Real Estate Residential Solicitor / Legal Executive

About DMH Stallard

DMH Stallard is an award winning South East law, Legal 100 firm with offices in London, Brighton, Gatwick, Guilford, Horsham and Hassocks. The firm has grown rapidly since its establishment in 1970, and currently has a headcount of approximately 400. We provide a comprehensive range of commercial, dispute resolution and litigation, employment, cyber security and cyber‑crime, corporate, intellectual property, real estate, technology, media and telecoms advice to both businesses and individuals. Our clients, our people and our professional networks are the keys to our success.

Culture

Culture really matters to us. In our most recent staff survey, 98% of our people said DMH is a great place to work, with 90% feeling they have a strong work‑life balance, and 92% expressing confidence in the leadership team. We are committed to building a genuinely inclusive and supportive workplace. Our Women in Law group meets quarterly, and we are actively working toward gender balance at all levels. We already exceed the industry average, with 40% of our partners being women compared to the sector average of 29%. DMH Stallard is proud to have achieved gold accreditation from Investors in People, reflecting our strong commitment to people development and leadership.

The Department

Our Real Estate Team handles all manner of residential and commercial property‑related matters from Landlord and Tenant to Construction and Development, Asset Management, Utilities, Conveyancing and Property Finance.

Job Purpose

Lawyer required to assist partner in undertaking residential conveyancing principally within the retirement living sector. This is a thriving market and the work is fast‑paced. Time is usually of the essence and so excellent communication and time‑management skills are crucial. Operate as an effective member of the Brighton Real Estate Group, specialising in all elements of non‑contentious residential property including: purchases and disposals (usually the client will be buying a retirement living property and selling their current property and we will be instructed on both transactions). Be responsible under supervision for own caseload of work and own fee targets. Achieve the targets as defined by the Group Head/Head of Department.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Personal: Participate and contribute to the Real Estate group to ensure an effective working environment, supporting Associates and Partners on more complex matters as appropriate. Attend the Matrix training programme and other relevant technical training to ensure that skills and knowledge remain up‑to‑date. Attend and contribute to group meetings. Continuously develop own technical expertise. Maintain awareness of the legal market specifically relating to commercial and residential property. Promote the vision and culture of the Firm. Participate annually in performance and objective meetings. Maintain a culture where individuals are encouraged to identify problems or mistakes and are encouraged to speak up to ensure issues are resolved.
• Legal: Be responsible for dealing with a wide range of non‑contentious residential property work as detailed above.
• Financial: Ensure achievement of own key financial targets, including fees, contribution and payment of debts and disbursements. Maintain accurate data in the Firm’s case management system and the Firm’s financial management systems. Monitor own performance in relation to the number of live files, file closures, file openings, billing, time recording and take appropriate action to ensure targets are met. Scope all matters appropriately, including use of budget templates, delivering work on time and on budget.
• Client Care: Be responsible for the delivery of the service to the client, ensuring that the highest standards of client care are maintained so that clients use DMHS again and recommend the Firm to others.
• Business Development: Assist with marketing and business development initiatives such as writing for e‑newsletters, attending and presenting at seminars and other business development activities.
• Risk: Be fully familiar with the Anti‑Money Laundering and FSMA policies and procedures and ensure full compliance with them. Maintain CQS accreditation. Conform to the risk management procedures as stated by the Firm. Attend regular meetings with the group to review all current work and workloads.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required

• Previous residential property experience.
• Knowledge of property legislation, including landlord and tenant and relevant case law.
• Effective time‑management skills to meet client and internal deadlines.
• Strong understanding of client care, ability to deal with a wide range of clients with differing objectives, and ability to understand the clients’ objectives.
• Ability to work within a team and provide support to other solicitors and Partners as appropriate.
• Confident Excel skills.
• Competent IT skills including Outlook, Word, Digital Dictation and time‑recording systems.
• Ability to draft documentation with attention to detail.
• Understanding of the strategy and vision of the firm.
• Excellent communication skills with clients, in writing, over the telephone and in meetings; telephone skills are essential given the client demographic of the work.
• Ability to convey technical legal information in an effective and accessible way, especially given the client demographic of the work.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday (of which 3.5 are taken during the Christmas period), plus Birthday holiday, plus Bank Holidays.
• Buying Holiday Scheme.
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Pay.
• Life Assurance.
• Private Healthcare.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Sodexo Discounts.
• Pension Scheme.
• Interest free season ticket loans.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Discounts on Legal work.