Paralegal

**Role summary/purpose of job**:
The Freshfields Hub brings together lawyers, technologists, legal support staff and process improvement specialists, who together design more agile and efficient ways to deliver our legal services. Everything the Hub does is tailored to the needs of our clients. The Hub provides matter support to the global firm, using established processes and procedures to ensure consistent and high-quality work. With locations throughout our network, the Hub operates across time zones and in more than 30 languages.

As a member of the Hub, the paralegal’s role will be to provide valuable support to our dispute resolution team in Asia—predominantly to our international arbitration practice but also to our global projects disputes and global investigations teams. The paralegal may also be required to support other practice groups within the firm as and when required. It is intended that the paralegal will be based in Singapore.

The paralegal will contribute to the Hub’s culture of quality, striving for excellence in standard of output and being a positive role model within the team.

The paralegal will work as part of a team carrying out a range of tasks to support our global client needs. The paralegal will have the opportunity to engage with fee earners from all fields but will have specific focus on our Dispute Resolution practice group.

As a paralegal, you will bring a broad range of skills to the position and ensure all tasks are completed to the highest standard. This is an interesting and varied role which offers an insight into the workings of one of the firm’s most dynamic teams.

Core operational tasks to support international arbitration client mandates include, but are not limited to:

- General document management including reviewing, organising and indexing; uploading documents to electronic databases; conducting searches on document databases to identify relevant documents for particular issues; preparing bundles for meetings, submissions and hearings; and arranging for the translation of relevant documents;
- Filing of relevant submissions, including liaising with the internal legal team and practice manager to ensure that relevant deadlines are met; preparing all relevant supporting documentation and ensuring its accuracy; and managing business services resources and liaising with external service providers including translation companies and local law firms;
- Proofreading and cite-checking legal submissions and other documents, including checking amendments, verifying cross-references, checking definitions and checking for sense/consistency;
- Assisting with preparation and logístical requirements for arbitration and court hearings, including with regard to the hearing venue and external support such as transcribers and interpreters;
- Attending arbitral and court hearings, and providing all necessary logístical and administrative support, including with regard to the preparation and organisation of all relevant documentation during the hearing;
- Managing and collating Know-How resources (including helping arrange logistics for training); and
- Assisting with the preparation and collation of business development and pitch materials as and when necessary.

Other tasks the paralegal may be asked to assist with include:

- Due Diligence reviews;
- Document review for an investigation or at the disclosure stage of a litigation;
- Reviewing and marking up transaction documents;
- Data Room management;
- Basic legal research (manual or electronic); and
- Creating and populating tables, schedules and agendas.

The paralegal’s work will be carried out following established processes and using workflow and work allocation systems as required.

The paralegal will also contribute to the development and continuous improvement of the Hub by assisting with requirements gathering, process mapping, process evaluation and support documentation as required.

The paralegal will maintain a daily log of all activity and a record of time spent. They will establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of Freshfields staff. They will identify and escalate issues in a timely and effective manner.

**Key requirements (Communication/skills/experience)**:
**Professional qualifications**:

- An undergraduate degree or a diploma/certificate in paralegal studies is preferred but not essential.

**Experience**:

- Previous dispute resolution paralegal experience in a large law firm, particularly in international arbitration matters or familiarity with court or arbitration processes, would be an advantage but is not essential.

**Technical requirements**:
**Essential**
- Strong computer skills and experience in using MS Office tools (in particular Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Internet Explorer);
- Excellent attention to detail;
- The ability to work in accordance with established processes;
- The ability to complete work to tight deadlines when required; and