Shakespeare Martineau
Legal Secretary / Legal Assistant

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Ready for a legal support role where you can make an impact, learn from a highly experienced team and build your career within a Top 50 law Firm?
We’re looking for an organised, proactive Legal Secretary / Legal Assistant to join our friendly Real Estate Finance team.
You’ll be trusted with a varied workload, supported by approachable colleagues and partners, and given the flexibility to work in a way that helps you perform at your best.
This could be a great fit if you already have at least 12 months’ office experience, ideally within a law firm.
We’d also welcome applications from candidates with a law degree, GDL, LPC or SQE who are looking to gain hands-on experience and, where opportunities and performance allow, progress towards a paralegal role.
We can offer you
- A competitive salary and excellent benefits, including private medical cover, 27 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, and an extra day off for your birthday.
- Genuine flexibility, with hybrid working and the opportunity to work from home as well as from our newly refurbished Birmingham city-centre offices.
- A friendly, sociable and supportive team where people enjoy working together and genuinely look out for one another.
- Trust and autonomy – we’ll give you the freedom to take ownership of your work, with support there when you need it.
- Plenty of scope to grow. You’ll have a varied workload and, if you’re ambitious to progress, opportunities to broaden your experience, develop new skills and take on greater responsibility.
What you will be doing: You’ll be at the heart of a busy, fast-paced and supportive team, working closely with three fee earners who handle a high volume of Islamic finance property transactions.
It’s a varied role where you’ll play an important part in keeping transactions moving and making sure everything runs smoothly.
Your day-to-day responsibilities will include:
- Opening new files and completing the associated client and matter set-up processes.
- Preparing documents for electronic signature and managing execution through DocuSign.
- Setting up completion payments and helping to ensure funds are ready when needed.
- Keeping internal and client reports accurate and up to date.
- Assisting with billing and other financial administration.
- Submitting applications to Companies House to register legal charges.
- Supporting the file closure process once transactions have completed.
- Responding to day-to-day queries and providing proactive administrative support to your fee earners.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
See breakdownIt searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
You’ll use a range of systems and technology in the role, including our case management software, Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel, and DocuSign.
You don’t need to know everything from day one. What’s most important is that you’re organised, comfortable using technology, have great attention to detail and enjoy being part of a busy team.
We’ll support you in developing your knowledge of our processes and this specialist area of property finance.
What you will need:
- A strong educational background.
- We’d also welcome applications from candidates with a law degree, GDL, LPC or SQE who are looking to gain hands-on experience.
- At least 12 months’ office experience, ideally within a law firm, is preferred but not essential.
- The ability to work well as part of a team.
- Strong time management and organisational skills to work to competing deadlines.
- High attention to detail.
- Experience of working with Microsoft Office.
Benefits, Agile Working and Additional information
We embrace agile working and offer a blended approach to where and how we work.
We appreciate that people have different needs and preferences and we’re keen to be flexible, after all, we value what you do, not where you do it.
We have the following hubs across the UK: Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stratford upon Avon & Tunbridge Wells.
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Additional information:
Please be aware, for some vacancies, where we receive high numbers of applications we may need to bring the close date forward.
Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. Details of the checks can be found here.
Equal opportunities
Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer. We seek to attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. We value and respect individuality and encourage a culture within our business where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences. Everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, regardless of their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.
About Shakespeare Martineau
Shakespeare Martineau is part of Ampa Group, a leading house of brands in legal and professional services. Ampa Group brings together complementary firms - including Lime Solicitors, Mayo Wynne Baxter, Marrons and others - connected by shared values and a modern, people-first culture.
As a group, we’re focused on unlocking potential. We believe in the power of &: corporate & human, purposeful & profitable, ambitious & inclusive. Ampa Group provides the shared infrastructure, development programmes, culture, values and empowered working framework that enable our brands, and our people, to thrive.
For you, that means access to award-winning learning, flexibility built on trust, and opportunities to collaborate across a diverse network of specialists.
Shakespeare Martineau remains its own distinctive brand with its own clients and markets. Ampa Group gives our people the strength of the group and the freedom to grow their careers in the way that works for them.
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