Job Description

We have an exciting new role for a Paralegal Manager to join our Real Estate group. This role will be based in our Bristol office, with occasional travel to our Reading and London offices.

Overview

• To line manage our paralegals who work in our residential and commercial real estate group.
• To be responsible for the pastoral care and delivery of training to the paralegals.
• To lead the development of the paralegals\' careers in line with a contribution framework.

Background

We have over 20 paralegals who span the full range of real estate work. They are located in our Bristol office. There is a wide range of experience and roles from brand new paralegals to senior paralegals, who are about to qualify as solicitors and are seeking associate roles.

We are launching a paralegal contribution framework setting out what is expected from each of the four levels of paralegal contribution. This anticipates each paralegal having two line managers, the Paralegal Manager and a technical line manager with whom that paralegal regularly works.

The Paralegal Manager will be responsible for all line management of those paralegals, but not technical supervision. They will work closely with the technical line managers and report to the real estate Practice Group Head.

We are seeking a candidate with excellent people-management skills. They need not be a qualified lawyer.

Daily management of the paralegals

• Resolution of daily and other on-going management issues.
• Producing management reports.
• Providing pastoral care to team members.
• Managing, approving and recording absences (sickness, annual leave etc.) and ensuring the provision of appropriate cover.
• Ensuring adequate provision of administrative support is in place for the team.
• Supporting the RE Operations Manager with administrative tasks, including running reports and some diary management.

Resource management

• Forecasting and planning resource requirements over the short, medium and long term.
• Recruitment and induction of new paralegals.

Performance management

• Constantly monitoring the performance of the paralegal in meeting the requirements set out in the paralegals contribution framework and proactively identifying and implementing agreed improvements to working practices.
• Monitoring and managing processes for ensuring the team delivers work to the required quality standards.
• Performance management of team members in line with the firm\'s review structure, including performance improvement where necessary.
• Management of the team and individual\'s training requirements, skills, development and progression plans.

Stakeholder management

• Working with challenging stakeholders in what can be a highly pressured working environment to meet their requirements.
• Work with the Client Partners to ensure the correct level of paralegal support is in place.

Working Practices

• Instigate and manage projects to improve the utilisation and working practices of the paralegal teams.

Salary and benefits

We offer competitive salaries and generous .

For more information or to apply

At Osborne Clarke we welcome direct applications - if you would like any further information about the role, or the firm, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact, in complete confidence, Patrick Fermin Ryan in the recruitment team on .

Being an inclusive employer is important to us and we are committed to ensuring every applicant\'s recruitment experience is free from unnecessary barriers. If you have a dis/ability+, to include physical disability, hidden disability, long-term health condition or neurodivergence and meet with requirements listed in this job advert, we would be delighted to offer you a guaranteed interview.

Please note we are not currently accepting agency CVs for this position. If you would like to make an application please do so directly.

At we value difference and encourage applicants from all social backgrounds, ethnicities, disabilities, gender identities, and sexual or romantic orientations. We want everyone to feel that OC is a place where you can be yourself and where you belong, and our range of interest groups and diversity networks - not to mention our great teams - are a part of making that a reality.

We support working families via a range of family and caring friendly policies and will accommodate flexible working where we can. We value the health and wellbeing of our people: for example, we\'re signatories to the Mindful Business Charter, have an active network of mental health champions and offer free initiatives and flexible benefits to all our people.

Being an inclusive employer is important to us. We have made a number of external commitments such as the Race Fairness Commitment and Women in Law Pledge, and are working with organisations like Stonewall to become a more inclusive employer.

Osborne Clarke is a Living Wage Employer, so we\'re committed to paying everybody in our business enough to live on and to enable them to save for the future.

We want you to be able to show us your best during the recruitment process. If you require any adjustments to be made during the application, interview process or when working with us, please let us know.

Osborne Clarke