Practice Development Lawyer

Department:            Real Estate
Duration:                 Perm
Location:                 UK
Reports to:              Managing PDL
Type of Role:           Hybrid/Remote 

The Department 

No matter where our clients are in today’s competitive real estate market, advice with a global perspective is indispensable. Our clients need a team by their side to navigate this rapidly changing legal environment that’s often complicated by multijurisdictional issues. Whether they are an investor, lender, developer, landowner or tenant, a buyer or seller of real estate, they know the challenges of this market—and want experienced counsel from people who understand all their real estate needs.

At Dentons, we bring strong, established local, regional and global experience and know-how to help our clients succeed in all their real estate ventures and projects. With over 500 real estate lawyers and our commitment to an integrated approach, we give clients the comfort of a global presence with a deep understanding of the local real estate terrain. Because opportunities don’t wait, we anticipate trends and react with speed and certainty on clients' behalf, collaborating with them every step of the way.

Whether our clients need expertise in real estate leasing, project finance, acquisition and disposition, development, construction, or investment, or they need the services of astute counsel to resolve a real estate dispute, our team of committed, respected professionals across the globe is keen to help our clients succeed. Where their needs extend beyond real estate, Dentons offers a panoply of legal expertise and services worldwide in all business-related areas, including: insolvency and debt restructuring, environmental and regulatory compliance, corporate structuring, taxation, and cross-border matters, to name but a few.

Purpose of 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 and maintaining our precedent bank and working on innovation projects, such as document automation, to ensure the department remains at the cutting edge of legal services. In addition, you will be working closely with our existing Managing PDL to help 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.

Responsibilities
 
•    Revising, updating, and maintaining 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"
•    Participating in and contributing to innovation projects to enhance the use and delivery of legal documentation
•    Participating in and coordinating the automation of key precedents for their better and more efficient use by internal fee earning teams
•    Where required, providing assistance and support to the Managing PDL with the following:
o    Legal research
o    Producing dynamic and up to date client briefings and legal updates
o    Identifying, developing, coordinating, and delivering legal training for clients and internal fee earning teams
o    Creating and contributing to legal know-how material
o    Sourcing and sharing relevant and up to date knowledge with clients and our internal team and encouraging others to do the same

You will work with both the London and Milton Keynes' Real Estate practices.

Required experience, skills, and attributes

The role would be ideal for an experienced English-qualified Real Estate lawyer or PDL, who has been an active creator and contributor of legal know-how materials and client service. The ideal candidate will have:

•    Substantial knowledge of the Real Estate sector and market
•    Strong drafting skills and experience in creating and maintaining precedents
•    Experience in document automation, particularly using Contract Express
•    Understands the likely practical implications of legal changes
•    Maintains up to date industry and legal knowledge
•    Is pro-active in proposing solutions to internal and external clients
•    Excellent intellectual and analytical skills
•    Outgoing in approach and ability to communicate clearly
•    Strong research abilities
•    Ability to work with minimal supervision
 

Firm Profile

Dentons is the world's largest law firm, delivering quality and value to clients around the globe. Dentons is a leader on the Acritas Global Elite Brand Index, a BTI Client Service 30 Award winner and recognized by prominent business and legal publications for its innovations in client service, including founding Nextlaw Labs and the Nextlaw Global Referral Network. Dentons' polycentric approach and world-class talent challenge the status quo to advance client interests in the communities in which we live and work.  www.dentons.com

We undertake and support a number of internal and external initiatives aimed at increasing diversity within the profession and we encourage all our partners and staff to get involved. We welcome you to learn more about diversity and inclusion at Dentons. Inclusion and Diversity

Equal Opportunities

Dentons is committed to providing equal opportunities for all. We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities and support those in the workplace who have a disability. During the application process, any applicant has the opportunity to tell us about any adjustments they may require during the application process. Any disability disclosure will be dealt with confidentially and sensitively and if you want to speak directly to a member of our team, please email recruitment.matters@dentons.com. 

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

If you are interested in applying for this position, we welcome direct applications via our careers page, but if you have any questions beforehand please email recruitment.matters@dentons.com – Enquiries only please, applications will not be accepted via email.

Please note that we will not accept unsolicited CVs sent to the business, nor will we accept any associated terms of business.