1. 19SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 | www.ExECuTivEPA.COM18 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 | www.ExECuTivEPA.COM
eral tasks at once, so I either decide what takes priority or I will
ask the lawyers whether or not their request is urgent.
What is it like working for a magic circle law firm in
Canary Wharf?
Great… I enjoy working for Clifford Chance, I work with some
lovely people and we have excellent benefits, like having a gym
and a swimming pool and hairdressers in the building! I like
Canary Wharf a lot as I don't miss the hustle and bustle of the
City and the West End. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
As part of your role, you co-ordinate work
experience students, tell us about those
responsibilities?
I'm responsible for managing work experience students who
wish to gain legal work experience. My role entails liaising with
the students' school/college/parents, sending students a con-
firmation email and letter, notifying our HR department,
organising access to the IT systems, allocating a desk for the
students and allocating them a buddy who will look after them,
arranging for someone to meet them on their first day, to finally
meeting bright, young and enthusiastic students who are will-
ing to learn. I've made this sound very simple, but there are lots
of emails that go back and forth!
How do you juggle so many work requests whilst
supporting work experience students?
Yes – good question! I have to prioritise my workload accord-
ing to my given deadlines. I have a timetable of when I need
to complete tasks relating to the work experience, so I do my
best to work within that timetable.
As a PA what is the most unusual thing you have
been asked to do?
Before I joined Clifford Chance, a previous boss was in hospi-
tal, so I was asked to go to his hospital bed with work papers
and take some shorthand dictation!
Which software programs do you use the most?
Outlook: for emails and diary management (I can see my lawyers'
calendars as well as my own), and contacts – both mine and my
lawyers. Peoplesoft: to administer annual leave for both the
lawyers and secretaries within the department. Adobe Acrobat
XI Pro: this software allows me to view, create, print and organ-
ise files in Portable Document Format (PDF). When amending
a document using Word, I can compare different versions and
convert to PDF format which can then be forwarded to a client.
What do you love most about being a PA?
I'm incredibly lucky to work with nice people so that makes my
job that much easier. I like the organisational aspects of my job
– such as organising events with clients and booking overseas
travel. I like and respect the other secretaries in my department,
and we help each other when required.
How did you land your current role?
I came to Tilda fresh out of university, originally to answer
phones for a week. A position opened up to support my Facil-
ities Manager, which landed me a desk in front of the Director’s
offices. Given the convenient distance, I took on small tasks for
my Managing Director, who then offered me the role of work-
ing directly for him as his PA.
Who do you support and how?
My main responsibilities lie with my Managing Director
doing anything from travel management, organising hospitality
events to creating our global company newsletter. I also sup-
port two other Directors as and when needed, along with our
brilliant facilities team.
What are the challenges of supporting the MD of
Tilda?
As the Managing Director of our UK, Middle East and India busi-
ness, his time is very sought after, managing expectations and
time frames to keep everyone’s needs met can be difficult with
pressing deadlines, travel and trying not to overload his diary.
Would you ever consider supporting multiple
directors?
I’dbehappyto.The1-1dynamicallowsmetounderstandmyboss’s
Life as a PA is always busy regardless of who you support.
This issue we speak to a PA who works predominantly for one MD
and another who has 14 bosses! By Maria Fuller
INTERVIEW
LAURA BROOMES
Legal Support Secretary, Clifford Chance, London
ROXANNE SMITH
PA to the MD, Tilda Ltd, Rainham, Essex
How did you land your current role?
I was temping for an agency for a few months, and I enjoyed
working for different employers. Whilst temping for Pruden-
tial, I decided to look for a more permanent role as I wanted the
stability of receiving a regular salary and all the benefits asso-
ciated with a permanent position. I expressed to the temp agency
that I would like to work for a law firm and I was lucky enough
to be put forward for a secretarial role at Clifford Chance.
Who do you support and how?
I support seven fee earners, a Partner, a Senior Associate, three
Associates and two first seat trainees. I provide secretarial sup-
port, and the main support is to the Partner. I work in the Bank-
ing and Finance department, which is a large department with
over 100 people in the team. My role consists of creating/amend-
ing documents; audio typing; submitting expense claims;
entering time sheets; diary management; booking travel,
flights, trains, hotels; photocopying; scanning; opening new
client matters; arranging meetings; client events; requesting
cheques mainly to submit to Companies House; receiving/mak-
ing calls; archiving (paper and email); requesting stationery
items; and co-ordinating annual leave requests.
What are the challenges of supporting seven fee
earners in a law firm?
The job only becomes challenging when I'm asked to do sev-
“The access to insight on trends and new
product arrivals is really exciting for a foodie
like me. The science behind what we do
here is priceless knowledge and something
which never fails to amaze me.”
needs,sofirstI’dwanttoestablishaclearunderstandingofthekind
of support they required and where I can implement that support
withthebiggestimpact.Tomanagemultipledirectorswithdifferent
personalities and preferences, this would be paramount.
What is it like working in the food manufacturing
sector?
The access to insight on trends and new product arrivals is really
exciting for a foodie like me. The science behind what we do
here is priceless knowledge and something which never fails
to amaze me.
I understand you’re a social media whizz – tell us
about those responsibilities?
I was asked to run a Twitter page showcasing the type of people
that work behind the cogs of Tilda, making us more transparent
andapproachableasabrand.ThismeansthecontentIcreateneeds
to reflect and connect to the consumers that buy our products.
What is the most unusual task you’ve been asked
to do?
When I first began taking on small tasks for my boss, he asked
me to have one of his favourite cigar lighters repaired. This
meant arranging its journey to a lighter specialist in Paris where
it underwent three weeks of service. As a PA newbie, I’d nerv-
ously call up every couple of days asking for updates to reas-
sure myself it would be returned safe and sound.
Which are your 3 favourite business Apps and why?
Google Drive, so I can edit and share documents on the move
without clogging inboxes. Hootsuite, for scheduling Twitter
posts ahead of time; a great app for anyone contributing to social
media for business. Flip Board was recommended to me by my
boss and is a great way to catch up on news, you can filter arti-
cles by interests. To navigate, the design is clean and efficient
allowing me to plough through topics in no time.
What do you love most about being a PA?
First and foremost, a big part of the love I have for my job comes
from working with inspirational people, for a company whose
ethics and culture I believe in and the freedom to be creative.
As a PA, I have the fortunate opportunity to view the company
from a broader perspective which enables me to get involved
with projects I’m interested in and feel I can add value to. E