Paralegal (Post-Exchange)

Job Purpose

Our Post Exchange Team plays an essential role within the team, dealing with a significant number of transactions from the point of exchange of contracts to completion and beyond to registration. We are looking for someone with strong analytical skills, excellent attention to detail and who is able to manage high volume work with accuracy and a highly efficient level of time management. This is a demanding role that will require flexibility and the ability to successfully prioritise competing demands.

The Team

Real Estate (and particularly real estate development) is at the heart of Devonshires’ business, as it is with the major part of our client base.  Within the Team, there are 18 dedicated partners working on a wide variety of property transactions with a broad range of clients from registered providers of social housing and care homes, through to private developers, acting on sites and developments from a handful of units to thousands to portfolio and street property acquisitions and disposals.

Duties and Responsibilities

Providing support to the other fee earners within the team including but not limited to:

• Management of multiple workflow trackers, calendar management (pertaining to completion/ AP1, Cancellation and SDLT submission deadlines).
• Delivering a quality service and meeting client expectations.   
• Providing clients with progress reports as and when required.
• Submitting, reviewing, and interpreting priority searches
• Preparing and submitting SDLT returns and arranging payment within the statutory timescales.
• Preparing AP1 applications to minimise Requisitions and to deal with any Land Registry Requisitions that may arise.
• Assisting the team in dealing with enquiries raised day to day where required.
• Arranging for files to be closed down once all completions pertaining to that matter have been completed.
• Keeping tidy and accurate files, records, and trackers both in hard copy and electronically and ensure LEXCEL compliance.
• Meeting deadlines that will be set from time to time both internally and by clients.
• To provide support to other fee earners across the firm in the relation to the Post Exchange processes and to share knowledge as and when required.
• To follow departmental procedures, the Solicitors’ accounts rules and the Firm’s policies and procedures as detailed in the Staff Manual, including LEXCEL.

This is not an exhaustive list and from time to time it may be necessary to vary these to meet the department and business needs.

Person Specification

Attributes and skills required:

• Strong academic background, ideally gaining a 2:1 at degree level;
• Minimum 18 months continuous experience in a similar role and possess solid drafting skills;
• Excellent administration and organisation skills, including diary management and the ability to deal with more than one task at a time;
• Must have a methodical approach, with a high attention to detail and produce work / documentation which is consistently of a high standard;
• Competent in all MS applications including Word, Excel and Outlook;
• Must be client focussed and have an approachable manner with excellent communication skills both written and verbal;
• Able to work with limited supervision with the ability to prioritise workload to increase efficiency;
• Commercially aware, proactive and able to convey clear and concise information to clients and external organisations, which will not compromise the practice or the firm;
• To have a flexible approach to work to ensure client deadlines are always met and clients are communicated with on a consistent and regular basis;
• Familiarity with Registered Providers would be an advantage but is by no means necessary.