- Job ID
- 2021-1609
- Number of Vacancies
- 1
- Department
- Knowledge Management
About the Firm
Stephenson Harwood is a law firm with 1100+ people worldwide, including more than 180 partners. Our headquarters are in London, with 9 offices across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Our people are committed to achieving the goals of our clients – listed and private companies, institutions and individuals across the globe. Our mix of expertise and culture results in a combination of deep local insight and the capability to provide a seamless international service.
Our experience encompasses corporate, commercial litigation and arbitration, employment, pensions and private wealth, finance, marine and international trade, and real estate and projects. We assemble teams of bright thinkers to match our clients’ needs and give the right advice from the right person at the right time. Dedicating the highest calibre of legal talent to overcome the most complex issues, we deliver pragmatic, expert advice that is set squarely in the real world. We understand the power of diversity in delivering that high calibre advice to our clients. We want to attract diverse talent and we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented demographics.
Our knowledge management team
Our knowledge management team comprises our effective and respected team of professional support lawyers (PSLs) and legal information services (LIS) officers who are embedded in our various practice areas and our team of central KM professionals. They work with the Head of Knowledge Management to deliver the firm’s global knowledge management strategy. The team aims get the right information to the right people at the right time. We create and promote technology, tools and processes to support the firm to deliver continually improving profitable client service.
Team Structure
The purpose of the role is to provide legal information and research support services to the firm. This information officer role forms part of a team of six information officers who are based in London and Hong Kong. The information officers are embedded with the fee-earners of their practice group or office and they are primarily responsible for providing our services to those fee-earners. This role is to support the Commercial Litigation practice groups. The information officers meet regularly as a global team, work together on projects which enhance our services and share other team-wide responsibilities.
Main Responsibilities
- Answering queries and requests for research received from fee-earners, mainly in the London office but also our overseas offices. Drafting company analysis briefing reports on sectors and entities to assist fee-earners and business development teams with research on new/prospective clients and as required during the course of legal matters.
- Supporting fee-earners and others in the use of information sources including online services, the hard copy library, our intranet and enterprise search system, e-books, journals and looseleaf publications.
- Delivering training sessions and new joiner inductions outlining how to use our tools and resources in a classroom or virtual environment (using tools such as Sli.do to quiz delegates on their knowledge).
- Attending Practice Group and other meetings to understand and contribute to the work of the practice in which the officer is embedded, adapting the role to fit the particular information needs of the practice group(s).
- Sharing ideas and implementing changes as part of our continuous business improvement processes and innovation projects, ensuring the LIS service continues to support the needs of the business. Including working with the Document Automation Manager from time to time to automate relevant LIS processes in the HotDocs system.
- Working closely with the Knowledge Management team, collaborating with Professional Support Lawyers, Business Development, Communications and other teams to deliver joined-up services to fee-earners across our international network.
- Processing of information aspects for new starters and leavers, particularly log-in and password procedures for information sources.
- Maintaining visibility and promoting the LIS services to end users.
- Assessing new information products and services, advising fee-earners on purchases and subscriptions and liaising with the Knowledge Partner and Finance Partner in the group to ensure purchases are in budget.
- Managing news alerts.
- Editing and maintaining intranet content (using our Sharepoint platform).
- Creation and maintenance of training materials such as intranet guides and Camtasia videos
- Taking part in general administrative duties such as book processing and cataloguing.
Attributes/Skills Required
- Demonstrates the Stephenson Harwood values of individuality, commitment, teamwork and straight talking.
- A keen interest in the legal information sphere shown by active membership of a professional organisation such as BIALL, CILIP, SLA, CLIG or similar bodies.
- Commercial awareness including an understanding of the business aspects of the commercial legal sector.
- Self-motivated, flexible and proactive.
- Highly organised and able to work to deadlines with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and prioritise realistically.
- High professional standards with commitment to quality work product and a logical focus in setting out research findings.
- Resilient with the ability to handle set-backs and pressure.
- Personality to make an impact in the team, excellent communicator and comfortable with interacting with and presenting to colleagues at all levels.
- Lateral thinker with initiative to establish, implement and complete projects.
- Active participant in self-development.
- Computer literate and familiar with standard Microsoft Office applications including Word, Outlook, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint. Familiarity with applications such as Sharepoint, Visme, PDFdocs, Camtasia and KNOWALL is also desirable.
Qualifications
- Graduate, ideally with a qualification in the library or information field.
- A qualification in law would also be beneficial, although not essential.
- Knowledge of legal information resources is required, for example online services such as Lexis Library, Practical Law, Westlaw and others.
- Relevant experience working in a legal or professional services environment.
- Familiar with information management, search and retrieval concepts.
This job description is indicative only and does not represent an exhaustive list of responsibilities. The firm reserves the right to alter or change the responsibilities at any time, in line with the firm’s strategy and business needs.
If you require this document in an accessible format (e.g. large print), please contact [email protected].
We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to having a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, culture or any other protected characteristics. We aim to create a culture where everyone can be themselves and is valued for their strengths and unique perspectives.
We strive for inclusive recruitment practices so that you have all that you need to be successful. Please do let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process.
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