Head of Conveyancing
Job title: Head of Conveyancing
Reporting to: Directors
Supervisory responsibility: Property Group staff
Job purpose:
To be responsible for the professional lead, legal training, and supervision of the Property Group (sale & purchase, remortgage, transfer of equity & equity release) and delivery of a professional service by the teams to external and internal clients. To achieve required operational, financial and client service performance standards. To fully contribute to overall successful departmental and firm performance, effective business development and case intake.
Performance Management
- To be responsible for the professional standard of work done by the Property Group to be measured via regular monthly and other file reviews.
- To be responsible for case supervision of all property fee earners in the performance of their case work by monthly file reviews, by day-to-day supervision, discussion and problem resolution in accordance with SRA, Lexcel and CQS standards.
- To provide supervision, advice, and guidance on technical and professional matters to the other members of the property group.
- To be responsible for devising, implementing and delivering a structured and ongoing Property Group training programme to ensure that all fee earners and support staff have best practice standard knowledge of relevant property law and practice.
- To create and maintain a source of best practice template letters and documents, and their continued implementation within the case management system.
- To provide appropriate input and guidance to ensure the firm retains Lexcel and CQS accreditation.
- To conduct appraisals and setting objectives and targets for Property Group staff.
Risk and Compliance
- To be responsible for the review and authorisation of undertakings. Retentions and other similar procedural transactional matters, provided by Property Group staff and to ensure record is kept of the same.
- To manage and maintain the High Risk Register in respect of conveyancing matters.
- To be responsible for the supervision of Property Group staff in the application of anti-money laundering, source of funds and other due diligence requirements, and to authorise matters to proceed including particularly (but not limited to) unencumbered property transactions, and to refer to the MD in appropriate circumstances.
- To be responsible for the investigation and review of allegations of professional negligence, and to report to the MD in respect of the same to plan a strategy for response.
- To investigate and report of potential data protection breaches under the GDPR or similar legislation.
- To be responsible for ensuring the department members work with systems and procedures that are Lexcel, CQS and Proclaim compliant, including producing and regularly reviewing templates and precedent documents.
- To assist the Finance Manager in ensuring compliance with all VAT and Tax matters, and Accounts Rules relating to Property Group transactions.
Client Management
- To devise and implement appropriate strategy to ensure that the Property Group operates to maximum efficient in the management of case working, recovery of fees, and a high level of client service.
- To be responsible for the investigation of client complaints and the reporting of the same to the MD and thereafter the drafting of appropriate response in accordance with the firm's complaints procedure.
- To seek to develop strong relationships with potential new work into the Property Group (jointly with the Directors and the Business Development team).
- To be responsible for the Property Group maintaining good relationships with third party introducers.
Key areas of responsibility
- To provide leadership to the Property Group to ensure organised, client focused, cost effective and efficient service delivery.
- Properly recruit, select, train, actively develop, motivate and manage Property Group staff to empower them to deliver their accountabilities and achieve their full potential.
- Implement and uphold all the firm's policies and procedures.
- Display the knowledge skills and behaviours required by the firm as set out in the Lexcel leadership & management culture statement and key behaviours document.
- Deliver effective supervision of best practice and full implementation of case management standards across the Property Group through day to day support of staff.
- To engage and effectively communicate with staff ensuring a regular review of Property Group processes, problem solving and creative thinking.
- Work with the business development team and other colleagues, to contribute to the development and delivery of effective client relationships to achieve the firm's strategic objectives to increase property case intake.
- To manage a personal part case load.
- Ensuring the property group staff work with systems and procedures that are Lexcel and Proclaim compliant, including producing and regularly reviewing templates and precedent documents for the department maintaining good relationships with third party brokers.
- Conveyancing transactions for sensitive and important contacts or clients of the firm or of Thompsons.
This list is not exhaustive and may vary.
This job is self-sufficient. The job holder will produce all their own work on the PC and will have little if any assistance from administrative and secretarial staff. Proficiency in using the equipment provided and operating the firms systems to a high standard is required.
The level of supervision required will be that the job holder at least have monthly review meetings with the Director with line management responsibility, but it is likely that there will be weekly or daily contact to discuss relevant matters.