Senior Paralegal - Lease Extensions (Private Matters)
Location: Remote for the right candidate
Role Purpose
This is a senior paralegal role for an experienced case handler with strong procedural and practical experience in leasehold property matters, informal lease extensions and post-completion registration.
The post-holder will manage a caseload of private lease extension files under the supervision of a solicitor, with responsibility for file progression, client communication, procedural conduct, drafting from precedent, third-party liaison and matter management.
The post-holder will not provide unsupervised legal advice or conduct reserved legal activities outside delegated authority. All legal advice, legal strategy, legal sign-off and supervision of legal risk remain with the supervising solicitor.
Role Objective
To manage a supervised caseload of private lease extension matters efficiently, accurately and proactively, ensuring:
- matters progress efficiently from instruction to completion,
- clients receive high-quality service and clear communication,
- deadlines and third-party dependencies are managed effectively,
- risks are identified and escalated appropriately,
- files remain compliant, commercially managed and procedurally sound,
- matters complete efficiently and register correctly.
Key Responsibilities
Caseload Management
- Manage a personal caseload of private (informal) lease extension matters under solicitor supervision.
- Progress matters from file opening through to completion and registration.
- Maintain accurate case records, task progression, notes and correspondence.
- Ensure all key dates, milestones and chases are diarised and actioned.
- Maintain orderly and compliant files in accordance with internal procedures and regulatory requirements.
- Prioritise and manage workflow to ensure efficient file progression and client service.
Private Lease Extension Conduct
- Progress private lease extension matters from instruction through to completion.
- Obtain title documents, lease documentation and relevant property papers.
- Review and extract key lease and title information.
- Prepare file summaries and identify key issues for solicitor review.
- Draft and issue initial correspondence to landlords / agents.
- Request, chase and log informal lease extension terms.
- Track and record negotiations and responses.
- Prepare matter summaries and heads of terms for solicitor review.
- Identify and escalate adverse or commercially unattractive lease terms.
- Support progression to agreed terms and documentation.
Drafting & Documentation
- Draft routine correspondence, reports and procedural documents from approved precedents.
- Prepare letters to landlords, agents and third parties.
- Prepare file notes, summaries and matter updates.
- Draft lease extension documentation from approved precedent for review.
- Prepare completion packs, engrossments and execution packs.
- Prepare post-completion documentation and Land Registry applications.
Completion & Post-Completion
- Prepare completion statements and completion packs.
- Coordinate execution and completion logistics.
- Support completion under solicitor supervision.
- Prepare AP1 applications and post-completion registration documents.
- Lodge and monitor Land Registry applications.
- Deal with routine post-completion matters and routine requisitions under supervision.
- Escalate legal or substantive requisitions to supervising solicitor.
Risk, Escalation & Supervision
- Identify legal, procedural, title, timing and commercial risks.
- Escalate all legal advice points, legal drafting points and legal risk promptly.
- Escalate adverse informal terms, title defects, lender issues and unusual landlord structures.
- Work strictly within delegated authority and supervision protocols.
- Ensure all legal advice and legal sign-off are referred to the supervising solicitor.
- Maintain awareness of role boundaries and escalation obligations.
Team Support & Mentoring
- Support junior paralegals / trainees with procedural workflow and file administration.
- Assist with file process training and workflow guidance.
- Share best practice in file management, drafting and post-completion.
- Support team process consistency and quality standards.
Person Specification
Essential
- Minimum 3+ years' experience in residential property, leasehold property or lease extension work
- Strong experience managing property files and procedural transactions
- Experience handling private / informal lease extension matters
- Strong understanding of leasehold titles and lease documentation
- Experience drafting from precedent and managing completion processes
- Strong Land Registry / post-completion experience
- Excellent file management and diary discipline
- Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Commercially aware and client-focused
- Able to work independently within supervision boundaries
- Strong escalation judgment
Desirable
- Experience in leasehold enfranchisement / statutory lease extensions
- Experience with Proclaim case management
- Experience supervising junior paralegals
- LPC / SQE / CILEX study or equivalent
- Experience liaising with valuers / landlords / managing agents in leasehold transactions
Please contact Samuel Higgins at Simpson Judge for further information phone number removed) / )