The role

We are seeking a highly organised Executive Assistant to join our new Washington DC office. This key role will provide operational and administrative support, ensuring smooth day-to-day coordination of office management while enabling fee-earners to focus on client work. The ideal candidate thrives in a collaborative environment and is proactive, detail-oriented, and adaptable.

Naturally, as the Washington DC office grows the opportunity for the role will also evolve, and therefore the list of duties is not exhaustive. Overarching all duties will be a requirement to demonstrate a can-do attitude and dedication to the future success of the firm.

EA and Office Administration duties

Provide general EA support to the Partners:

• Manage travel arrangements
• Coordinating internal diaries
• Email management
• Booking and preparing meeting rooms and coordinating other logistical arrangements, technical and otherwise
• Document production including amending and re-formatting complex documents
• Filing of electronic and hard copy correspondence and documentation
• Screening telephone calls as appropriate
• Assisting with BD projects such as legal directory submissions, pitch documents and amending fee earner profiles on the website.

Ensure the smooth running of the office by:

• Establishing and managing relationships with key office suppliers and services, pre-empting and responding to team requests, and escalating issues as required. Services might include (but are not limited to) building & facilities management, security, couriers / post, stationery suppliers, furniture and fixture providers, catering, copying and document production & storage companies.
• Monitoring and maintaining office supplies and inventories.
• Managing Front of House duties, including meeting room arrangements, catering and client and visitor liaison.
• Assisting with ad hoc business development activities.
• Ensuring the working areas are fully functional and that communal areas are regularly attended.
• Helping to maintain office / administrative procedures & systems in compliance with local and regulatory requirements, including those around record management and office health and safety.
• Maintaining arrangements with local hotels or restaurants as required.

The individual will also act as key point of contact for the London based operational management team, providing assistance on tasks that may include:

Human Resources

• Arranging and coordinating candidate interviews, ad hoc visa and immigration assistance, holiday and sickness absence recording.
• Assisting with the new joiner onboarding process, including preparing office security arrangements, arranging for joiners to be set up on the relevant IT systems where required.

Finance

• Assisting partners and fee-earners with their expenses.
• Assisting in the billing process by sending through relevant disbursements to the Finance Team.
• Working with Finance to ensure that bills are issued and collected in a timely manner.
• Supporting partners in time-recording practices.

IT

• Acting as the primary local liaison for the UK-based IT team providing ‘remote hands’ support for basic hardware troubleshooting.
• Manage relationships with local telecommunications and office infrastructure providers (ISPs, building management for cabling/patching, and printer/copier leasing etc.), acting as the on the ground oversight for any local installations.
• Managing IT logistics (receipt, unboxing, asset management and consumables) and delivering basic user training and induction support to ensure staff are confident using the firm’s systems and hardware.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Assisting the RM&C team in risk and compliance tasks, including new business intake procedures on behalf of fee earners:
  • Assisting fee earners in submitting Conflict Checks requests as required.
  • Assisting in setting Clients and Matters up in PMS, DMS and centrally storing details where needed.
  • Using templates and precedents, drafting and issuing Engagement Letters and Terms of Business as appropriate.
  • Ensuring Fee Earners and Partners are up to date with CDD and Engagement Letters.

Required skills and experience

• Substantial administrative / EA experience ideally gained within a legal / disputes environment in an international law firm.
• Experience doing typical paralegal tasks, including proof-reading, cite-checking, and filing legal documents, and supporting hearings or trials would be an advantage.
• Excellent understanding of all Microsoft Office applications.
• Able to demonstrate exceptional organisational skills.
• Adept at proof reading and performing quality checks on all work produced.
• Good judgement and decision-making skills.
• Positive attitude with a practical, common-sense approach, adaptable and resilient.
• Efficient at managing their own workload, proactive and able to work on their own initiative.
• Able to build strong working relationships with colleagues, clients and third parties alike

To apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter to careers@wordstone.com