Legal Clerk
About Gowling WLG
We have more than 1,400 legal professionals working around the world. Our offices span across 19 cities in Canada, the UK, Continental Europe, Asia and the Middle East. There's strength in our global presence - we embrace our differing cultures and work together as one team. We also understand the importance of investing in relationships that build knowledge and trust, while we provide legal advice that's tailored to our clients' world.
'Our people and distinct culture are what makes us different. We know this through client and employee feedback and this drives everything we do'' Chris Oglethorpe, HR Director.
There are great opportunities for all our people to flourish. Through training and personal development they can grow in their role. Our people are the cornerstone of our success, across legal, business support and early talent. We care about their happiness and believe in the power of teamwork. We want them to feel empowered and recognise that by supporting, respecting and embracing everyone's different contributions we achieve more.
Working flexibly, working fairly
Agile working offers people more freedom and flexibility in where, when, and how they work. As technology advances and our workforce becomes more diverse - and with clients often working to a 24/7 rhythm - having extra flexibility is key to helping us balance work and other commitments sensibly and productively.
By supporting people to choose where and when they get their work done, we help them to make a full and fair contribution to their team - while maintaining that all important work-life balance.
Where possible and depending on business needs, we will consider all flexible working options such as part-time working, job sharing, working from home and staggered hours. If in considering a role with Gowling WLG you favour flexibility in your working arrangements, please discuss this with the recruitment team in the early stages of the application process.
About the Team
The Housing Development and Regeneration Team work alongside top 10 residential property developers including The Miller Group, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, Bloor and Gleeson Developments. It is among the best known names for residential development legal work and plots sales in the UK. With more than 40 experts dedicated entirely to this discipline, it is also one of the biggest.
The areas of residential development expertise within the team include: serviced and un-serviced parcels of land and property, overage, strategic work such as complex and simple options, planning and infrastructure agreements and site assembly, joint ventures, large scale consortium developments, building licences and development management agreements, with a separate team providing plot sales and part exchange transactions.
The team also has a very strong offering to affordable housing providers such as Sanctuary, has market-leading expertise in private rented sector investment, and advises on some of the largest and most complex regeneration and transport projects in the UK (such as Brent Cross).
Main Purpose of the Job
Our business is growing and we are looking for a Legal Clerk to join the Social Housing Conveyancing Team to support team members in relation to their day to day handling of volume conveyancing transactions on behalf of Housing Associations and other housing providers in respect of: open market and shared ownership plot sales; Right to Buy and Right to Acquire transactions; Staircasing; Lease extensions; Surrender and Re-grants of retirement properties; Vacant Property Disposals and Shared Ownership Lease Assignments.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
Post - dealing with incoming and outgoing post on a daily basis within timescales required;
Filing - dealing with filing for the team on a daily basis, this includes logging documents onto our case management system within required timescales;
File Management -Opening files in our case management systems within timescales required. Scanning, copying and eFiling deeds, documents and communications. Following completion of a transaction, dealing with closure and archiving of the file;
Issuing transaction documentation - Utilising the case management system to generate and issue standard contract and transaction documentation to solicitors and clients within the required timescales together with exchange and completion documentation and correspondence at the relevant stages of a transaction or as and when requested by any member of the team;
Conflict checking - requesting conflict searches and reviewing/eFiling results for team members;
Searches - using the Land Registry online portal to obtain documents, carrying out searches. Carrying out searches of land and utilities through other providers and utility companies and local authorities;
Communication - by telephone, standard letter, email, in person or other communication media with clients, agents and third parties as well as with other team members;
Deeds management - logging, recording and maintaining records of deeds received and dispatched with the archiving team;
Finance - reviewing financial reports for the team and assisting the team to deal with balances and to archive files;
Portal management - scanning, uploading, downloading and eFiling of deeds and documents, correspondence and other communications via online portals, deal rooms or data rooms;
Any other reasonable duties delegated by any Partner, Senior Manager of the firm or Practice Operations Manager.
This will involve the use of a case management and other systems for which training will be given.
Key skills and experience
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 environment would be helpful but is not essential as training will be given.
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 (this may include working as part of a bigger project team) and support your colleagues;
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 to solve problems,
You should have:
Effective organisation skills;
Attention to detail and numeracy;
Good interpersonal and communication skills;
Good keyboard, IT and data entry skills;
Problem solving abilities;
Equal Opportunities
Gowling WLG is committed both 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.
We have more than 1,400 legal professionals working around the world. Our offices span across 19 cities in Canada, the UK, Continental Europe, Asia and the Middle East. There's strength in our global presence - we embrace our differing cultures and work together as one team. We also understand the importance of investing in relationships that build knowledge and trust, while we provide legal advice that's tailored to our clients' world.
'Our people and distinct culture are what makes us different. We know this through client and employee feedback and this drives everything we do'' Chris Oglethorpe, HR Director.
There are great opportunities for all our people to flourish. Through training and personal development they can grow in their role. Our people are the cornerstone of our success, across legal, business support and early talent. We care about their happiness and believe in the power of teamwork. We want them to feel empowered and recognise that by supporting, respecting and embracing everyone's different contributions we achieve more.
Working flexibly, working fairly
Agile working offers people more freedom and flexibility in where, when, and how they work. As technology advances and our workforce becomes more diverse - and with clients often working to a 24/7 rhythm - having extra flexibility is key to helping us balance work and other commitments sensibly and productively.
By supporting people to choose where and when they get their work done, we help them to make a full and fair contribution to their team - while maintaining that all important work-life balance.
Where possible and depending on business needs, we will consider all flexible working options such as part-time working, job sharing, working from home and staggered hours. If in considering a role with Gowling WLG you favour flexibility in your working arrangements, please discuss this with the recruitment team in the early stages of the application process.
About the Team
The Housing Development and Regeneration Team work alongside top 10 residential property developers including The Miller Group, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, Bloor and Gleeson Developments. It is among the best known names for residential development legal work and plots sales in the UK. With more than 40 experts dedicated entirely to this discipline, it is also one of the biggest.
The areas of residential development expertise within the team include: serviced and un-serviced parcels of land and property, overage, strategic work such as complex and simple options, planning and infrastructure agreements and site assembly, joint ventures, large scale consortium developments, building licences and development management agreements, with a separate team providing plot sales and part exchange transactions.
The team also has a very strong offering to affordable housing providers such as Sanctuary, has market-leading expertise in private rented sector investment, and advises on some of the largest and most complex regeneration and transport projects in the UK (such as Brent Cross).
Main Purpose of the Job
Our business is growing and we are looking for a Legal Clerk to join the Social Housing Conveyancing Team to support team members in relation to their day to day handling of volume conveyancing transactions on behalf of Housing Associations and other housing providers in respect of: open market and shared ownership plot sales; Right to Buy and Right to Acquire transactions; Staircasing; Lease extensions; Surrender and Re-grants of retirement properties; Vacant Property Disposals and Shared Ownership Lease Assignments.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
Post - dealing with incoming and outgoing post on a daily basis within timescales required;
Filing - dealing with filing for the team on a daily basis, this includes logging documents onto our case management system within required timescales;
File Management -Opening files in our case management systems within timescales required. Scanning, copying and eFiling deeds, documents and communications. Following completion of a transaction, dealing with closure and archiving of the file;
Issuing transaction documentation - Utilising the case management system to generate and issue standard contract and transaction documentation to solicitors and clients within the required timescales together with exchange and completion documentation and correspondence at the relevant stages of a transaction or as and when requested by any member of the team;
Conflict checking - requesting conflict searches and reviewing/eFiling results for team members;
Searches - using the Land Registry online portal to obtain documents, carrying out searches. Carrying out searches of land and utilities through other providers and utility companies and local authorities;
Communication - by telephone, standard letter, email, in person or other communication media with clients, agents and third parties as well as with other team members;
Deeds management - logging, recording and maintaining records of deeds received and dispatched with the archiving team;
Finance - reviewing financial reports for the team and assisting the team to deal with balances and to archive files;
Portal management - scanning, uploading, downloading and eFiling of deeds and documents, correspondence and other communications via online portals, deal rooms or data rooms;
Any other reasonable duties delegated by any Partner, Senior Manager of the firm or Practice Operations Manager.
This will involve the use of a case management and other systems for which training will be given.
Key skills and experience
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 environment would be helpful but is not essential as training will be given.
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 (this may include working as part of a bigger project team) and support your colleagues;
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 to solve problems,
You should have:
Effective organisation skills;
Attention to detail and numeracy;
Good interpersonal and communication skills;
Good keyboard, IT and data entry skills;
Problem solving abilities;
Equal Opportunities
Gowling WLG is committed both 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.