Legal PA - Real Estate, 1 Month Rolling Contract

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Legal PA to join our Real Estate department, providing high-quality, professional PA support to a group of fee earners on a 1 month rolling contract. You will play an integral role within our collaborative team, working primarily with designated fee earners while also supporting the wider PA team where needed. We are seeking an experienced Legal PA who can effectively prioritise, use available resources, and communicate clearly, with strong organisational skills and a proactive approach.

Main responsibilities

• Core Legal PA Support
  • Provide comprehensive Legal PA support to allocated fee earners within the Real Estate department.
  • Manage fee earners’ inboxes, monitoring, prioritising and responding to correspondence where appropriate, and ensuring emails are accurately filed in iManage.
  • Liaise with fee earners to regularly review priorities and ensure workflow is managed effectively.
• Client and Matter Management
  • Support client onboarding processes, including opening new clients and matters in line with compliance requirements, obtaining KYC documentation, requesting monies on account, and preparing engagement letters and initial correspondence.
  • Communicate directly with clients and third parties by email and telephone in a professional and timely manner, responding to queries and taking clear, accurate messages.
  • Coordinate file closures, including resolving outstanding account balances and ensuring compliance with internal procedures.
• Document Production and Systems
  • Produce and amend documents using the BigHand digital dictation system, including copy typing, document comparison, track changes and proofreading to a high standard.
  • Manage workflow to and from the Document Production Centre (DPC), ensuring turnaround times are met.
  • Upload, download and manage documents within data rooms and iManage, including use of large file transfer systems and Adobe PDF tools.
  • Prepare and manage DocuSign envelopes as required.
• Property and Search Administration
  • Carry out property-related searches using external applications e.g. land charges, winding-up searches, obtain official copy entries (OCEs) via Land Registry, CourtChex Online, Search Acumen and TM Group etc.
• Diary, Meetings and Travel
  • Proactively manage fee earner diaries, scheduling internal and external meetings.
  • Coordinate meeting logistics including room bookings, video conferencing, refreshments and materials.
  • Arrange travel and accommodation through the firm’s travel provider where required.
• Financial and Billing Support
  • Prepare finance and account documentation, including proformas, CHAPS requests and related forms.
  • Coordinate the end-to-end billing process, support Elite 3E financial reporting, submit expenses and cross-reference data with the CRM system.
  • Investigate and assist with resolving residual balances on client and office accounts.
• Business Development and Team Support
  • Support fee earners and the Business Development team with BD activities, including mailings, events and client initiatives.
  • Coordinate the collation, archiving and distribution of deeds.
  • Provide cover and support to other PAs and EAs during periods of absence.
  • Undertake ad-hoc duties as reasonably required to support the wider team.

About you

• Proven experience in a similar role in a high-performing professional services environment.
• Previous experience supporting Banking, Real Estate Finance and/or Property matters.
• Strong typing skills (approximately 75 wpm+) with a high level of accuracy.
• Demonstrable experience using BigHand digital dictation.
• Ability to produce accurate, well-presented documents with excellent attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities calmly and effectively.
• Proactive, adaptable and solution-focused approach, with confidence to use initiative.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office and legal systems including Elite 3E, iManage, DocuSign, TitanFile, Litera Compare, Chrome River and CRM platforms (e.g. OnePlace).
• Experience conducting property-related searches via Land Registry, CourtChex Online, Search Acumen and TM Group.
• Experience completing property forms using Smart Forms, HM Land Registry Portal, Search Acumen, and TM Group etc.

At Howard Kennedy we believe that everyone deserves the space to thrive. We’re committed to creating an inclusive recruitment experience that reflects the diversity of both our people and our clients. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and identities, and we’re committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and accessible to all.

We understand that every candidate’s needs are different. If there’s anything we can do to make your application journey more comfortable—whether for interviews, assessments, or onboarding—please let us know. We’ll work with you to remove any barriers and ensure our recruitment process is comfortable for you.

With almost 200 lawyers in one location, we ensure our clients have the right team to help them get from where they are to where they want to be. We advise major corporates and institutions as well as entrepreneurial, ambitious enterprises which are often privately or family owned, or private equity backed. As well as our significant business law capability, we are one of only a few London-based law firms with a large private wealth offering. Our clients find our straightforward approach a compelling alternative to larger, less personal firms.

Whether you are an ambitious and talented individual wanting to hit the ground running from day one, or an established professional looking for a new opportunity, Howard Kennedy is the firm where you can really make it happen. We have earned a strong reputation for our exceptional and uniquely talented people who between them deliver outstanding results for clients. In a firm of our size, our strong team dynamic creates a thriving culture of creativity and entrepreneurialism. Howard Kennedy is a pragmatic and non-hierarchical environment where success is shared, and you are proactively encouraged to thrive at your own pace.

Our distinctive culture is built on fairness and respect. Guided by the firm’s values of talk straight, think smart and be yourself, everyone in the firm holds equal value, and everyone plays their role in supporting, encouraging and inspiring colleagues to do their best work. At the same time, we recognise and reward individualism, celebrating the diversity of our people and supporting them to grow their practice and drive their own career advancement.

As well as client work, there is opportunity to broaden your horizons at the firm with fulfilling pro bono and charity projects. We have a regular social calendar full of wellbeing activities, charitable and social events too.