Litigation Legal Secretary Employment Contract UK

Responsibilities reflected in the contract

• Prepare and format supervised litigation documents.
• Maintain court matter and limitation diaries.
• Compile bundles exhibits and correspondence.
• Coordinate authorised filing service and hearings.
• Protect privileged material and record handovers.

A realistic working scenario

You work from the legal office and secure admin spaces, handling court bundles, correspondence and client communications via the matter-management system, document management and secure email. You prepare hearing bundles, diarise deadlines, lodge tribunal documents, update fee earners and escalate missed deadlines, suspected breach of undertakings or client‑money irregularities to the practice or department manager.

Outputs to agree

• Finalised hearing bundles and indexed court/tribunal bundles uploaded to the document management system.
• Accurate matter file entries, attendance notes and updated key-deadline entries in the matter-management system.
• Executed correspondence templates, disclosure schedules and settlement paperwork marked for privilege and secure storage.
• Conflict-check results and client-care information recorded against each new matter in the conflicts register and matter system.

Records and evidence

• Matter file with attendance notes, witness and hearing chronology in the case and document records.
• Key-deadline log and hearing diary entries in the matter-management system.
• Conflicts check record in the conflicts register prior to accepting work.
• Court and tribunal filing confirmations, receipt slips and bundle delivery records.
• Client-money transaction ledger or referral note where client funds are handled.
• 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 administration, prepare and submit court/tribunal documents, update the matter-management system and manage hearing logistics within established approval limits. You must not vary undertakings, authorise client-money payments, accept conflicting instructions or change matter strategy. Escalate suspected breach of an undertaking, client-money discrepancy, missed filing deadline or professional-conduct concern immediately to the practice or department manager; seek partner approval for document disclosure outside agreed scope.
• May allocate routine work and make operational decisions only within documented staffing, financial, contractual and policy limits.

Supervision

• Prepare and format supervised litigation documents.
• 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 and mark settlement discussions or privileged drafts in document management.
• Complete conflicts checks and record outcomes before matter intake.
• Accurately diarise and monitor hearing and filing deadlines in the matter-management system.
• Report suspected client-money irregularities, undertakings breach or missed court filings to the practice or department manager without delay.
• Ensure court bundle integrity and confirm upload and service receipts before hearings.

Information the employer should prepare

• the courts case types and lawyer team
• the filing service and diary authority
• the document bundle and dictation systems
• the client-money billing and expense duties
• the urgent out-of-hours and cover arrangements