Paralegal - Property Litigation

We are seeking a Paralegal to work in and support our busy property litigation team in our London office. This is a market leading team which is well-known and respected across the residential private rented sector and has significant amounts of high-profile work in appellate courts.

The team is busy but also striving to meet client expectations and deliver to a high standard. The environment is fast-paced and team members usually operate close to capacity. It is essential that a paralegal in the team is willing to learn and thrives in a fast-paced, challenging environment.

Fee earners in the team are friendly, approachable and generous with their time, and are willing to train and support a paralegal with a genuine interest in this area of law. The team provides many opportunities for development including exposure to the commercial operation of the team and the chance to develop public speaking, networking and business development skills.

Skills and knowledge required

• Full understanding of the SRA Code of Conduct and SRA Accounts Rules
• The ability to demonstrate a good foundational level of knowledge and understanding of legal principles in relation to property and commercial litigation and a clear willingness to learn more
• The ability to judge and manage risk by referring to more senior team members and to the Head of Department for supervision/guidance in appropriate circumstances
• Strong foundational level of working knowledge of the Civil Procedure Rules and evidence of capacity to further build on this
• An understanding of risk management, conflict and compliance issues
• Working knowledge and developed practice of accurate and timely time recording
• Strong and consistent time keeping
• Proven ability to organise, prioritise and communicate clearly and effectively
• Strong foundational level of numerical literacy and understanding of client ledgers and billing processes
• Ability to receive, take on board and implement constructive feedback in a professional manner

Role responsibilities and duties include

• Supporting the property litigation team with:
• Administrative tasks relating to the operation of the team (e.g. preparing weekly team deadline reminders and booking meeting rooms)
• Administrative matter-related tasks (e.g. diarising court deadlines, printing, filing post, billing and file closures)
• Research activities in support of clients and team business development goals
• Other non-chargeable work (e.g. assisting fee earners in respect of marketing, training and business development tasks, and attending suitable business development events to represent the firm and the team)
• Chargeable matter-related work
• Assisting fee earners with matter-related tasks including:
• Preparation of court bundles
• Booking and instructing Counsel
• Preparation of statements of costs
• Drafting legal documents
• Supporting the management of the team's new enquiries process
• Opening new files
• Managing the monthly billing process for the team together with the team's PA
• Assisting fee earners in dealing with accounts and billing tasks
• Providing an effective, timely and efficient service to the firm's clients.
• Managing own mailbox efficiently
• Maintaining an up-to-date tasks list
• Taking adequate notes at hearings, meetings, during telephone calls and when receiving internal instructions
• Communicating with clients of the department in a professional and courteous manner
• Ensuring excellent service standards and maintain high client satisfaction
• Liaising directly with clients, courts and third parties

Skills & knowledge you will develop upon joining the team

Please note that training will be provided to you in this role, however previous experience of the following will be advantageous:

• Full understanding of the firm's systems, including Proclaim, iManage and Intapp
• Full working knowledge of Office 365 (in particular Teams, Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint)
• Full working knowledge of Acrobat Adobe Pro and BundleDocs
• Full working knowledge of online Court platforms, e.g. CE-file, PCOL and MyHMCTS
• Full working knowledge of and consistent compliance with the Office Manual and the procedures contained therein
• Full understanding of the firm's Money Laundering Guidelines
• Full understanding of the firm's client case and quality standards
• Good working knowledge of the firm's information and communication technology facilities
• Full understanding and working knowledge of the team-specific file management, client onboarding and billing policies and procedures

Working for JMW

As well as a rewarding career, JMW offers its colleagues many other opportunities and benefits, including:

• A minimum of 25 days' annual leave (increasing with length of service) plus office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Travel Insurance - covering you and eligible family members
• Death In Service - 3 x basic salary
• Private Medical Insurance (subject to opting in) and option of contributing to add eligible family members
• Income Protection - cover of up to 75% of salary
• Access to an interest free travel pass/parking loan
• A one-hour early finish, one Friday a month
• Two days a year to do charitable work, with a huge variety of events to get involved in
• The opportunity to participate in sports teams, hobby clubs, and social events
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders