Job Description — Legal Administrator

Role Details

Role Purpose

The Legal Administrator keeps the organisation's live employment and litigation matters organised, visible and moving. The role sits within the HR function and works alongside external law firms.

Day to day, the postholder maintains the case tracker, schedules meetings and hearings, sends and files documents, chases external counsel for updates, and processes engagement letters and invoices through to Finance.

This is an administrative role. It does not involve giving legal advice, interpreting contracts, deciding whether to litigate or settle, or authorising formal legal steps. Those decisions sit with external counsel or the Global HR Director.

The postholder organises, tracks, sends, chases and records.

Because the matters handled are highly confidential, the role carries a strict confidentiality and data-protection responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

1. Tracker Maintenance

• Keep the case tracker accurate and current, including status, next action, owner and key dates for every live matter.
• Ensure the tracker is up to date at all times.
• Ensure every matter has a recorded next action and named owner.
• Flag anything that sits untouched without progress.

Indicators of Effective Delivery:

• The tracker is consistently accurate and current.
• Every matter has a clear next action and named owner.
• No matter remains untouched without being flagged.

2. Scheduling and Diary Management

• Book hearings, catch-up calls, counsel meetings and loss-adjuster appointments.
• Send calendar invites, reminders and agendas.
• Ensure the correct attendees are included and relevant papers are attached.

Indicators of Effective Delivery:

• No hearing or deadline is missed.
• Invites are sent to the right attendees.
• Required papers are attached correctly and on time.

3. Chasing and Follow-Up

• Contact external law firms for updates within agreed timescales.
• Follow up with external counsel as required.
• Escalate to the Global HR Director when a firm does not respond.
• Ensure chasers are sent on schedule without requiring prompting.

Indicators of Effective Delivery:

• Chasers are sent on schedule.
• Updates and responses are properly recorded.
• Slow responses are escalated rather than left unattended.

4. Document Handling

• Send, receive, name, version and file documents.
• Assemble document bundles in the correct order.
• Apply approved template formatting where instructed.
• Maintain consistent file naming and version control.

Indicators of Effective Delivery:

• Bundles are complete and correctly ordered by the deadline.
• File naming and version control are consistent and easy to follow.

5. Correspondence Administration

• Send standard and pre-approved correspondence to:
  • Law firms
  • Tribunal bodies
  • CCMA
• Route anything non-standard to the Global HR Director for approval before sending.
• Ensure correspondence is accurate and issued within the required timeframe.

Indicators of Effective Delivery:

• Correspondence goes out accurately and on time.
• Nothing outside approved templates is sent without the required sign-off.

6. Invoice and Engagement Administration

• Log engagement letters and cost estimates.
• Check invoices against what was agreed.
• Flag discrepancies or differences.
• Process approvals through to Finance.
• Ensure engagement letters are on file before work starts.

Indicators of Effective Delivery:

• Engagement letters are properly recorded and filed before work begins.
• Invoices are logged and processed without delay.
• Discrepancies are flagged rather than absorbed.

7. Status Reporting

• Prepare a simple weekly status summary from the case tracker.
• Highlight:
  • What has moved
  • What is due
  • What is waiting on someone
  • What requires attention
• Deliver the summary on the same day each week.

Indicators of Effective Delivery:

• The summary is delivered consistently on the same day each week.
• Information is accurate.
• The summary clearly identifies matters requiring attention.

8. Confidentiality and Data Protection

• Share matter information only with named and authorised people.
• Handle personal and sensitive data in line with data-protection obligations.
• Ensure access is limited and documented.
• Maintain strict confidentiality across all employment and litigation matters.

Indicators of Effective Delivery:

• Access is appropriately restricted and documented.
• There are no confidentiality or data-protection breaches.

9. Boundary Discipline and Escalation

• Recognise what falls outside the administrative remit and escalate it rather than acting independently.
• Escalate requests for legal advice, opinions or decisions to the Global HR Director.
• Never improvise on a legal question.
• Maintain clear boundaries between administrative support and legal decision-making.

Indicators of Effective Delivery:

• Requests outside the role's remit are escalated appropriately.
• The postholder consistently operates within defined administrative boundaries.

Experience and/or Qualifications

Essential

• Bachelor's degree in any discipline.
• 2+ years' experience in an administrative, coordination or support role.
• Strong written English with clear, correct and professional communication.
• Confident using Excel and CRMs.
• Confident using Outlook for multi-party scheduling.
• Highly accurate and organised, with the ability to manage many small tasks simultaneously.
• Discreet and reliable when handling confidential information.

Desirable

• Experience in a law firm, legal BPO, professional services or recruitment environment.
• Familiarity with legal or HR terminology.
• Exposure to invoice processing or purchase-order administration.
• Experience supporting stakeholders across multiple countries.
• LL.B. or paralegal certification — welcome, but not required and not a substitute for administrative strength.

Role-Specific Competencies

Levels of Role Maturity

• Level 1 – Core: Does the job reliably and to standard.
• Level 2 – Strength: Works ahead of instruction and keeps things from slipping.
• Level 3 – Exceptional: Makes the process better for everyone.

1. Accuracy and Attention to Detail

2. Organisation and Follow-Through

3. Communication

4. Confidentiality and Care

5. Judgement and Escalation

What Success Looks Like

The successful Legal Administrator will ensure that every live matter is accurately tracked, deadlines and hearings are not missed, external counsel are followed up on time, documents are correctly managed, correspondence is appropriately approved, invoices are processed efficiently, and sensitive information is handled with the highest level of confidentiality.

The role requires someone who is highly organised, detail-oriented, proactive, discreet and comfortable managing multiple moving parts, while maintaining clear boundaries around what is and is not within an administrative remit.