Commercial Property Legal Assistant

GerrardWhite; St Albans; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days' annual leave

Workplace pension

Death in service cover (4x salary)

Extra discretionary perks

Ongoing training and development

Job summary

GerrardWhite in St Albans seeks a Commercial Property Legal Assistant to provide legal secretarial support and fee-earner assistance within a busy Commercial Real Estate team.

You will handle HM Land Registry applications, SDLT work, post-completion tasks and drafting support, while managing multiple fee-earners and deadlines with attention to detail.

Qualifications

• Experience in a commercial property team.
• Good working knowledge of HM Land Registry processes and SDLT.
• Comfortable using Word, Outlook, Excel, DocuSign and PDF software; iManage experience is helpful.
• Able to juggle competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• High attention to detail and a confident phone manner.

Responsibilities

• Prepare HM Land Registry applications (AP1, TR1) and track progress.
• Obtain office copies, perform searches, and request expedites.
• Prepare draft SDLT returns and calculations.
• Complete post-completion tasks, notices of transfer or charge, and deeds of covenant.
• Create lease and deed summaries, schedules of deeds and sales packs.
• Draft basic CPSE replies and reports on title for fee-earners.
• Audio and copy typing with BigHand and document formatting.
• AML and ID checks (SmartSearch and Legl) and file closures.
• Manage invoices, payments, and credit control.
• Coordinate diaries and arrange meetings.

Skills

Attention to detail

Prioritisation

Phone etiquette

Tools

Word

Outlook

Excel

DocuSign

PDF software

iManage

Job description

Commercial Property Legal Assistant

Are you an experienced Commercial Property Legal Assistant who enjoys getting stuck into the matter work as well as the admin? This St Albans role will give you real variety in a team that will value what you bring.

We are working with a highly regarded commercial law firm that wants to add a Commercial Property Legal Assistant to its busy Commercial Real Estate team. The firm has a professional but friendly culture, flexible working and a supportive team where you can keep learning and progressing.

The role combines legal secretarial support with legal assistant work, so you'll get a real mix of both. The team is very busy, so they need someone with commercial property experience who can hit the ground running and support several fee-earners at once.

The role

As Commercial Property Legal Assistant, your duties will include:

• Preparing HM Land Registry applications (AP1, TR1), dealing with requisitions and tracking progress
• Getting office copies, carrying out official and map searches, and asking for applications to be expedited
• Preparing draft SDLT returns and calculations
• Post-completion work, including notices of transfer or charge and deeds of covenant
• Preparing lease and deed summaries, schedules of deeds and sales packs
• Drafting basic CPSE replies and reports on title for fee-earners to review
• Audio and copy typing through BigHand, plus formatting and proofreading documents
• File opening, AML and ID checks (SmartSearch and Legl), and file closures
• Financial admin, including invoices, payment requests and credit control
• Managing diaries and arranging meetings

About you

• Experience in a commercial property team
• A good working knowledge of HM Land Registry processes and SDLT
• Comfortable using Word, Outlook, Excel, DocuSign and PDF software (iManage experience is helpful)
• Able to juggle competing priorities and still meet deadlines
• High attention to detail and a confident phone manner

What's on offer

• £35,000 to £40,000 salary, depending on experience
• 25 days' annual leave
• Workplace pension
• Death in service cover at four times salary
• Extra discretionary perks
• Ongoing training and development
• Based in St Albans - some hybrid working may be available (depending on experience)

If you're a Commercial Property Legal Assistant, or a Commercial Property Legal Secretary or Legal Assistant ready for more hands-on work, I'd love to hear from you.