Completions Assistant

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, Sevenoaks and Bristol. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: property, corporate services, litigation and private client advisory.

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 Residential Property team comprises 64+ members operating out of each office but working together as one team.

To work as part of the Residential Property team to provide professional, pro-active support to the fee earning team

Playing an important role within the Residential Property Team you will be responsible for:

• Dealing with all post exchange work from the department to include liaising with clients, third parties, banks and agents; producing completion statements and other documentation required for completion
• Complying with undertakings given on exchange to include sending contracts and deposits out with the required timeframes
• Preparing for completion on sale and purchase transactions to include undertaking pre-completion searches, submitting Certificates of Title, requesting final redemption statements and preparing all required finance forms
• Putting indemnity insurance on risk following completion
• Strictly complying with all deadlines
• Submitting Stamp Duty Land Tax Returns and payment on completion
• Submitting AP1 to HM Land Registry within priority period
• Responding to requisitions raised by HM Land Registry Complying with restrictions on title
• Liaising with managing agents, management companies and landlords to provide their required paperwork on completion
• Processing bills and attending to financial management following completion 
• Dealing with file closure and scheduling and managing deeds to ensure records are kept up to date
• Maintaining the Completion Team spreadsheet throughout to ensure that all matters are fully updated at the end of each working day

• Educated to GCSE standard or equivalent 
• The ideal candidate for the role will be an enthusiastic team worker with previous office administration experience looking for an opportunity to join a dynamic market leading firm. Previous administration experience within a residential conveyancing/legal environment would be advantageous.
• You will be enthusiastic and well organised individual with a positive attitude and excellent communication skills. Excellent IT ability will be required, with good knowledge of MS Office products (Word, Excel, Outlook). You will have strong time management skills, able to manage a varied workload and work efficiently and effectively under pressure and to deadlines
• To show a positive approach and interest in the work that your fee earners are undertaking
• Show initiative when responding to queries and actively try to seek solutions to problems
• To support and build working relationships with your own fee earners as well as other members of the team and to actively work for the interests of the whole team
• To support and build working relationships with your colleagues in the team and to actively get involved in working activities within the team

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

https://www.birketts.co.uk/recognition-reward-benefits/

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.