Associate

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

CLIENT RELATIONS

• Provide a high quality legal service to clients

• Develop and maintain good client relationship skills, gaining clients’ confidence and that of other professionals

• Receive requests for legal advice from current and potential clients and deciding on the most appropriate responses to make to these requests

• Establish what needs to be done to solve a client’s problems

• Offer advice on the law, legal procedures and a wide range of associated issues

• Attend client meetings

• Prepare contracts and other legal documents

• Research to ensure accuracy of advice and procedures

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

• Work and behave in a professional manner and to the highest standards of the profession

• Carry out duties given by the partners or employees faithfully and diligently and follow all reasonable instructions

• Participate in the growth and development of the department / firm

• Treat all information about the firm and its client and their business as wholly confidential

• Keep up-to-date with changes in the law

• Attract additional business from new and existing clients

• Record all chargeable hours

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Have a clear understanding of what it would take to develop a career to the next level

• Support internal procedures and systems of the firm including file / case management, time recording

• Respect Partners, staff and clients and in turn earn their respect

• Participate in team meetings

• Attend internal training and external training as and when required

• Keep up to date with law and practice

• Read journals and attend courses as part of continuing professional development

• Maintain high standards of professional conduct while generating adequate practice income, ensuring that the fees earned sufficiently exceed total costs and expenses incurred

TECHNICAL ABILITY

• Be able to demonstrate that they are technically very able across a sufficiently wide area, able to work without significant supervision and have developed a particular strength and reputation in their work area

• Be respected by others in the firm and have begun to develop a reputation in their field outside the firm

STRATEGIC & COMMERCIAL AWARENESS

• Be strategic and commercially aware and be fully familiar with the current strategy of the firm

• Be able to have knowledgeable discussion about the market they operate in, the threats and opportunities the department faces and the future plans for the Department and their role in those plans

LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

• Proven track record of effectively delegating work to other members of the firm and supervising the work effectively

• Successfully run a project that involves other people in the firm

• Can identify projects and use initiative to get them up and running

MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• Be able to demonstrate that they have proactively led BWB BD initiatives

• Can help win significant work from existing or new clients, such that be substantially self supporting on work and billing

• Confidence that there is sufficient work to achieve budgets at Associate charge rates, is a crucial pre-condition for promotion

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5-7 years of work experience

• Experience managing legal documents

• Ability to operate with a high degree of accuracy with strong attention to detail

• Ability to manage conflicting priorities while respecting tight deadlines and to multitask and keep calm under pressure

• Proven ability to establish professional working relationships with colleagues and external clients

• Evidence of interest in, and commitment to, the success of the firm

• Understanding of and commitment to the firm’s values and ethos which can be seen at www.daonguyenlegal.com

• Excellent communication both written and verbal in English and Vietnamese

• A self starter, able to demonstrate high levels of initiative and motivation, but also work closely with other team members and displaying trust and loyalty

• Ability to manage assigned tasks in an assertive, efficient and timely manner

• Exceptional interpersonal skills, demonstrating professionalism in all dealings. Able to deal sympathetically and appropriately with clients and to show empathy with them

• Ability to train junior lawyers within the team

• Excellent leadership and management skills