Practice Development Lawyer

Dentons; Milton Keynes; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global law firm is seeking a Professional Support Lawyer (PDL) to enhance their Real Estate team. This hybrid role involves maintaining and automating the precedent bank, drafting legal documents, and supporting fee earners with legal research and training. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in Real Estate law, excellent drafting skills, and the ability to work independently. Join a market-leading firm committed to legal excellence and growth.

Qualifications

• Substantial knowledge of the Real Estate sector.
• Experience in document automation.
• Outgoing in approach and ability to communicate clearly.

Responsibilities

• Revising and maintaining the English/Welsh real estate precedent bank.
• Drafting practice notes to support precedents.
• Liaising with fee earners for precedent support.

Skills

Experienced English qualified Real Estate lawyer

Comprehensive drafting skills

Excellent intellectual and analytical skills

Ability to work with minimal supervision

Tools

Contract Express

Job description

Department/Division: Real Estate
Duration: Permanent, Full time or part time
Location: Milton Keynes/Virtual
Reports to: Managing Practice Development Lawyer
Direct Reports: None
Type of Role: Remote/Hybrid
Budget Responsibilities: No Reference no: 9273

The Role

We now have an opportunity for a PDL to join us to work within the heart of our Real Estate team. The focus of the role will be on updating, maintaining and automating our precedent bank to ensure the department remains at front of legal services. In addition, you will be working closely with our existing Managing PDL to support and deliver a broad spectrum of know‑how related services. This is an exciting opportunity to join a market‑leading Real Estate team where you will be offered a high level of responsibility across the breadth of the practice and the opportunity to have significant interaction with our fee earners.

Key Responsibilities

• Revising, updating, maintaining and automating the English/Welsh real estate precedent bank.
• Creating new precedents.
• Drafting practice notes to support the use of the precedent bank.
• Liaising closely with fee earners to understand and respond to their requirements for precedent support.
• Working closely with fee earners to gather market feedback and to maintain a good understanding of the "market norm".
• Dealing with fee earner technical legal queries.
• Participating in and contributing to innovation projects to enhance the use and delivery of legal documentation.
• Providing assistance and support to the Managing PDL with legal research; producing dynamic and up to date client briefings and legal updates; identifying, developing, coordinating and delivering legal training for clients and internal fee earning teams; creating and contributing to legal know‑how material; sourcing and sharing relevant and up to date knowledge with clients and our internal team and encouraging others to do the same.

Requirements

• Experienced English qualified Real Estate lawyer or PDL.
• Substantial knowledge of the Real Estate sector and market.
• Comprehensive drafting skills and experience of creating and maintaining precedents.
• Experience of document automation, particularly using Contract Express.
• Understands likely practical implications of legal changes.
• Maintains up to date industry and legal knowledge.
• Pro‑active in proposing solutions to internal and external clients.
• Excellent intellectual and analytical skills.
• Outgoing in approach and ability to communicate clearly.
• Key research abilities.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.

Firm Profile

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