Receptionist

SUMMARY

Under the direct supervision of the Office Administrator, and according to established policies and procedures, the Receptionist performs all functions related to receiving calls, clients, vendors and deliveries, and directs them to the appropriate individual(s), and performs a variety of reception, secretarial and clerical duties. Maintains contact with attorneys, staff and clients and observes confidentiality of client and firm matters. Employee must perform all duties with minimal supervision.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Telephone and Message Handling

1. Receives and records oral information from telephone callers or visitors then communicates it to attorneys and staff.

1. Operates a multi-line telephone console to relay incoming, outgoing and intra-system (internal) calls.

1. Directs telephone calls to the appropriate attorney and staff; manages multiple telephone inquiries and redirects them as appropriate.

1. Retrieves system voicemail messages regularly.

Reception, Visitor and Client Service

1. Serves as the primary receptionist for the office and the first point of contact for office visitors and callers.

1. Meets and greets clients and visitors to the office and ensures proper clearance and routing of such parties in accordance with firm policies; notifies supervisor of difficult situations.

1. Provides concierge-level service to B&T guests, personnel and visitors, including greeting clients as they arrive and associated services.

1. Greets, announces and situates all employees and visitors;

1. Facilitates communications internally and externally by serving as the first point of contact for office visitors and callers, coordinating in-office and interoffice meetings and conferences, and assisting office personnel with strategic information gathering tasks.

Reception Area, Kitchen and Office Upkeep

1. Opens the reception area and readies the office and lobby area for daily opening, including:

1. Maintains neatness of the lobby and reception area, including keeping books and papers in order and the area free of trash; periodically checks the newspapers to be sure they are in order; organizes books and magazines and assures they are available; keeps the ledge clear.

1. Maintains supplies in the reception area; assists with supply ordering.

Conference Rooms and Meetings

1. Schedules use of conference rooms, coordinates all conference room activities and scheduling.

1. Coordinates meeting logistics, including food/beverage and IT services; orders lunches for meetings and provides the Office Administrator with cost information when checks are required.

1. Assists with meeting room set-up and break-down; maintains neatness of, and supplies in, conference rooms.

Mail, Deliveries, Couriers and Faxes

1. Receives and records deliveries to and from the firm and/or individuals in the firm, and routes them accordingly to the proper recipient.

1. Assists and serves as back-up to the Resource Center as follows:

a. Receives and distributes incoming mail, courier deliveries, FedEx, etc.;

b. Prepares all inter-office courier envelopes for daily FedEx pickup; and

c. Deposits daily outgoing U.S. mail at the designated drop box.

1. Receives incoming faxes through the Imagicle system and routes or delivers faxes via e-mail to the appropriate recipients.

1. Coordinates deliveries of other courier runs as requested.

Clerical, Word Processing and Administrative Support

1. Provides word processing and other office assistance, such as time entry for attorneys, paralegals and staff as needed; does overflow typing of legal correspondence for secretaries and attorneys; assists with data entry and filing, as required.

1. Assists with envelope stuffing for large mailing projects; creates large mailing lists for holiday cards and other mailings.

1. Provides other assistance to attorneys, paralegals and staff as needed.

1. Other duties as assigned.

The employee must be able to perform all essential job duties and responsibilities of this position satisfactorily and as outlined, with or without reasonable accommodations. Reasonable accommodation requests may be accommodated, absent undue firm hardship.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED

1. Ability to read and write at a level normally acquired through the completion of high school in order to process informational messages, and to follow basic directions on how to prepare documents and correspondence.

1. Approximately six months to one year of on-the-job experience in order to gain an understanding of office procedures and organization, learn to operate the telephone console system, and work with minimal supervision.

1. Ability to convert memos, letters and forms from rough draft to final, typed-quality documents at a level normally acquired through completion of one to three months of course work in touch typing or through on-the-job training.

1. Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks and complete them within established time constraints; consults with the Office Administrator and attorneys when priorities conflict.

1. Interpersonal skills necessary to communicate in person, by telephone and by e-mail with visitors, attorneys and staff to provide information with ordinary courtesy, ease and tact.

1. Work occasionally requires a high level of mental effort when answering a high volume of telephone calls and performing essential duties in a fast-paced, changing work environment. Ability to produce a high volume of work, requiring high mental competency, while performing other essential duties. High level of communication and interpersonal interaction needed, with the ability to accept direction amidst multiple distractions.

1. Ability to exercise appropriate judgment for a professional business setting. Self-starter with the ability to look ahead for opportunities to take initiative.

1. Ability to handle telephone calls and visitors, operate telephone equipment and record messages, and lift telephone books, small delivery packages, boxes and other items up to 20 lbs. Reliable, timely, professional physical presence.

This job description is intended to describe the general requirements of this position. As such, it is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of job duties or responsibilities required in this job. Subject to firm needs, duties and responsibilities of this position may change at any time, on a temporary or permanent basis, and with or without notice.

WORKING CONDITIONS

1. Normal office environment with little exposure to excessive noise, dust, temperature and the like.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive statement of essential functions, responsibilities or requirements.

Equal Employment and Opportunity Statement

Barnes & Thornburg is committed to equal employment opportunity in both principle and as a matter of policy. We will recruit, hire, train, promote, compensate and provide benefits to all applicants and employees without regard to ancestry, sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, religion, religious creed, mental and/or physical disability, medical condition, military and/or veteran’s status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state and local laws. This policy applies to all recruiting, hiring, promotions, upgrades, layoffs, compensation, benefits, terminations and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment. The firm complies fully with all federal, state and local equal employment opportunity laws.