Description
Location: Belfast
Workplace: Hybrid
The Opportunity:
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an ambitious graduate to join our New Business Intake Team. In this role you will assist in providing an efficient and effective service to Firm Partners and offices in opening new and existing client registrations and matters, and guide Partners to ensure compliance with ethical and legal duties to avoid conflicts of interest and in meeting professional responsibility obligations.
This opportunity is ideal for graduates from any degree discipline with some professional experience who want to expand their career horizons within a truly global business and play an important role in its continued success.
Working at Baker McKenzie Belfast:
Baker McKenzie is the world’s leading law firm with offices all over the world solving complex legal problems across borders and practice areas.
Our Belfast Centre is home to over 400 teammates in both legal and professional services such as finance, IT, marketing and business support.
We offer one of the best workplace benefits packages in the business with comprehensive private health cover, income protection, life assurance and a full employee assistance plan. These and a host of other benefits make us one of the most desirable companies to work for in Belfast.
We are committed to promoting inclusion, diversity and equity for all and are confident we can provide a career as individual and as exceptional as you.
Responsibilities:
About the role:
As part of this role, the successful candidate will:
- Provide all aspects of support to the Firm, its Partners, and offices about the New Business Intake (NBI) process
- Diligently review new client and new matter information submitted via the Firm’s intake system; assist with identification of possible conflicts of interest; verify that our Standard Terms of Engagement are in place with the client; ensure compliance with Firm policies and procedures, and confirm that all client/matter information in the Firm’s central records is accurate
- Make sound and educated decisions regarding the existence and validity of possible conflicts of interest and clearance of identified conflicts of interest through liaison with Firm Partners and offices
- Review Engagement or Assignment Letters for compliance with Firm and departmental guidelines and policies
- Ensure Standard Terms of Engagement are applied to all client engagements and, where applicable, ensure exceptions to Standard Terms of Engagement have been approved by the EC-Sub Committee, are tracked and recorded accordingly
- Conduct online investigation of prospective clients using online databases (such as Pacer, Lexis Nexis, etc.), business intelligence databases (D&B, Hoovers), Government Watch Lists (World-Check), and the public domain searches (Google, etc.) to facilitate the identification of high risk and negative findings, which must be communicated to NBI Management and the Risk and Compliance team
- Engage and collaborate with team members through the presentation of ideas and recommendations regarding best practice, continuous improvement, departmental processes, policies, and procedures
- Provide support and assistance on important team projects and initiatives, when required
- Support and guide more junior team members, particularly regarding more complex and technically challenging intake requests
- Act as a "go-to" individual, with whom team members will consult
- Provide support to Senior Analyst and NBI Belfast Management, when required
Experience Required
Essential Criteria:
About you:
To be successful in this role you will need:
- Bachelor's degree
- Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and online research tools
- Ability to make effective, accurate decisions, judgement calls, and reliable recommendations with minimal support from senior team members and Management
- Professionalism and the ability to influence in a positive manner
- Excellent interpersonal skills with a positive customer-service-oriented attitude
- Ability to engage and collaborate with team members locally and across other Centres
- Excellent time management and organizational skills, with the ability to work well under pressure, manage workloads, meet deadlines and prioritize efficiently
- Flexibility to work a reasonable shifting schedule is required
- Ability to leverage consultant resources and utilize information appropriately
- Exceptional problem solving, critical thinking, and analytical skills
- Ability to contribute ideas for process improvements and adapt easily to procedural changes
- Excellent written and oral communication skills demonstrated in interactions with all colleagues throughout the Firm as well as Partners and Management
- Positivity and the adoption of a solution-based approach in all aspects of work