Practice Administrator - Disputes

The Role
We are seeking an experienced legal secretary to join our market-leading Disputes team in Sydney as a Practice Administrator (PA) on a full-time, permanent basis. In this role, you will provide exceptional administrative and secretarial support to Partners Alex Rose, Sheena McKie, and their teams, with a particular focus on supporting the dynamic and fast-paced Disputes practice.
As a PA at Clayton Utz, you will play a key role in ensuring the smooth operation of the team, delivering high-quality support to both our legal professionals and valued clients. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do, and you will have the opportunity to work closely not only within the Disputes team but also across other practice groups and business support teams to achieve shared goals.
We pride ourselves on fostering a friendly, inclusive, and positive team culture, where your contributions are valued, and your professional growth is supported. At Clayton Utz, we are committed to offering a flexible and rewarding workplace environment that empowers our people to thrive.
Key Responsibilities
In this dynamic role, your responsibilities will include:
Working closely with partners and lawyers to support with general admin, client management, the management of systems, timesheets and other ad hoc tasks to deliver exceptional service to our clients.
General accounts, reporting and monthly billing including client liaison.
Coordinating with clients, counsel, consultants and internal CU teams.
Preparation of presentations, documents and similar.
File and matter management, including conflict checking, matter opening and closing.
Actively managing telephones, email, electronic diaries and voicemail for the Partners and team members.
Organising meetings and travel.
Supporting our Clients and Markets team with events coordination and general business development initiatives.
Skills & Experience
To excel in this role, you will bring:
Minimum 3 years’ experience in a legal secretarial role supporting Partners or C-level executives.
Ability to show initiative and take responsibility for daily management tasks.
A positive, friendly, solutions and team-focused mindset.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
A flexible and collaborative approach to working with different stakeholders and their unique styles.
An organised, efficient approach to administrative tasks with the ability to effectively prioritise to meet deadlines.
Experience with billing processes, including using Aderant / CMS or similar financial software.
Intermediate level skills with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
Why Clayton Utz?
At Clayton Utz, we are committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace where our people can thrive. Joining our Disputes team means becoming part of a collaborative and high-performing group that values excellence, innovation, and client service.
If you are an experienced legal secretary looking for a rewarding opportunity to support two Partners in a busy practice, we encourage you to apply.
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How to Apply?
We prefer to work directly with candidates, if you are interested in this role, please click the ‘Apply’ button or contact the consultant, details below, for more information. Clayton Utz is an inclusive employer that supports flexible work arrangements, please feel free to discuss your flexibility needs with the recruiter for this role.
Consultant Contact Details
Alexandra Smith, (02) 9353 4446
Accessibility and Inclusion
We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a positive, barrier-free recruitment process. Do you require any support or reasonable adjustments to complete your application? If so, please contact the recruiter via the above telephone number or via email to recruitmentsupport@claytonutz.com.
For more information on Clayton Utz, please visit www.claytonutz.com or follow us on LinkedIn here.
Agency submissions
Clayton Utz does not accept agency submissions unless the agency is specifically contacted by a member of the Clayton Utz Recruitment Team. Please do not forward candidate profiles or resumes to Clayton Utz partners, hiring managers or other employees - this will not constitute as an introduction to the firm and Clayton Utz will not be liable for a fee.