Paralegal assistant (commercial property)

Role

The prime role is to provide direct paralegal, administrative and secretarial support to the commercial property team to enable the team to operate at optimum efficiency. This will include but will not be limited to the main responsibilities given below. The role will be fee earning with a costs target.

Main tasks

1. File opening and compliance procedures (including conflict checks, money laundering checks and client care letters).
2. Post completion work (including submission of stamp duty land tax returns and payments, registration of transactions at the land registry and companies house)
3. File closures
4. Other paralegal, administrative and secretarial tasks, as requested.
5. To ensure that high levels of customer service are maintained at all times.
6. To ensure that the fee earner is kept updated and made aware of any cases where there is reason to believe that it may lead to a problem or complaint.
7. To ensure that telephone calls are dealt with in a professional manner, that full telephone notes are taken and that calls relating to any legal aspects which they are unable to deal with are referred to the fee earner immediately.
8. To support the fee earners and to provide assistance to other members of the commercial property team with a variety of residential and commercial property work.
9. To carry out legal research.
10. To attend clients and other parties both in person and on the telephone and to provide such support in a professional and friendly manner in keeping with the firm's standards for client care and telephone usage making full electronic attendance notes and progressing cases where possible or directed.
11. To achieve agreed levels of billing and time recording
12. To undertake any specific training when required to do so and overall to have a responsibility towards self-development.
13. To ensure the confidentiality of all the firm's and client's documentation and information.
14. To keep an up to date record of all matters which you are working on, and to keep the relevant fee-earners regularly updated with what progress has been made in relation to those matters.
15. To diarise key dates and ensure that the relevant fee-earners are aware of any relevant key dates and/or deadlines.
16. To undertake all other reasonable tasks as may be required.

Required qualifications, skills and experience:

Details of the skills, knowledge, behaviours and attitude required are listed in the firm's contribution measurement framework (competencies). In addition:

1. Experience of conveyancing and legal property work would be an advantage but is not essential.
2. To demonstrate a natural experience in customer services and managing clients expectations.
3. To be able to type and be IT literate.
4. To be able to demonstrate proactivity and attention to detail.
5. To demonstrate organisational and time management skills.
6. To demonstrate a willingness to help and assist all members of the team and work effectively with others.
7. To demonstrate an ability to cope with changing levels of workloads.
8. Demonstrable knowledge of all of the firm's practices including (but not limited to) those in relation to money laundering, risk management and client confidentiality.
9. To have a basic awareness and understanding of the solicitors' accounts rules relating to the financial aspects of conveyancing transactions.
10. To understand the financial workings and commerciality behind conveyancing transactions.
11. To understand the requirements of the mortgage lender's handbook.
12. To understand the link between own/team performance and the overall success of the firm.

*Please note all roles are portable to alternative locations in accordance with your contract of employment.

To apply

Email a covering letter and CV to [email protected].