Professional Support Lawyer - Real Estate

Trowers & Hamlins; Exeter; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm is seeking a Professional Support Lawyer to join their knowledge management team, focusing on commercial real estate. The position involves creating knowledge frameworks, providing updates on regulations, and designing training programs. The ideal candidate has at least 5 years of PQE in real estate law, experience with workflow automation, and excellent communication skills. The role is available in London, Birmingham, Manchester, or Exeter.

Qualifications

• 5+ PQE in commercial real estate law preferred.
• Strong commitment to transitioning into a Professional Support Lawyer role.
• Effective prioritization and deadline management skills.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain knowledge management precedents.
• Provide legislative and case law updates for the Real Estate team.
• Design and deliver training programs to enhance team knowledge.

Skills

Commercial real estate law

Workflow automation

Generative AI products

Mentoring

Effective communication

Job description

Real Estate is a key focus of our business. From investment in and management of existing assets to major development and regeneration schemes, about 60% of our lawyers practise full-time in the sector across a wide range of disciplines including investment, finance, development, construction, asset management, planning, environmental and dispute resolution. We are ranked by The Lawyer as having one of the UK's Top 15 Real Estate practices overall.

Our thinking extends beyond the day-to-day delivery of transactional and advisory legal services - we provide our clients with fresh thinking and commercially driven solutions. Our multidisciplinary Real Estate team advises on investment and development projects across sectors such as office, retail, industrial, logistics, hospitality, life sciences, infrastructure, residential, and mixed-use schemes, with a strong inward investment practice leveraging our Middle East and South East Asia presence. We act for all stakeholders in the real estate market including developers, investors, lenders, tenants, and occupiers.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic and forward-looking knowledge management team comprising a senior Professional Support Lawyer and a junior Legal Specialist who manage the knowledge development and professional support needs of a large, national Real Estate department. This role can be based in London, Birmingham, Manchester, or Exeter.

What you'll be doing

1. Creating and maintaining precedents and practice notes as part of actively developing our know-how database, focusing on commercial property matters, including document automation and building AI-powered due diligence and reporting templates.
2. Providing regular legislative, case law, and policy updates relevant to the Real Estate team across all practice areas, with an emphasis on commercial property.
3. Designing and delivering departmental education and training programs to enhance the knowledge of fee earners, including interactive seminars and workshops.
4. Liaising and sharing knowledge with other PSLs and the firm’s Knowledge Management teams as appropriate.
5. Assisting with regulatory and compliance matters, working with the General Counsel & Risk team to update and implement risk management procedures.
6. Collaborating with Innovation and Business Transformation teams to develop internal systems and processes, utilizing workflow automation and generative AI products.
7. Working with fee earners and Marketing teams to write articles and external publications.
8. Maintaining relationships with external organizations such as HM Land Registry and industry partners, attending forums and events to stay at the forefront of market practice.

What you'll need

The firm has a Career Development Framework outlining expected competencies. For this role, we require:

1. 5+ PQE (preferred).
2. Technical excellence in all aspects of commercial real estate law, including landlord and tenant, asset management, investment, finance structures, and development.
3. Experience with workflow automation and generative AI products, and the ability to utilize these strategically to improve team efficiencies.
4. Prior PSL experience is advantageous but not essential; a strong commitment to transitioning into such a role is required.
5. Effective prioritization and deadline management skills.
6. A collaborative team player, capable of working across departments including Business Transformation, Innovation & Legal Technology, and Risk.
7. Strategic thinking and initiative, especially in productization and process design.
8. Ability to operate independently with minimal supervision.
9. Mentoring skills to supervise juniors and solicitor apprentices.
10. Enthusiasm, attention to detail, and a methodical approach.
11. Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
12. Professional and friendly demeanor focused on service excellence.
13. A broad understanding of commercial real estate law, with recent fee-earning experience preferred.

Trowers & Hamlins values diversity and is an equal opportunities employer. All applications are considered based on merit and suitability, regardless of ethnicity, gender, race, disability, religion, or sexual orientation.

Applicants will undergo employment screening, including checks on personal details, education, employment history, professional qualifications, and background checks as appropriate.