Paralegal

IBB enjoys a reputation for representing significant clients in complex legal matters. Our practice areas span commercial, employment, charities, commercial and residential real estate, family, private client, and community legal services. The firm and its partners are ranked highly by independent legal guides Chambers & Partners and Legal 500. 

The Team

The Park & Holiday Home are acknowledged as specialists in the niche area of Park and holiday home law, covered by a handful of solicitors in the country.

The team acts as specialist legal advisors to numerous residential and holiday park owners throughout England and Wales. Providing advice on all aspects of park and holiday homes including to individuals wishing to purchase park and holiday homes.

This is a great opportunity for a paralegal who is looking to build on their current experience and keen to learn a new niche area of law, eventually becoming a nationally recognised leader in this field by developing new clients and nurturing existing relationships to achieve growth in the sector.

To assist the partners and lawyers in provision services to clients on all aspects of buying and selling Park and holiday homes, in line with the firm’s standards of performance.

To support the partners and fee earners and enable them to engage in more complex work it is envisaged that the principle responsibilities will include assisting:

1. In providing a high-quality service to clients on all aspects of Park and Holiday home buying and selling.by:

• Taking initial instructions
• Drafting the required new client letters/ paperwork
• Requesting and collating the necessary documentation in the sale and purchase of park/ holiday home.
• Handling the complete process through post-completion of sale or purchase.

2.  You will be expected to develop your own technical knowledge and skills including the ability to:

• Analyse information and reach sound decisions.
• Understand and adhere to instructions.
• Communicate and succinctly both orally and in writing
• Research appropriate case law including technical and legal precedents to progress matters
• Understand client’s requirements and provide commercially sound guidance and advice.

3.  Meet the firm’s quality standards including:

• Ensuring personal time recoding and billing targets are achieved
• Ensuring that all chargeable work is properly recorded on client matters
• Adhering to the SRA’s client care directive and to the firm’s own policies as set out in the Office Manual.
• Maintaining good file management as set out in the Office Manual
• Understanding the obligations relating to client accounts and ensure preparation and delivery of bills in accordance with the Solicitors Accounts Rules

4. To assist the team in its marketing and business development objectives, including activities such as attending client events, writing articles for the IBB website and other publications and assisting the Partners in organising marketing events.

5. Develop individual self-organisational and interpersonal skills so that:

• Work is prioritised and progressed
• You demonstrate a balance of working on your own initiative and seeking advice or guidance.
• Partners are aware of your workload and specific issues which arise on your matters.
• Maintain a flexible and proactive approach to work.

Education

Law degree (or conversion) and LPC.

Skills and Experience

• Candidates should ideally have some knowledge of property, but this is not essential, if they have worked within the private client, probate, executors, and commercial fields this would be acceptable as this is a niche market and training will be given
• Ideally candidates will have relevant experience in marketing business development activities, and have a desire to develop this area, in converting enquiries into clients and cross selling other products and services. The aim would be to build this sector for the team by recognising opportunities. Must be able to demonstrate a level business acumen.
• Analytical ability: able to get to identify and deal with the core elements of a problem and to deal with parties in relation to a simple transaction.
• Adaptability and flexibility: ability to embrace change and is responsive to different ways of working and learns new tasks quickly. Prepared to undertake all tasks as required by the role.
• Collaboration with others: able to work with others to achieve a task; active team member; able to build and sustain good working relationships with others.
• Communication: able to express oneself clearly orally and in writing, and to do so in a manner that is concise and assertive, but courteous.
• Quality: produces work which is consistently accurate, produces drafts which are thought through and completed as far as possible.
• Initiative: thinks through what may need to be done and makes suggestions; demonstrates ability to offer to assist colleagues who are busy and/or get involved in areas outside immediate work.
• Planning and organising: thinks ahead to plan work so that tasks are not affected when additional tasks arise; is able to track and monitor progress of own work and alert supervisor if schedule may not be met.
• Reliability: demonstrates commitment to achieving tasks; manages expectations of others and delivers on promises.
• IT literate including proficient and Microsoft applications and self-sufficient in using document management systems and the internet as business tools