Paralegal

The firm

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do. RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 5th best law firm to work at in 2024.

With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 40% of our partnership.

The department

Birketts is recruiting for an ambitious, driven and forward thinking Paralegal, ideally with experience in the property industry to come and join our growing team in our spacious Ipswich town centre office. You will join the highly successful Utilities Team which has nationwide clients throughout the UK and presently consists of 14 fee earners and 3 secretaries. We need to extend and recruit additional fee earners to take forward our ambitious plans for the future.

You will join a niche team who deal with conveyancing transactions for utility network operator clients. The team specialise in high volume, time-critical property transactions for IDNOs/DNOs, gas transporters, fibre providers, water incumbants, EV providers as well as assisting developer clients with their utility transactions.

As well as freehold and leasehold acquisitions of substations, gas governors, fibre cabinets and water pumping stations, the team deal with easements, variations and surrenders to actively manage their clients networks.

Accountabilities

• To provide support to the fee earners in the team and assist in the work of the department
• Undertake fee earning work under supervision
• Populating first drafts of transfers, deeds and leases
• Updating and reporting to clients and intermediaries on transactional progress
• Land Registry searches, applications and requisitions
• Conducting title investigations
• Submitting searches and reviewing search results
• Reviewing replies to a standard set of enquiries
• Checking planning permission is correct for the asset
• Completing registration checks before file closure
• Completing transactions and dealing with post completion requirements
• Provide an efficient and friendly service to clients
• Obtaining draft indemnity policies
• Approving restriction certificate/consents and RX4/RX3s
• Producing report on documents for the client
• Producing and sending out engrossments
• Issuing and completing documents via DocuSign

The candidate

If you are seeking a new, challenging role with a modern, forward-thinking firm with potential to qualify as a solicitor in the near future, then this could be the role for you

Birketts can offer great career progression opportunities and we are keen to find someone who aspires to train and qualify as a solicitor in the future.

We would welcome applications from candidates who start as a Paralegal. You will have the opportunity to work alongside a leading Partner at Birketts and her team who hold a wealth of knowledge and expertise in this area of law.

We are ideally seeking a law graduate, Legal Executive or someone with experience in conveyancing or the property industry who can use their skills in this niche area.

Equal opportunities

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth. Alongside a flexible and inclusive work environment, we offer the following core benefits:

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays
• Long Service holiday award - 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR Day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Electric car scheme
• Agile/Hybrid Working Policy
• Dress for your Day Policy

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.