Experience

Graham Watt & Co LLP

• United Kingdom
• Legal Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Office Operations Manager

  • Sep 2017 - Present



Korn Ferry

• United States
• Business Consulting and Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Project Manager

  • Jan 2014 - Present

  Currently managing workshops and medium sized development programs, using project management principles from initiating, monitoring and controlling through to the final stage of closing a project, to ensure success in delivery of Korn Ferry assessments. Working at times with global teams making deadlines and delivery challenging but exciting.Main successes so far:- Planned and executed 3 types of development workshops in a 2 month period in New York, London and Hong Kong with 12 participants in each workshop. The client commended on the success and smooth running of the workshops.- Passing my Project Management Framework course which was run internally by the International Institute for Learning in the 12 month deadline and first time, with a 74% mark.



PDI Ninth House, a Korn/Ferry Company

• Operations Manager

  • Nov 2012 - Jan 2014

  Working Manager with Project Coordinator projects.Served as an onsite Facilities contact, ensuring Fire and Safety regulations and building regulations were adhered to and that relevant staff had Fire safety and First Aid training. Managed all contracts and invoices of suppliers for services to the building. Negotiated renewals of the printer, stationery and water supply contracts to achieve a more competitive rate.Partnered with the Managing Director and Director of Consultants to successfully run the front office as well as build a cohesive working environment. Helped mange office communications, team meetings and events and helped build a productive office culture.Oversee the work of administrative and project coordinator staff to ensure quality standards and proper processes were followed in line with Global and regional processes and practices.Conducted Performance reviews and issues, interviews and selected candidates for open roles.My main achievement during my time as an Operations Manager was to successfully Project Manage the office move of 28 staff in to the Korn Ferry offices after the merger. I had been with the company for 4 months and worked alongside the Korn Ferry Operations Manager, IT team and various teams to have the London PDI team in their new space over the Easter break in 2013, this was achieved in a very tight 6 week timeframe.



Clifford Chance LLP

• Transaction Support Manager

  • Apr 2006 - Mar 2012

  Co-ordinated a team of 14 day and 4 evening staff with up to 20 temps to support the paralegal needs of the Corporate Practice. Managed an ever changing workload and prioritised conflicting deadlines to deliver an efficient service. Assessed processes and transactions for cost effectiveness, implementing any changes and new methods to ensure the department was optimised to its full potential during busy times as well as during quieter periods.Key achievements:• Introduced cost effective methods to manage the paralegal workload which was achieved by developing and maintaining valuable business relationships throughout the Company.• Offered the best, money-saving product which suited the deal needs to clients and colleagues across all offices by being subject matter expert on Virtual Data Rooms and contributing to the firm’s know-how by creating templates. • Trained paralegals and Knowledge Centre recruits on various processes to achieve consistency.• Key contact for external providers of Virtual Data Rooms and recruitment agencies and internal clients on VDR's.• Recruited effectively and interviewed high volumes of paralegals through the complete role cycle.• Organised and implemented inductions for new recruits, determined temp rates and standardised the induction procedure across permanent and temporary hires to achieve a consistent level of service.• Successfully delivered a project to replace an internal IT solution, to create a secure online extranet service for file sharing, communication and collaboration on transactional matters. With the financial benefit of £150,000 per year added to the significant cost savings of time spent by lawyers and paralegals.• Part of a Global Project team streamlining the Bound Volume process reducing time spent creating them, improving the environmental impact and providing our clients with a consistent format. Winning the Corporate Social Responsibility Environmental award for our 2 year work on the project.



Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

• United Kingdom
• Law Practice
• 700 & Above Employee

• Corporate Paralegal Manager

  • May 2003 - Apr 2006

  Co-ordinated and liaised in conjunction with another manager the workflow between the day and evening team of 30 Paralegals and the corporate department ensuring a detailed handover for the shift manager and organising extra resources. Managed staff issues including time keeping, quality of work by following HR and company policy.Key achievements:• Created a 5-day induction programme for the paralegal recruitment selection assessment days giving presentations on how to carry out paralegal tasks effectively.• Successfully interviewed and recruited 24 new paralegals yearly and 2 new managers.• Coached work experience “buddies” to evaluate the individual’s progress and manage their expectations.• Raised the profile of the resources and skills available to fee earners within the practice, through meeting new fee-earners, giving trainee talks and marketing material detailing contacts and services. • Efficiently completed conflicting managerial and administrative tasks by juggling deadlines through communication, organising tasks competently, prioritising and delegating.



Linklaters

• United Kingdom
• Law Practice
• 700 & Above Employee

• Legal Support Administrator

  • Oct 1999 - May 2003

  Maintained the office administration updated and office supplies stocked. Main contact for the corporate practice, legal support staff as well as external agencies providing support for staffing needs, inductions, timesheets, reports and general paralegal tasks. Maintained the office administration updated and office supplies stocked. Main contact for the corporate practice, legal support staff as well as external agencies providing support for staffing needs, inductions, timesheets, reports and general paralegal tasks.