MARSHALL HALL LEVY SOLICITORS LIMITED
Head of Conveyancing Department
South Shields
£27.8k – £50k/yr
Posted about 20 hours ago
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The Firm
We are a long-established law firm serving clients across the North East and the UK. We combine traditional values and personal service with modern, efficient, cost-effective legal advice. Our people are our greatest asset, and we offer a supportive, professional and challenging environment in which they can develop and progress.
The Role
We are seeking an experienced conveyancer to lead and develop our residential conveyancing team. This senior role combines technical and client-facing skills with leadership, supervision and commercial management.
You will be responsible for the department's day-to-day operation and performance. That means consistently high service, and a department that runs efficiently, profitably and in line with the firm's regulatory and professional obligations.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership and Management
- Manage departmental performance, and lead, motivate and support a collaborative, high-performing team.
- Allocate work by experience, capacity, competence and workload.
- Monitor workloads, file progression and staffing so that issues are caught before they affect clients.
- Set departmental procedures, workflows and standards, and ensure compliance with firm policies and professional obligations.
- Act as the main escalation point for complex, difficult or sensitive matters.
- Work with the Directors and other Heads of Department on firm-wide objectives.
- Identify improvements in efficiency, delegation, technology and processes.
Legal Work and Technical Expertise
- Run an active caseload, giving high-quality advice throughout the process and handling complex and higher-risk matters.
- Guide the team on title and procedural issues, and ensure matters beyond an individual's experience, competence or authority are escalated.
- Keep up to date with conveyancing law, practice and procedure, and keep the team trained.
- Work types include:
- freehold and leasehold sales and purchases
- remortgages and transfers of equity
- new-builds and shared ownership
- Right to Buy and Help to Buy/shared equity
- unregistered and complex titles
- lease extensions and other residential transactions
Supervision, Risk and Compliance
- Supervise all staff in line with their experience, competence and role, including trainees, apprentices, paralegals, conveyancers and non-qualified staff.
- Ensure compliance with SRA requirements, CQS standards and firm procedures at every stage:
- file opening, client ID and source of funds
- searches, title investigation and reporting
- exchange, completion, post-completion and file closure
- Monitor risks from:
- workloads and missed deadlines
- undertakings and post-completion matters
- registration delays and complaints
- Report risks and potential claims promptly to the appropriate Director or supervisor.
- Resolve complaints, run regular file audits and quality checks, and apply the lessons learned.
- Ensure client money and completion processes follow procedure and regulation.
- Promote risk awareness, professional conduct and confidentiality.
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Client Care
- Ensure consistently professional, efficient and friendly service, and monitor compliance with the firm's service standards.
- Ensure calls and emails are answered within expected response times, and correspondence is processed within required timescales.
- Handle escalated client matters personally where appropriate.
- Build relationships with clients, estate agents, mortgage brokers, financial advisers and other professional contacts.
- Foster a culture of keeping clients informed and progressing matters proactively.
Financial Performance
- Deliver agreed financial and performance targets.
- Monitor income, billing, WIP, aged debt, recoverability and productivity, both individual and departmental.
- Ensure work is progressed efficiently, recorded and billed, and address underperformance.
- Assess the profitability of each work type, and advise the Directors on pricing, processes and resources.
- Support budgets, forecasts and financial planning.
- Grow revenue without compromising quality or client care, weighing the commercial implications of new work and out-of-scope matters.
Business Development and Marketing
- Contribute to the firm's business development and marketing strategy, including social media and the website.
- Build referral relationships with estate agents, brokers, financial advisers and developers.
- Identify new business and additional services for existing clients.
- Encourage cross-referrals with other departments.
- Support networking, presentations and seminars, and represent the firm externally.
Staff Development
- Support recruitment, induction and training, and identify training needs.
- Mentor junior staff, develop talent and create progression opportunities.
- Assist the Directors with performance management and appraisals.
- Set clear expectations on quality, productivity, service and standards.
- Encourage delegation at the right level of competence.
Operations
- Ensure files are opened, maintained, progressed and closed correctly.
- Ensure case management and IT systems are used effectively.
- Monitor outstanding tasks, searches, enquiries, exchange, completion, post-completion and registration through to conclusion.
- Maintain departmental records and management information.
- Work with the Practice Manager, Accounts Team and other departments to resolve operational issues.
- Recommend system and technology improvements to the Directors.
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Essential Skills and Qualifications
- Qualified solicitor, licensed conveyancer or otherwise appropriately qualified and experienced.
- Significant residential conveyancing experience, including complex matters, and in-depth knowledge of law, procedure and title issues.
- Experience supervising or leading a conveyancing team, including managing workloads, delegating and developing staff.
- Strong understanding of SRA requirements, CQS standards, risk management and professional conduct.
- Proven ability to manage a busy caseload and meet financial targets.
- Strong commercial awareness of departmental profitability.
- Excellent skills in:
- client care and communication
- organisation and time management
- IT and case management systems
- Ability to analyse performance and identify improvements.
- Able to work independently and within the wider management team.
Personal Attributes
- You will be a confident, effective leader: reliable, diligent, highly organised and detail-focused. You will bring a positive, proactive, "can-do" approach.
- You will be commercially aware without compromising standards or client care. You will stay calm under pressure and be approachable and supportive, with excellent interpersonal skills.
- You will take responsibility and accountability for performance. You will make decisions confidently, escalate appropriately and show sound professional judgement. You will be committed to continuous improvement of yourself and others, and will uphold client confidentiality, professional ethics and the firm's reputation.
Measures of Success
- High standards of client care and positive feedback
- Effective supervision, risk management and consistent compliance
- Efficient file progression and completion
- Income and profitability targets achieved
- Effective management of workloads and staff
- A capable, motivated team that is developed and retained
- Growth in the client and referral base
- Fewer avoidable complaints, delays, errors and write-offs
- Continuous improvement in systems, processes and efficiency
General
The role will evolve with the firm's needs, and may include other reasonable duties set by the Directors. As a senior figure, you will lead by example, uphold the firm's standards and values, and contribute to its management and strategic direction.
Pay: £27,805.88–£50,000 per year
Location: In person
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