Fox Williams LLP
Legal Assistant Real Estate - 12 month FTC
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Fox Williams offers a unique opportunity to advance your career in a personable, progressive, and entrepreneurial environment. Our people and culture are important to us and central to everything we do. We continually strive to create and maintain a friendly and supportive environment for our staff. You will quickly get to know everyone from the Senior Partner to the most junior staff. Whilst we are recognized for our strong culture and investing in our people, we are equally well known for our high-profile matters, the quality of our work, and solving our clients’ most complex legal issues.
Fox Williams is committed to creating a more diverse workforce which better reflects the demographics of society and the broad range of clients for whom we work. We collaborate with our recruitment agents to seek a broad talent pool for all our roles. We are passionate about working in an inclusive environment and successful candidates will be required to uphold this.
Role Overview
The Real Estate Legal Assistant provides proactive, high-quality administrative and transactional support to Partners, Associates, and other fee earners within the Real Estate team. The role combines traditional legal support responsibilities with the effective coordination of property transactions, ensuring matters progress efficiently through the lifecycle of commercial and residential property transactions.
Key Responsibilities
- Support lawyers throughout the lifecycle of Real Estate transactions, coordinating key stages from instruction through to completion and post-completion.
- Prepare and coordinate Real Estate documentation, including contracts, leases, licenses, transfers, deeds, engrossments, court bundles, reports, and completion documentation.
- Assist with exchange and completion processes, ensuring all documentation is prepared and available within required timescales.
- Prepare completion packs, transaction bibles, and electronic closing sets.
- Order property searches and obtain Official Copies, title plans, and other Land Registry documentation.
- Prepare and submit HM Land Registry applications and monitor registrations and requisitions.
- Prepare completion statements and assist with financial statements relating to property transactions.
- Ensure executed documents are accurately saved within the firm's document management system and brought promptly to the attention of the supervising lawyer.
- Coordinate completion monies with the Finance team and assist with post-completion administration, including monitoring residual client balances where appropriate.
- Assist with deeds management, including creating packs and coordinating requests for retrieval.
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Core Legal Assistant Responsibilities
Managing the Administration of the Practice
- Assume overall responsibility for the management of the administration of the practices of the Partners for whom the Legal Assistant works.
- Use Microsoft Office applications, the firm's business systems, and other technology tools effectively to support efficient ways of working and the delivery of legal services.
- Manage and monitor diaries, ensuring they are up to date, arranging meetings with clients and key stakeholders, liaising with other attendees, including coordinating associated travel arrangements where required.
- Respond promptly to client and other emails relating to the administration of the practice.
- Client / matter administration including client onboarding; AML process (including effective liaison with the Compliance team), preparing client engagement documentation; arrange for files to be closed, supervise general filing requirements, and record keeping.
- Develop and implement effective systems to ensure that both short and long-term tasks are completed within required timescales, delegating where appropriate to the administration team.
Client Relationship Management
- Act as a key point of contact for clients and counterparties, responding to administrative queries, understanding clients' needs, and supporting the delivery of an exceptional client service throughout the matter lifecycle.
Financial
- Gain knowledge of the firm's billing and accounts systems to provide effective financial support to Partners and Associates.
- Manage the billing process by liaising with lawyers and the Finance team, producing draft and finalized bills, issuing bills to clients, and assisting with billing queries.
- Produce financial and time reports, support accurate time recording, and assist lawyers with the effective financial management of their practice.
- Support lawyers and Credit Control with financial administration, including disbursements, write-offs, money on account, bank transfers, funds received, and processing expenses.
Travel
- Coordinate business travel in accordance with the firm's travel policy, including approvals, bookings, itineraries, conference attendance, and post-trip administration.
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Business Development
- Maintain accurate client and contact information within the CRM system, ensuring records are up to date and contacts receive relevant marketing communications.
- Support lawyers with marketing and business development activities, including the preparation of pitches and presentations, coordinating client events (lunches and dinners), and recording business development activity in the CRM system.
- Generate contact reports and assist with tracking and managing referrals received by the firm.
Document Production
- Produce, amend, and quality check correspondence, documents, reports, presentations, and other documentation, including urgent and confidential work where required.
- Produce and maintain Excel spreadsheets as required.
- Assisting with the creation of PowerPoint presentations.
Other Duties and Responsibilities
In addition to providing support to the lawyers to whom they report, a Legal Assistant will also provide assistance to their immediate colleagues in the department and, where practical, other departments.
- Any other duties as reasonably requested by lawyers or the Legal Support Manager or a person of an appropriate seniority.
Personal Attributes and Skills
Legal Assistants are expected to maintain the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to perform their role effectively, keeping up to date with the firm's departments, clients, systems, and procedures. The firm supports ongoing professional development through regular training and encourages individuals to discuss any development needs with the Legal Support Manager.
In addition to this, they should have/be:
- Flexible, dependable, and proactive, with the ability to use initiative, remain calm under pressure, and work effectively to tight deadlines.
- Communicates professionally and confidently with clients, colleagues, and third parties across a range of communication channels.
- Excellent organizational and teamworking skills, with a high level of attention to detail.
- Conscientious, approachable, and enthusiastic, with a positive, solution-focused approach and the ability to build trusted working relationships.
- Trustworthy, discreet, and able to handle confidential information with professionalism, while demonstrating the firm's core values in all aspects of the role.
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