Role: Solicitor
Department: Housing Management and Property Litigation
PQE: Minimum 3 years
Location: London, hybrid working
The Firm:
Devonshires has been based in the City of London for more than 150 years. From our offices in London, Leeds, Birmingham, and Colchester we provide legal services to clients throughout the UK.
We are recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers UK as a medium-sized niche firm specialising in banking, construction, commercial litigation, corporate, employment, projects, and property. Our main client base is Registered Providers of social housing, and the Firm is ranked Tier 1 for its work in this area. We also act for a number of private developers and investment funds. Over the past few years, we have grown significantly and now have over 350 employees and partners and a growing international reach.
The Department:
Our Housing Management & Property Litigation team act for over 100 Registered Providers (RPs), local authorities and private landlords across England and Wales advising on all aspects of Housing Management and Property Litigation advice. We believe that effective housing management is key to our clients’ performance as social landlords.
Job Purpose:
We are looking to recruit a lawyer with 3-5 years PQE into our London office to manage their own caseload which will comprise a mixture of housing and leasehold management and property litigation including injunctions, possession claims, disrepair, service charge disputes, cases before the FTT and non-contentious matters such as policy advice.
This is a fantastic opportunity to join a growing successful team and specialise in an area of law that is continuously developing and although we would expect the successful candidate to have experience in housing management, we do not expect applicants to have experience in all of the work types outlined above. Although not essential, advising housing/care providers on matters such as compliance with the Equality Act 2010; compliance with CQC Regulations; housing benefit determinations; and issues pertaining to adult safeguarding and mental capacity, would be highly desirable.
The successful candidate will display strong technical ability and case management skills, will enjoy working independently and be able to demonstrate a flair for nurturing client relationships along with enthusiasm, drive, and a commercial approach.
Main Duties and Responsibilities of the Role:
This is not an exhaustive list and from time to time it may be necessary to vary these to meet the department and business needs.
* Responsible for the day to day running of a caseload;
* Supporting the partners on large and more complex matters as well as managing a caseload of your own;
* Interact directly with clients, manage their expectations, and meet their deadlines;
* Assist in the supervision of junior staff;
* Efficiently manage a large number of deadlines relating to a variety of cases at any one time;
* To be interested and involved in marketing and business development in a client focused manner;
* To prepare and present training to clients.
Person Specification
Essential skills
* 3-5 years post-qualification experience in the housing and/or leasehold management and/or property litigation;
* Knowledge of running own files and caseload;
* IT literate to include Word, Excel, Outlook, and Internet applications;
* Ability to prioritise workload;
* Ability to undertake caseloads with supervision appropriate to level of qualification;
* Ability to demonstrate commercial awareness and pro-activity;
* Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal and the ability to convey clear and concise information;
* Highly focussed attention to detail;
* Resilient and focussed;
* Determination to achieve positive outcomes.
If you would like further details or wish to apply for this position please apply and complete the diversity monitoring questionnaire which can be accessed by clicking here.
All recruiters must submit their candidates’ CV via our HR team or using the recruitment inbox listed above. Only HR can agree terms of business with third parties, provide the appropriate privacy notice to be shared with candidates and ensure that the firm maintains its commitments to LEXCEL, ISO27001 and Equality Diversity & Inclusion..
Devonshires Solicitors LLP is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. As such all job applicants, employees, partners and third parties who come into contact with us, will receive equal treatment, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, trade union activities, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. We welcome applications from groups where we are currently under-represented. For this reason, we ask that all candidates complete the recruitment monitoring survey in complete confidence for statistical purposes in order that we can effectively monitor how well our Diversity procedures are working. To review our policies on Diversity & Inclusion and Dignity at Work please visit our recruitment pages at www.devonshires.com.