Corporate Legal Secretary Employment Contract UK

Responsibilities reflected in the contract

• Prepare supervised corporate documents and correspondence.
• Manage meetings diaries and transaction timetables.
• Coordinate signatures filings and completion copies.
• Maintain data rooms entity and client records.
• Protect confidential deal information.

A realistic working scenario

Working from the legal office or secure admin spaces, you use the matter-management system, document management and secure email to prepare transaction bundles, file corporate minutes, diarise completion and filing deadlines, arrange counsel or court attendance, and escalate conflicts, missing client funds or missed filing deadlines to the practice or department manager or partners.

Outputs to agree

• Complete, indexed client file and matter folder in the matter-management system and document management.
• Diarised key deadlines, filing dates and transactional completion checklist in case management.
• Executed document bundles, signed client-facing letters and settlement/transaction correspondence.
• Conflict-check evidence and clearance record entered to the conflicts register and matter file.

Records and evidence

• Matter file with attendance notes, transactional chronology and executed documents.
• Case and document records in the matter-management system showing diary entries and deadline evidence.
• Conflicts register entries and conflict-check clearance notes.
• Client-money and undertaking records and any related transaction authorisation logs.
• Secure email audit trail for client instructions and settlement discussions.
• Client files.

Reporting relationship

Typically reports to Supervising Solicitor, Practice Manager, Legal Director or Head of Department. Confirm the employer's actual reporting structure in the builder.

Authority and escalation

• You may progress documents, client communications and administrative steps within your competence. You must not authorise client-money movements, give legal advice, clear conflicts, discharge undertakings or vary fee-earner instructions. Escalate client-money anomalies, undertakings, conflicts, missed filing or court deadlines, suspected unauthorised disclosure or professional-conduct concerns to the practice or department manager, partners or senior reviewers for decision and authorisation.
• May allocate routine work and make operational decisions only within documented staffing, financial, contractual and policy limits.

Supervision

• Prepare supervised corporate documents and correspondence.
• Allocate and review assigned work within delegated authority and escalate formal people matters through the Employer's procedures.

Tools and systems

• Case management systems.
• Document management systems.
• Secure email.
• Legal research tools.
• Deadline or diary systems.

Workplace context

• Legal office, client meeting rooms, court or tribunal locations where required and secure administration spaces.

Contract priorities

• Protect legal privilege, client confidentiality and settlement discussions at all times.
• Maintain accurate client files, attendance notes, court/transaction records and diary evidence.
• Complete conflict checks and record clearance on the conflicts register before progressing matters.
• Monitor and diarise deadlines; escalate missed or at-risk deadlines promptly to the practice or department manager.
• Report suspected loss, misuse or unauthorised disclosure of client material immediately to partners or senior reviewers.

Information the employer should prepare

• the corporate team clients and transaction types
• the filing signature and entity systems
• the meeting travel and completion duties
• the billing expense and client-account limits
• the confidentiality cover and deadline procedures