Paralegal - Post Completion Team

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Job Description

We are looking for a Paralegal to join our Post Completion team based in Birmingham City Centre.

About The Team

Gowling WLG is home to one of the UK\’s largest real estate practices with a team of more than 300 commercially-minded, innovative and pragmatic lawyers. We work alongside many of the sector\’s most successful companies and have helped to deliver numerous high profile projects, advising throughout their lifecycle.

About The Role

Our business is growing, and we are looking for a Paralegal to be part of the centralised Real Estate Transaction Support Team. The role is to provide transactional support across the Real Estate team both pre-completion and post-completion. The position will also include an element of client contact and matter management.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Bespoke Project Support – Dealing with bespoke instructions on large scale property schemes both pre-completion and post completion.
• Searches – actioning pre-completion and post-completion search instructions from across the Real Estate team and actioning requests within the relevant KPIs.
• Preparation of Land Registry Applications – receiving, reviewing and preparing complex Land Registry applications for REG and processing submissions using the Land Registry online portal.
• SDLT/LTT – preparation of complex SDLT/LTT forms using the online instruction form and Landscape 2, processing of payments and submissions and adhering to strict deadlines. Managing team diary entries to ensure deadlines are not missed.
• Legal Instructions – to provide legal support and advice to clients in all matters relating to resale enquiries including but not limited to deeds of variation, deeds of covenant, freehold reversion sales, land transfers and any other tasks requested by our clients.
• File Management – managing your own caseload for transactional post completion matters directly from internal and external stakeholders. This will include financial management and compliance of the relevant SRA requirements.
• Title Reviews – to obtain and review office copy entries and title plans following registration of land/property and prepare registration report to send to MFE.
• Communication – by telephone, standard letter, email, in person or other communication media with clients, MFEs and third parties as well as with other team members.
• Finance – creating bill requests, finance forms and completing spreadsheets with financial information.
• Reporting – reporting to MFEs on progress of instructions received via Intapp and entering and updating data in spreadsheets for client reporting/upates.
• Working collaboratively – working with the Operations Manager and internal stakeholders to ensure the improvement initiatives and new ways of working are delivered consistently across the Transaction Support Team.
• Training/Mentoring – to engage with the Operations Manager in relation to the preparation of training documentation and training sessions to maintain a consistent way of working within the Transaction Support Team and to assist junior members of the team with training needs identified.

About You

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. Previous experience of working in a legal or office environment is desirable.

You should be able to:

• Manage your workload to tight deadlines, remain calm under pressure and prioritise your workload effectively.
• Work in a team environment – play an active role within the team whilst demonstrating courtesy and respect for colleagues across the firm, consider ideas and points of view from others; be aware of your own impact. When required, be able to work as part of a bigger project team or support across our UK Real Estate Practice.
• 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 and creativity to generate solutions and to deliver client service.
• Apply a proactive and results focussed approach understanding the overall importance of what the team is trying to achieve.
• Demonstrate commitment to client service – produce high quality work and possess the required technical knowledge and common sense to successfully deliver a consistent standard of work.
• Demonstrate awareness of risk management process and ensure internal compliance procedures are adhered to. Recognise problems and raise them with Team Manager.

You should have:

• Experience of working in a legal or office environment (desirable).
• Experience of working in a high volume team.
• Real Estate Legal knowledge and experience of dealing with the Land Registry Portal and Land Registry applications.
• Sound knowledge of the SDLT/LTT.
• Experience of legal drafting and title reviews.
• Completion of CILEX course or GCSE qualifications in English and Maths between 4-9 or A-C equivalent.
• Sound technical/theoretical land law knowledge, and the ability to apply this practically.
• Experience of dealing with clients either on your own initiative or as part of a team.
• Highly proficient user of Microsoft software.
• Experience of using a case management system.
• Effective organisation skills.
• A high level of accuracy, efficiency and consistency in approach.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills (oral, written and listening).
• Problem solving abilities.
• Enthusiasm.

What We Can Offer You

Gowling WLG 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:

• A hybrid approach to office and remote working.
• 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.
• Offices in Birmingham city centre with an onsite restaurant.
• Opportunities to flourish in your role through training and personal development.

Equal Opportunities

Gowling WLG is committed 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, 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.

Contact

For any queries in relation to this position or would like to see a full job description, please contact Nana Panti-Amoa Nana.Panti-Amoa@gowlingwlg.com.