Front Desk Specialist

FRONT DESK SPECIALIST

Cosgrave Vergeer Kester LLP seeks a self-starting Front Desk Specialist with excellent communication skills to join our team. Competitive candidates must possess recent and relevant professional reception experience, including managing visitors, clients, telephone calls and messages, as well as offering high level administrative support, and providing excellent customer service. To be successful in this role, the candidate must also have proven, high-level Microsoft Office Suite skills.

The ideal candidate will:

• Greet clients and visitors with a positive, helpful approach. Ensure that the front desk is staffed 100% of the time, and phone calls are answered promptly, accurately, and professionally.

• Take proactive ownership of the front office and kitchens: monitor and maintain lobby appearance, provide direction to visitors and staff as needed. Identify needs and resolve promptly.

• Manage all conference room scheduling and ongoing updates. Prepare conference rooms and provide technical assistance.

• Maintain precise electronic in/out board status of all attorneys and staff members. Respond to attendance inquiries with accuracy.

• Receive and log daily faxes and deliveries and notify recipients promptly. Authorize and manage the parking validations, record-keeping and re-orders.

• Manage new client inquiries and direct to appropriate persons. Track and analyze cold contact data and assist with client referral reports.

• Perform conflict checks, maintain two databases with records and docketing updates, assist with weekly new case intake and assignment reports.

• Maintain and circulate office references and maps. Assist with new employee onboarding.

• Act as liaison between attorneys/staff and the Standard Building’s management and maintenance personnel.

• Provide high-level administrative support to Human Resources, Marketing, and Accounting, and staff members, including database management, mailings, correspondence, and filing.

• Be a critical member of our Safety Committee leadership; assist in procedures and ongoing improvements.

• Have proven expertise in Microsoft Office: Excel, Word, and Outlook. Data entry/experience using client relationship management software desirable.

• Have hands-on skills with scanners, printers, copiers and computers.

• Be able to contribute positively as part of a team, and perform other tasks as directed.

Schedule is 7:45am to 4:45pm, Monday through Friday. Consistent and reliable attendance is required.

Full Job Description:

Cosgrave Vergeer Kester LLP

Job Description

JOB TITLE: Front Desk Specialist

DATE: September 2024

FLSA STATUS: Non-exempt

JOB STATUS: 40 hours per week

The goals of Cosgrave Vergeer Kester are to provide to our clients the highest quality of legal services within the area of our expertise, for fair and reasonable compensation; and to earn and maintain the respect of our clients, the courts, our colleagues and the community.

To accomplish these goals the firm expects that our employees will:

• Be guided by the highest ethical and professional standards;
• Achieve and maintain excellence in their respective fields;
• Operate efficiently, so as to keep the cost to our clients and the firm as low as reasonably possible;
• Maintain a congenial atmosphere that encourages cooperative effort;
• Support collaborative work team efforts to coordinate workflow within the office.
• Recognize and fulfill obligations to the community and to the legal system, as well as to our clients.

While the firm must be profitable in order to exist, our ultimate function is service to our clients.

REPORTS TO: The Front Desk Specialist is supervised by the Accounting & Administrative Department Manager.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Front Desk Specialist supports the delivery of quality legal services by providing excellent client service and high-level administrative support.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Essential functions include the following responsibilities.

1. Reception

• Greet clients and visitors with a positive, helpful approach. Ensure that the front desk is staffed 100% of the time, and phone calls are answered promptly, accurately, and professionally. Assess the needs of callers and direct to appropriate persons.
• Take proactive ownership of the front office and kitchens: monitor and maintain lobby and conference room appearance and supplies, provide direction to visitors and staff as needed. Identify needs and resolve promptly.
• Manage conference room scheduling and updates. Prepare conference rooms for client meetings and internal events, including technical assistance and ordering/acquiring lunch when requested.
• Maintain precise electronic in/out board status of all attorneys and staff members. Respond to attendance inquiries with accuracy.
• Receive and log daily faxes and deliveries and notify recipients promptly. Authorize and manage parking validations, and associated record-keeping and re-orders.
• Manage new client inquiries and direct to appropriate persons. Track and analyze cold contact data and assist with client referral reports.
• Perform conflict checks, maintain two databases with records and docketing updates, assist with weekly new case intake and assignment reports.
• Maintain and circulate office references and maps. Assist with new employee onboarding.
• Act as liaison between attorneys/staff and the Standard Building’s management and maintenance personnel.
• Provide high-level administrative support to Human Resources, Marketing, and Accounting, and staff members, including database management, mailings, correspondence, and filing.
• Be a critical member of our Safety Committee leadership; assist in procedures and ongoing improvements.

1. Other

• Coordinate holiday cards and gifting.
• Assist Marketing with ALFA International attorney participation, including seminar registration, client screening and registration, and tracking inbound/outbound case referrals.
• Assist Human Resources with organizing social events, including but not limited to Milestone Celebrations, Staff Appreciation Week, and the Office Holiday Party.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the education, experience, skills, knowledge and abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

• Education: High School Diploma or GED.
• Experience: Recent and relevant customer service experience. Professional reception experience preferred; reception experience in a legal/professional service firm desirable.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
  • Consistent and reliable attendance, Monday through Friday, 7:45am to 4:45pm;
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office suite;
  • Excellent interpersonal skills;
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills;
  • Detail-oriented and self-motivated;
  • Ability to meet deadlines;
  • Ability to organize and prioritize work;
  • Ability to take initiative and problem solve
• Physical Demands: The physical demands described are representative of the requirements that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use a telephone, computer keyboard and mouse; reach with hands and arms; talk and listen. The employee is frequently required to walk and sit, as well as to lift and carry objects such as books and files weighing up to 15 pounds. The employee is occasionally required to stand, stoop or kneel. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job, including moderate noise level, and indoor temperate environment, and light levels that are bright and conducive to minimal eye strain, typical for an office environment.

SCOPE OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND MODIFICATIONS: This job description describes the general nature of the job and does not represent that all such duties will be performed by all individuals who hold the job. This job description does not limit the tasks that an employee may reasonably be requested to perform and in no way alters the firm’s at-will employment policy. Changes to this job description may be made at the discretion of the firm. Any substantive revisions to this job description require the approval of the director of human resources.

Why join us?

If you want to be part of a well-established and growing law firm, and be part of a close-knit group, then this is the place for you! We offer a fast-paced, team-oriented and fun work environment with competitive compensation and a generous benefit package including medical, dental, life and disability insurance, 401k, paid time off and more.

Cosgrave is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all applicants and strive to provide a workplace in which all employees feel included, respected, and valued.

If you meet the above qualifications, please submit your resume and cover letter using the job link above. Applicants must include all documents for consideration.