answer and screen telephone calls, take messages and greet clients.
Schedule and confirm diary appointments as requested.
Take minutes.
Take notes.
Arrange conference call facilities.
Arrange catering requirements for meetings.
Arrange logistics for conferences i.e. venue, travel, catering, accommodation, presentation
and documentation requirements.
Order and distribute stationery for the team.
Private Administration
Assist fee earners by attending to private matters on their behalf as and when there is
capacity to do so.
Teamwork
•Support the team when own work is complete.
•Maintain a collaborative working relationship with other non legal support areas in the firm e.g.
IT, Finance, HR, and Marketing.
Financials
Collection of outstanding invoice payments measured by number of invoices issued and number of payments received within 30, 60 and 90 days. Number of invoice payments exceeding 90 days
WEBBER WENTZEL - HR
Report to: Tasneem Fakie - HR Manager Cape Town Office
Practice Area: HR
Position held: HR Administrator
Reason for change:: Approached by Gavin Fitzmaurice to take up a position with a new incoming Equity Partner from Norton Rose, Kim Rew and to once again be part of his DR team
Duties & Responsibilities
Forming and maintaining employee including partners and all professional records
Updating databases internally, such as sick and maternity leave
Preparing and amending where necessary HR documents, i.e. employment contracts and recruitment guides
Communicating with external partners
Continuing to take Minutes at Cape Town Exco Meetings for Gavin Fitzmaurice (CT Managing Partner) and attending to forward to all partners; collating partner packs which included obtaining reports from each of the Heads of Department (Finance, Facilities, Marketing and HR)
Being the first point of contact for employees on any HR related queries
Assisting with payroll by providing the department with relevant employee information, i.e. holiday and sick days taken
Putting together the deductions to be sent to payroll for all employees which included canteen and monies outstanding
Ensuring that all payroll information is sent timeously to Praxima who attend to WW payroll
Dealing with Law Societies of all Provinces in regard to:
oEnsuring all contracts with regard to candidate attorneys are submitted timeously
oAttending on completion and signature of all forms by partners in regard to the updating of the annual Fidelity Fund Certificates
oEnsuring that all fees owing by professionals are submitted to accounts for payment
Ensuring that all new employees are members of CAMAF and attending to cancel membership when they leave WW employ;
Attending on potential new employees with regard to Refcheck which is the system used in confirmation of various HR information relating to new potential candidates
Ensuring that all information is updated and given to the Alexander Forbes with regard to the WW Provident Fund
Helping with various arrangements internally, from travel to processing expenses
WEBBER WENTZEL – (Giles White)
Report to:
Practice Arda:
Position Held:
Giles White
Consultant
Personal Assistant
Reason for change:
Took a position offered to a new incoming partner Kim Rew (DR: Insurance)
Duties & Responsibilities
Attending to general PA work
Taking minutes at meetings
Attending to travel arrangements both overseas and local
Keeping notes and records of all notes and records as requested by Giles White from time
Attending and taking minutes in meetings with Giles White and Marketing Department from
Collating and typing notes with regard to Giles White lectures at UCT
Liaising with Giles White overseas network which included the firm’s partnership with Linklaters
Making numerous annual travel arrangements for Giles White to attend Singapore Board Meetings
MALLINICKS INC / WEBBER WENTZEL
Report to:
Practice Area:
Position
Reason for change:
Justin Hardcastle - A non-practising attorney/partner of the firm who attended to the merger of Mallinicks Inc and Webber Wentzel in 2008
Cape Town Managing Partner
Personal Assistant
Justin Hardcastle left Webber Wentzel after the merger with Mallinicks Inc in 2008
Duties & Responsibilities:
Providing PA and secretarial support to the director
Diary management
Screening calls and dealing with all enquiries
Liaising with clients where further input was required
Taking Minutes and attending Partners Meetings and Conferences
Distributing and collating all partner packs in relation to firm management
Assisted in taking Minutes with the move to Convention Tower with the tenants association where Justin Hardcastle was involved.
MALLINICKS INC
Report to:
Practice Area:
Position:
Reason for Change:
Robert Klein Office Manager - Finance
Office Financial Manager
Personal Assistant
Robert Klein left the employ of Mallinicks to open his own business
Duties & Responsibilities:
Providing PA and secretarial support to Robert Klein
Diary management / coordinating meetings which included attending Exco Meetings and taking Minutes of meetings; attending Partners Meetings and attending to take Minutes; dealing with highly confidential correspondence and information which related to the partners and partnership ; obtaining partner signatures to partnership agreement and various yearly finance documentation requiring signature by all partners and obtaining and updating information. This role included a high level amount of confidentiality and trust.
Screening calls
Setting up conference calls with various parties
Travel arrangements both personal and business
Attend to Exco Minutes and Partner Minutes and compiling and distributing the partner packs with all members of the Exco Team/Partnership which included Facilities, HR, BD, finance team and numerous others on a monthly basis
Liaising with various Law Societies as and when required
Compiling marketing packages and sending to clients
Preparing PowerPoint presentations
MALLINICKS INC
Report to:
Practice Area:
Position:
Reason for Change:
Gavin Fitzmaurice DR Shipping (later became WW Cape Town Managing Partner)
Started Shipping practice for Webber Wentzel
Personal Assistant
Had a baby – worked until 15h00 – Gavin Fitzmaurice needed longer hours – offered half day with Office Manager
Duties & Responsibilities:
Provide secretarial support to the partner
Attending on all legal process with regard to ship arrests and shipping relating litigation. These arrests/legal process often took place on an urgent/after hour basis.
Attending to dictation of all areas of practice including correspondence and pleadings
Taking shorthand for partner where necessary
Diary management / coordinating meetings
Travel arrangements
Daily time capturing
Compiling month end accounts and forwarding same to clients
Following up on outstanding account payments
Screening calls
Liaising with client both telephonically and in written form.
MALLINICKS INC
Report to:
Practice Area:
Stefan Sudweeks, Partner
Insolvency Law
Position:
Reason for Change:
Legal Secretary
Stefan Sudweeks emigrated to Australia
Responsibilities and Duties
Managing the partner’s diary and coordinating the appointments in a well organised manner
Managing the email account effectively by filtering emails and highlighting urgent correspondence
Managing the process of briefing partner to ensure that he is fully prepared for all engagements
Filtering general information, queries, phone calls and invitations to the executive
Attending to telephone duties including effective screening and problem resolution, coordinating appointments, meetings, and client contact
Managing all aspects of the partner’s practice
Attending to billing processes, including time-keeping, generating invoices, following up on accounts, allocations on Bill back (soft disbursements such as telephone calls, printing, etc.)
Drafting appropriate correspondence on behalf of partner, including drafting of correspondence, typing of dictations, letters, notes, opinions, agreements, presentations and other documents, including formatting of documents and track changes
Practice management including taking responsibility for maintaining an effective filing system, keeping proper records, and assisting with the management of files, correspondence and workflow
Maintaining an effective filing system both electronically and manually
Co-ordinating travel and accommodation requirements
Assisting with inventory management including the ordering and/or replenishing of stationery
Assisting with billing procedures, account management, itemised billing, adjustments, and final accounts and where necessary, assist in following up with clients regarding overdue account payments
Dealing with clients in a friendly and professional manner
Handing general administrative tasks on a day-to-day basis in support of the practice
Undertaking any other duties as requested by the partner
Attending on after-hour urgent liquidation/sequestration applications on a regular basis
HERBSTEINS INC
Report to:
Practice Area:
Barry Halliday
MVA
Position:
Reason for Change:
Legal Secretary
Better prospects
Responsibilities and Duties
Managing the partners diary and coordinating the appointments in a well organised manner
Managing the partner’s email account effectively by filtering emails and highlighting urgent correspondence
Managing the process of briefing the partner to ensure that he is fully prepared for all engagements
Filtering general information, queries, phone calls and consultations
Attending to telephone duties including effective screening and problem solving, coordinating appointments, meetings, and client contact
Managing all aspects of the partners practice, and becoming involved in all aspects of the role insofar as to offer pro-active assistance
Attending to billing processes for the partner, including generating invoices, following up on accounts, allocations on Bill back (soft disbursements such as telephone calls, printing, etc.)
Attending to dictation by the partner and also attending to shorthand and transcribe where necessary, drafting of correspondence, letters, notes, opinions, agreements, including formatting of documents and track changes
Practice management including taking responsibility for maintaining an effective filing system, keeping proper records and assisting with the management of files, correspondence and workflow
Dealing with clients in a friendly and professional manner
Handling general administrative tasks on a day-to-day basis in support of the practice
Undertaking any other duties as requested by the partner
Opening physical files and identifying the various parties (client, insured, broker, etc.)
Compiling expert files
Ensuring safe return of patient records
MAURICE PHILLIPS GODDARD
Report to:
Practice Area:
Maurice Phillips
Insolvency Law
Position:
Reason for Change:
Reception and General Legal Secretary
Better prospects
Responsibilities and Duties
Reception and assisting with overflow typing
Taking dictation when required
Learning all aspects of Magistrates Court process and typing
Assisting with numerous aspects of the practice on a junior level
Learning all aspects of the administration of a law practice
Contact this candidate