Description

OVERVIEW

The Maples Group is a standard bearer in financial and legal services, trusted by many of the world’s largest hedge fund managers, private equity firms and international corporations. 

Our distinction flows from our carefully curated team: 2,500+ professionals characterised by tenacity, ethics and exacting excellence. Operating in key financial centres across the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, our international presence offers a unique springboard for career development and cross-cultural immersion.  Our side-by-side financial and legal services are similarly ripe for interdisciplinary learning and growth. 

The Maples Group looks to add a British Virgin Islands based Litigation Secretary and Operations Assistant to our team and invites eager and qualified candidates to apply.  We are committed to diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity as we attract, retain and develop world-class talent.

Who We Seek

Our merit-based culture suits professionals in pursuit of boundless careers and lives.  Beyond their acumen, team members are collaborative and conscientious, bringing a healthy sense of drive and purpose to each interaction and to all aspects of their work.

About the Role

The Litigation Secretary and Operations Assistant reports to the Litigation Partners with a dotted line to the Director of Operations.  Its tactical responsibilities feed one larger objective: to support the litigation fee earning team to provide an efficient and high quality service to clients and to support the Director of Operations in managing the office.  Primary responsibilities include: 

Creating and editing documents, including: 

• Drafting of standard and non-standard documents including engagement letters
• Incorporating amendments and name changes to documents and preparing blacklines of documents
• Drafting / formatting pleadings and other legal documents

System maintenance

• Opening files in InterAction
• Update InterAction contacts and activities
• Closing, archiving and destroying unwanted files
• Timesheet entry

General Administration

• E-filing
• Scheduling meetings and conference calls (external and internal)
• Making preparations for marketing trips (including itineraries for client meetings, lunches and dinners, plotting maps, meeting note write ups, expense claims, producing marketing contact lists from Interaction)
• Printing bios, presentations and materials for people who will be attending conferences or facilitating legal training
• Liaising with Conflicts Team to conduct conflict searches
• Receiving incoming mail and prepare and send courier packages
• Liaising with Audit Confirmations Team re audit requests
• Preparing hearing bundles (physical and electronic)
• Filing documents at Court via Curia
• Maintaining attorney calendars
• Keeping up to date with Court procedures (including basic Court fees)
• Assist with file closing, archiving and destruction as requested by senior team members
• Completing ad hoc tasks as required by lawyers - e.g. finding documents in the system; research requests to the library; general fact finding; and sorting IT problems etc

Financial

• Liaising with lawyers for outstanding prebills, timesheets, answers to queries etc
• Liaising with Collections Team to chase outstanding invoices
• Sending out invoices – both day to day and Annual Return invoices and dealing with related queries

Office Management/ Operational support

• Greeting guests to the office
• Ordering stationary and organising the stationary cupboard
• Ensuring that printers are stocked with paper, ink and toner
• Organising maintenance work as and when needed (eg for the alarm system, air conditioning etc)
• Preparing the library/ conference room for meetings, ensuring that the necessary equipment is provided, putting out refreshments and any other requirements as specified by the meeting chairperson 
• Organising and preparing seasonal decorations for the office
• Assisting the Director of Operations with arranging social activities and sending communications/ invitations to the wider office
• Ordering, organising and, if necessary, collecting staff lunch orders
• Liaising with the external messenger service on local deliveries/ collections
• Managing Hotel and taxi bookings for employees visiting from other offices
• Booking transport and accommodation for BVI based employees when travelling on company business through the corporate travel provider, and in line with global policies

Work permits

• Printing and preparing documents and packs for the labour and immigration departments and organising their delivery and collection by the external messenger service
• Relaying any issues with work permit applications back to the HR Business Partner
• Liaising with colleagues to obtain any required documentation such as passports, work permit cards etc
• Ensuring that all personal employee documents are secured and accounted for during the work permit application process

Company searches

• Managing the searches inbox and responding to queries in a timely manner
• Completing VIRRGIN searches in office on the VIRRGIN system
• Completing high court searches in person at the high court
• Sending out the results of searches to the Maples Group fee earners
• Recording fees for the services described above on the Maples system and resolving any further queries

Foreign Office Fillings

• Monitoring the Maples and Calder ("M&C") filings inbox including notarisations, requests for registers and good standing certificates, requests for transfer of registered agent and security registrations and de-registrations
• Responding to all filing requests and queries in a timely manner
• Creating notarial certificates and organising for documents to be notarised externally as requested
• Entering data into the VIRRGIN system
• Entering fees for services provided accurately and on time
• Reporting any issues or concerns with IT systems to the BVI IT team
• Liaising with the Director of Operations or Corporate Partners on any complex requests and escalating these where necessary

Other

• Working in accordance with the compliance manual and other relevant internal control systems of the Maples Group, including measures relating to the Anti Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Terrorism Financing (CTF) mechanisms
• Proactively disclosing any knowledge or suspicion of money laundering and terrorist/proliferation financing to the Money Laundering Reporting Officer ("MLRO") or Deputy MLRO in by way of an Internal Activity Report
• Any other duties that could be reasonably expected of the Secretary and Operations Assistant role at M&C.

EXPERIENCE

What You Bring

In addition to indisputably high ethical standards and autonomy, the ideal candidate possesses the following: 

• Experience of using Microsoft office
• Experience in an administrative capacity
• Attention to detail
• Strong organisation skills
• An interest in developing your career with the Maples Group

BENEFITS & REWARDS

The most enduring professional relationships are reciprocal relationships.  The Maples Group prioritises employee health and wellbeing. Depending on your location, we offer a range of benefits, including: 

• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental and optical)
• Competitive vacation packages
• Educational assistance and professional development programmes
• Savings or pension plan
• Life insurance
• Travel insurance
• Global mental wellness programme
• Sports clubs and social events

ABOUT MAPLES GROUP

Over five decades, the Maples Group has grown from modest beginnings into one of the world's preeminent professional services firms, offering specialised fiduciary, fund administration, regulatory and compliance, entity formation and management and legal services on the laws of the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Ireland, Jersey and Luxembourg.

You can learn more about the Maples Group on our corporate website.  Experience our culture and our people on our Careers Page or on LinkedIn.

Maples’ standard policy to undertake various background screening checks, including criminal records checks, on all applicants to whom a conditional job offer is made. Maples will only ask applicants to disclose a past criminal conviction when a conditional job offer is made. If you have a criminal record it does not mean that your job offer will be automatically withdrawn. Maples will make all job offer decisions on a case by case basis and will take a number of factors into account, such as the role that you are applying for and the nature and circumstances of the past offence. You will have the opportunity to discuss the matter with Maples before a decision is made.

Disclaimer: All personal information collected during the application process will be used for recruitment-related purposes only. Please refer to our Job Applicant Privacy Notice at maples.com/privacy for details on how we handle personal information relating to job applicants.