Legal Secretary (Intermediate)/Credit Controller at Bowmans (Law Firm)

Purpose:

• To provide legal and administrative support to a team of legal professionals (Partners, Senior Associates, Associates, and Candidate Attorneys). Responsibilities include processing, filing, and managing documents efficiently; applying accounting and document management systems; ensuring adherence to internal and legal compliance standards; and acting as the central coordination point for the department. This role requires discretion, strong interdepartmental relationships, and operational efficiency.

Experience and Qualifications:

• Matric/Grade 12 
• Secretarial qualification (advantageous)
• Financial or credit management qualification (advantageous)
• 5 to 7 years’ experience as secretary / legal secretary in a legal/professional services environment
• Experience in a financial or credit controller role (advantageous)
• Computer literacy - MS Office (Intermediate proficiency)

Key Accountabilities 

Legal Administration 

• Ensure compliance with and timeous execution of New Business Intake (NBI) process and FICA and Know Your Client (KYC) requirements 
• Draft engagement letters 
• Ensure compliance with SARS requirements 
• Independently review and respond to all written and telephonic correspondence / queries with minimal disruption to fee earners
• Conduct company searches using SA Company, Who Owns Who etc
• Ensure that the practice group clients and contacts are kept up to date on Interaction 
• Follow up with relevant service providers to ensure prompt resolution of problems 
• Follow up with clients to ensure prompt resolution of problems
• Where required, transaction pre-closing and post-closing attendances 
• Where required, assist with access and managing the virtual data rooms for due diligences (KIRA)

Finance, NBI and Client Administration: 

• Independent, effective and accurate attendance to all aspects of finance and client administration, including but not limited to the following.
• FICA, VAT declaration, policy, billing requirements and policy details: Timeously obtain from the client/contact, record and note all details and documents required to open the file, including but not limited to FICA documents, VAT declaration forms, billing requirements (including e-billing, billing intervals, co-payors, split bills etc.), full policy and subscription details (in respect of insurance matters). Keep a record of this information and communicate same to the relevant teams within the firm. 
• Billing requirements: Ongoingly ensure adherence with billing requirements of each matter. 
• Fee estimates etc.: Timeously obtain, record and note fee estimates, agreed fee, fee caps, fee reserve etc. for each matter. Put in place alerts to notify the team of billings/WIP tracked against these at regular intervals (25%, 50%, 75% etc.). Continuous management of fees/WIP against fee estimates and fee reserves (identifying and keeping record of all fee estimates and reserves, ongoingly tracking WIP and fees against fee estimates and reserves)
• Funds in trust: Note all requests for funds in trust ((including retainers, fee funds, deposits) etc.) Timeously collect these funds. Identify and alert team when funds have been depleted by 50%, 75% and 90%. Regularly account to the client/contact regarding trust funds. 
• Time recording: Where required, assist the team in recording of time.
• Disbursements: Management of disbursements/creditor invoices, including liaising with service providers regarding payment terms (pay when paid), ensuring regular accounting, capturing of disbursement invoices, collection and payment of disbursement invoices. Handle all disbursement related queries and resolve any discrepancies both internally and externally. 
• Preparing documents and reports: Obtain system-generated reports WTK and BTK WIP reports etc.), prepare pro formas and itemized billing narratives, prepare split bills, process amendments and applicable discounts, prepare statements, prepare and maintain recons (recons for insurance matters to set out detail per insurer), 
• Preparing reports: Prepare weekly billing timekeeper reports for team lead (weekly), and other reports on request. Prepare financial reports for the Partners for Partner Contribution purposes, financial year end reporting and BEE purposes 
• Ongoingly liaise with client/billing contact to ensure ongoing accuracy of recon (aligns with client/billing contact’s records).
• Submitting invoices, statements and other accounting documents: Sending accounting documents to the relevant persons/uploading them onto e-billing platform., 
• Liaise with client/contact: Liaise directly with client/billing contact. Handle all queries and resolve any discrepancies both internally and externally.
• Identify and notify team of poor payors (within and across matters). 
• Assist with general financial management relating to the department (e.g. credit notes, general financial queries, creation of vendors, write offs etc)
• Create purchase order numbers for sponsorships and process support department requisitions 
• Process client entertainment, business / client travel, and general reimbursement claims 
• Assist with clearing up WIP – suggest write off’s of minor soft costs and fee amounts in matters where the WIP is over 120 days or no longer proceeding etc 
• Escrow attendances which include collation of the escrow agreement, supporting documentation and KYC documents, prepare the unallocated trust monies, trust transfer and trust disbursement requisitions, obtain proof of payment and forward to beneficiaries 
• Investment of monies – knowledge of accounting criteria and parameters to correctly allocate and process deposits, withdrawals and payments to third parties 
• Assist in management and monitoring of the team budget
• Execute all aspects of the VAT rating for each matter (including, but not limited to liaising with clients on VAT ratings, executing on zero VAT processes and client query management)
• Collections: Independent, regular and effectively collection of debts. See below. 

Collections (of funds in trust and invoices):

• Independent, effective, timely and accurate attendance to all aspects of collections, including but not limited to the following. Timeous collection of all amounts with the standard being a maximum of 120 days.
• Review age analysis and follow up directly with clients at least twice a month in respect of accounts receivable and provide the accounts team and fee earners with regular updates.
• Liaise with finance team to ensure prompt and accurate allocation of funds.
• Management of the collections process, including obtaining agreement of the invoice, frequent communications with stakeholders responsible for collecting funds and payment, escalation of follow-ups where payment is not forthcoming etc.
• Where required, assist the team in to negotiate, implement and monitor re-payment plans within agreed mandates or as approved by attorneys/finance management.
• Allocation of daily receipts, investigate and resolve misallocations/unallocations
• Maintain a high and consistent individual agreed collection target.
• Monitor bad debts and identify clients for possible legal action. Present to fee earners for authorization and follow-up action. 
• Supporting partners by managing all aspects of billing for assigned clients and matter.
• Reviewing matter set up and providing reporting for budgets, alternate fee arrangements and accrual request.
• Reviewing cost entries for compliance and making Partners aware of any issues.
• Manage the entire e-billing process.
• Monthly Upload of statements and invoices on the ebilling portals.

Diary Management/ Scheduling and maintaining of calendars (where required)

• Proactively organise and manage diaries and make appointments 

Document Generation (where required)

• Copy typing
• Draft, amend and format general correspondence and documents, paying attention to detail, and ensuring good spelling/grammar/punctuation
• Draft, amend and format legal correspondence and documents, paying attention to detail and ensuring good spelling/grammar/punctuation

Travel Arrangements:

• Make all travel arrangements

Business Development Support 

• Provide administrative support service to the BD team by focusing on efficient co-ordination of conferences and events which include registering delegates, booking accommodation and flights, VISA applications, arranging travel insurance, noting dietary requirements and related attendances in line with the firms policies 

Relationship Building:

• Develop and maintain relationships with all levels of staff as a trusted resource 

Client Engagement:

• Establish good relationships with clients
• Identify, investigate and resolve queries relating to outstanding invoices/accounts
• Maintain the highest level of confidentiality on client matters.
• Maintain a thorough knowledge of client terms and discount arrangements.

Special firm wide projects 

• Assist the Legal Service Improvement team with projects to ensure that the firms systems and processes is structured in such that it provides the required cost and profitability by product / process / practice across the firm 
• Assist with the development and optimization of systems 
• Operate as a test user for service improvement initiatives 

Competencies

• Adaptability, attention to detail, financial acumen, strong admin skills
• Organised, proactive, communicative, problem-solving, resilient