Job Description

About the Team:

The Housing Development and Regeneration Team work alongside top 10 residential property developers including The Miller Group, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, Bloor and Gleeson Developments. It is among the best known names for residential development legal work and plots sales in the UK. With more than 40 experts dedicated entirely to this discipline, it is also one of the biggest.


The areas of residential development expertise within the team include: serviced and un-serviced parcels of land and property, overage, strategic work such as complex and simple options, planning and infrastructure agreements and site assembly, joint ventures, large scale consortium developments, building licences and development management agreements, with a separate sub-team providing plot sales and part exchange transactions.


The team also has a very strong offering to affordable housing providers such as Sanctuary, has market-leading expertise in private rented sector investment, and advises on some of the largest and most complex regeneration and transport projects in the UK (such as Brent Cross).

Main Purpose of Job

Our business is growing and we are looking for a Plot Sales Paralegal (Conveyancer) to join the team to manage your own caseload of volume plot sales and residential property acquisitions for house builders and other property companies.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

The role will have a residential property focus and will be based in the plot sales part of the team. You will be managing your own caseload of volume instructions using a case management system in relation to:

File Management

- managing a Plot Sales caseload (freehold and leasehold) and residential purchase and sale transactions for housing developers from instruction through to post completion. This includes receiving instructions from clients and action accordingly, preparing report on title for clients on purchase transactions, preparing files for exchange and completion and dealing with enquiries from solicitors and clients, giving advice and direction to clients

Reviewing transaction documentation

- reviewing transaction documentation being sent to solicitors and clients

Maintain Portal and Client Reports

-ensure case management system is updated throughout the transaction and client reporting requirements are met at all times

Communication

- by telephone, standard letter, email, in person or other communication media with clients, solicitors, agents and third parties as well as with other team members

Finance

- Ensuring financial hygiene on caseload throughout, which includes reviewing and preparing statements, reporting to client on financial data, reviewing internal reports and action accordingly, instructing bills and ensuring you clear client account balances from files Anticipate workflow peaks and ensure communication is given to Practice Operations Manager and Practice Co-ordinator regarding workflow Any other reasonable duties delegated by any Partner, Practice Operations Manager or Practice Co-ordinator

Key Skills and Experience:

Working in an inclusive, sharing and collaborative culture you will be expected to play your part in ensuring the continuing success and growth of the team. Experience of working in a legal environment would be preferable but not essential.

You should be able to:

Manage your own caseload from instruction through to file closure, to tight deadlines, in accordance with client's agreed procedures and any service level agreement Remain calm under pressure and prioritise your workload effectively Work in a team environment (this may include working as part of a bigger project team) and support your colleagues Give clear, practical advice with sound commercial judgment and swift accurate implementation of instructions Understand property related deeds and documents with experience of drafting Leases, Transfers and other property related deeds and documents Investigate title and have ability to research and apply this in dealing with enquiries Carry out searches, do research and analysis, deal with enquiries Communicate appropriately and confidently at all levels within the team and the wider business as well as with clients, agents and other parties in person, by phone, letter, email or other communication means Use your initiative to solve problems, resolve queries and be proactive Manage financial hygiene Assists with training new members of the team

You should have

Previous experience of working in a residential development related role ideally - however any candidate with experience in the residential property sector, having worked in a similar role, who can meet the other criteria in this specification, is encouraged to apply Strong organisation and communication skills Attention to detail and numeracy skills Good interpersonal skills and confidence in liaising with others Effective Time management skills Excellent Keyboard, IT and data entry skills Problem solving abilities Enthusiasm Project management skills would be beneficial but not essential

What We Can Offer You:

The opportunity to work for a firm which has been recognised as one of the best places to work in the UK and has been ranked by Great Place to Work for 25 consecutive years.


Excellent benefits, including:


25 days annual leave, with the option to buy up to a week's extra annual leave Private medical insurance, and the option to add family members A generous pension allowance Life assurance covering four times your annual salary The chance of a three-month sabbatical every five years Maternity, paternity and adoption leave schemes A range of health and wellbeing programmes State of the art offices, in the heart of Birmingham City Centre, with an onsite restaurant Opportunities to flourish in your role through training and personal development
Many of our people work flexibly in some way. If you would like to explore your own flexible working arrangements with us, we are happy to discuss this during the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunities

Gowling WLG is committed both to promoting equality and diversity in the firm and to Equal Opportunities in employment. The firm believes in equality of opportunity regardless of race or racial group (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, and national origins), religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re-assignment and gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity. This also includes any incidents of perceptive or associative discrimination and harassment.


At Gowling WLG we seek to attract and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, to create an exciting and rewarding place to work. Our aim is to fulfil everyone's potential and together to achieve personal and business goals.


For more information on this role please get in touch with Meg Astley - meg.astley@gowlingwlg.com


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