As part of our Reception team within Operations, this role is central to delivering a professional and high standard of service to both internal and external clients. As the face of the firm, you will create a welcoming and professional first impression for all visitors. You will also play a key role in managing meeting rooms and preparing spaces for events, coordinating courier bookings, and serving as a reliable point of contact for staff across the firm.
This is a part time role, working 09.00 - 17.00 on a Thursday and Friday, with some flexibility needed to cover absence.
The Role
Guest Services
- Ensure the highest standard of customer service is always upheld, following the Reception Services Agreement for the handling of clients in Reception.
- Act as ‘front of house’ and the face of the firm, welcoming clients and visitors.
- Liaising with the Building Reception team where required, e.g., in relation to unexpected visitors and adding visitor names to the building’s visitor list.
- Managing the Reception email box, responding to enquiries and requests as appropriate.
- Booking taxis and couriers, notifying Facilities when deliveries are handed over by Building Services.
Switchboard:
- Handle internal and external calls including: screening and directing / forwarding calls, taking and relaying messages and providing relevant information to callers.
- Ensure knowledge of staff movements joining and leaving the firm.
- Retrieve voicemail messages left during out of office hours and forward on accordingly.
- Manage any Overflow Switchboard messages and forward on accordingly.
Meeting Rooms:
- Tidy and maintain the Reception area, Kitchen and Meeting rooms taking pride in these spaces to ensure they are always clean and ready for use. This includes wiping the tables, clearing away and cleaning used crockery, tucking chairs in and hoovering the carpet when required, ensuring cables under the tables and the credenzas are kept neat and tidy.
- Maintain the meeting room booking system including booking meeting rooms and adding attendees.
- Following the Meeting Room Policy, particularly in relation to requests surrounding use of our rooms by clients.
- Setting up rooms for breakfast seminars, conferences and evening functions.
- Monitor and re-stock meeting rooms throughout the day.
Catering and supplies:
- Ordering and setting up lunches and refreshments for client and internal meetings, including serving drinks to clients. Providing menus for food when required.
- Filling and re-stocking the water bottles.
- Keeping the Reception kitchen area tidy and clean throughout the day, including loading and unloading the dishwasher and following the building’s internal waste separation scheme.
- Conduct a weekly catering and stationery stock up of supplies for Reception.
Communications and wider support:
- Distribute all incoming faxes.
- Monitor the mail@ emails and forward on emails promptly.
- Maintain and keep up to date the Reception Manual.
- Draft relevant news pieces for the firmwide newsletter and intranet regarding Reception matters.
- Assisting with ad hoc projects across the firm such as file closing and data input.
- Acts as a designated Fire Marshal and certified First Aider, ensuring workplace safety, supporting emergency response procedures, and maintaining up‑to‑date training and compliance.
Key experience
- At least one year of previous reception experience.
- Professional communication skills including good written and spoken English.
- The ability to manage reception responsibilities effectively in a professional office environment.
- Professional, reliable and dependable.
- Able to understand and meet the organisation’s expectations.
- Comfortable working in both busy and quiet reception environments.
- Able to remain organised and manage pressure when several activities are taking place at once.
- You share our values and want to make a difference.
- You want to feel that you are a part of the Bates Wells experience and ‘belong’.
Impact-Driven Purpose
We align profit with social purpose to create lasting positive impact for our people, communities, and planet.
Committed to the Climate
Through our Climate Programme, we reduce environmental impact and drive a just transition to net zero.
Championing Inclusion
We foster a diverse, inclusive culture where creativity and innovation thrive.
Flexible and Hybrid Working
Our hybrid model supports balance, with part-time options and at least two office days weekly.
Progressive Benefits
We offer green pensions, IVF support, private healthcare, and more for your well-being and growth.
At Bates Wells, we’re not the average law firm. We believe that actions speak louder than words. We strive to do the right thing as a business and to help our clients make a positive impact on their people and society.
Recruitment at Bates Wells – The use of AI
At Bates Wells, we are committed to transparency and fairness in our recruitment processes. We understand the importance of ensuring that our methods align with best practices and respect the privacy and rights of all candidates.
We would like to clarify that we do not use artificial intelligence (AI) to screen, sift, score, reject, or approve any recruitment decisions, at any stage of our recruitment process. Our recruitment decisions are made by hiring managers and the HR team, ensuring a personal and thoughtful approach to each candidate.
We do utilise AI technology in a limited capacity to enhance our recruitment process. Specifically, we use Metaview to record and transcribe interviews. This tool helps us maintain accurate records of interviews, to support objective scoring of answers based on evidence and ensures that we can review and reflect on the conversations held during the recruitment process. Importantly, Metaview is not used to evaluate candidates or make any decisions regarding their suitability for a role.
We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of privacy and fairness in our recruitment processes and will continue to review and update our practices to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and guidelines.
