Paralegal, Banking & Real Estate Finance (Maternity cover contract, up to 9 months. Mid-March start) in London

The role involves day-to-day contact with and advising of clients, as part of a collegiate team environment where people work together to deliver outstanding client service, reporting to a senior real estate finance lawyer in the BREF team. You will have had experience with volume property finance transactions and will be organised, self-motivated and committed to delivering quality work for clients within tight deadlines and with a high attention to detail. This opportunity will allow you to develop and grow your legal expertise and case management skills, and you will also be encouraged to develop your business development and marketing skills.

Role responsibility:

• Implementing on each new lending instruction the formal team protocol to deliver as far as is possible a turnkey service.
• Having day to day conduct (subject to Associate supervision) and responsibility for short term secured loan instructions from banks and bridging lenders from instruction to completion.
• Overseeing post-completion registration and other formalities.
• Dealing with loan redemptions, discharges of whole and parts of securities, loan tranche releases and further advances.
• Reporting on leases, agreements and other ancillary deeds.
• Handling client expectations and deadlines in a proactive manner.
• Supporting senior members of the team with ad hoc tasks, reporting and dealing with data room administration on larger transactions as well as organising the delegation of portfolio transactions throughout the team.
• Liaising with the banking team regarding security documents.
• Delivering brief training sessions on new client protocols and training new team members.
• Overseeing the team of paralegals, managing capacity and caseloads, and allocating new instructions fairly within the team.
• Being first port of call for questions from both the paralegals and clients.
• Providing clients with fee quotes.
• Being responsible for raising invoices and hitting targets.

About you:

• Experience in property finance transactions, ideally with specific knowledge and experience of acting on behalf of challenger banks and bridging/development loan funders.
• Previous experience of operating in a high-performing environment with a significant amount of client contact.
• Understanding of basic property elements including exposure to Land Registry titles and registrations.
• Particularly an appreciation of timing requirements for registration of security at Companies House and Land Registry and effective organisation to monitor the registrations of the same.
• Confidence in dealing with client queries.
• Excellent interpersonal skills - with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and clients at all levels.
• The ability to work with others effectively, including assisting others with prioritising and file management tasks.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise and perform in a high volume, deadline-orientated role.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• The ability to delegate efficiently.
• An understanding of the importance of excellent client service.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and some understanding of case management software.
• Time recording skills, strong administration skills to keep your files tidy, financially hygienic and with Title Indemnity premiums and billing completed in a timely manner.

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.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary
• 25 days annual holiday
• Permanent Health Insurance
• Life Assurance
• Interest free Season Ticket Loan
• Private Healthcare
• Pension Scheme
• Staff Introductory Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme