Legal PA - Real Estate, Commercial Property

The role

This is an excellent opportunity to join our Commercial Property Team within the Real Estate department, providing high‑quality, professional PA support to a group of fee earners.

The Legal PA will play an integral role within our collaborative team, working primarily with designated fee earners while also supporting the wider PA team where needed. We are seeking an experienced Legal PA who can effectively prioritise, use available resources, and communicate clearly, with strong organisational skills and a proactive approach.

Role responsibility

• Supporting client onboarding processes, including opening new matters, following compliance procedures, obtaining KYC information and monies on account, preparing engagement letters, and managing introductory correspondence.
• Managing fee earners’ inboxes, including monitoring and prioritising emails, responding where appropriate, and routing messages to relevant colleagues to ensure timely action. Filing correspondence accurately within iManage.
• Proactively managing and maintaining diaries, arranging meetings, and coordinating logistics such as room bookings, video calls, travel arrangements, and materials preparation.
• Liaising with clients and third parties, handling queries professionally and efficiently.
• Producing documents using BigHand digital dictation, including typing, amendments, comparisons, track changes, and proofreading to ensure accuracy and consistency. Managing workflows to and from the Document Production Centre.
• Uploading and downloading documents to and from data rooms using Filesite.
• Checking and preparing engrossment versions of agreements.
• Completing Smart Forms where required. Carrying out commercial property searches using Land Registry, OS1/OS2, OCE downloads and applications, Search Acumen and TM Group platforms for commercial property searches, including plotting search areas and submitting searches.
• Preparing and submitting registration applications through the Land Registry Portal and managing requisitions.
• Preparing and issuing DocuSign envelopes and supporting colleagues with electronic signing processes.
• Preparing finance requests and account forms (e.g., proformas, CHAPS payments), handling residual balances, supporting the billing process, and assisting with financial reporting.
• Preparing financial statements and completion statements and supporting debt management processes.
• Coordinating travel bookings such as trains, flights, and hotels with our external travel provider. 
• Assisting with Business Development activities including pitch preparation, mailings, responses, and events.
• Managing Deeds for archiving or distribution to clients/lenders.
• Handling file closures, including resolving account queries.
• Providing support to other EAs and PAs as needed, including during periods of absence.

About you

Ideally you will be able to demonstrate;

• Experience working in a similar PA role within a professional services environment.
• Previous experience in real estate or commercial property work.
• Strong typing skills (75wpm+ with high accuracy).
• Proficiency in BigHand digital dictation.
• Ability to produce accurate, well‑presented documents.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and manage competing priorities.
• Excellent organisational and time‑management skills.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to build relationships and work collaboratively within a team.
• Proactive approach and confidence using initiative.
• Positive, adaptable, and solution‑focused mindset.
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office and commonly used applications such as Elite 3E, BigHand, iManage, DocuSign, TitanFile, Litera Compare, Chrome River, and CRM (One Place).
• Experience completing property forms using Smart Forms, HM Land Registry Portal, Search Acumen, and TM Group.

At Howard Kennedy we believe that everyone deserves the space to thrive. We’re committed to creating an inclusive recruitment experience that reflects the diversity of both our people and our clients.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and identities, and we’re committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and accessible to all.

We understand that every candidate’s needs are different If there’s anything we can do to make your application journey more comfortable— whether for interviews, assessments, or onboarding—please let us know. We’ll work with you to remove any barriers and ensure our recruitment process is comfortable for you. 

Contact our recruitment team at recruitment@howardkennedy.com to discuss any support you might need.

Agency Introductions

Please note that we are not accepting applications via agencies for this role at this time. Before sharing any named candidate CVs, please contact your recruitment representative. If any named CVs are sent from agencies without approval from our recruitment team, they will not be deemed valid introductions, and no agency fee will be paid.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 25 days annual holiday
• Permanent Health Insurance
• Life Assurance
• Interest free Season Ticket Loan
• Private Healthcare
• Pension Scheme
• Staff Introductory Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme

About us

With almost 200 lawyers in one location, we ensure our clients have the right team to help them get from where they are to where they want to be. We advise major corporates and institutions as well as entrepreneurial, ambitious enterprises which are often privately or family owned, or private equity backed. As well as our significant business law capability, we are one of only a few London-based law firms with a large private wealth offering. Our clients find our straightforward approach a compelling alternative to larger, less personal firms.

Whether you are an ambitious and talented individual wanting to hit the ground running from day one, or an established professional looking for a new opportunity, Howard Kennedy is the firm where you can really make it happen.

We have earned a strong reputation for our exceptional and uniquely talented people who between them deliver outstanding results for clients. In a firm of our size, our strong team dynamic creates a thriving culture of creativity and entrepreneurialism. Howard Kennedy is a pragmatic and non-hierarchical environment where success is shared, and you are proactively encouraged to thrive at your own pace.

Our distinctive culture is built on fairness and respect. Guided by the firm’s values of talk straight, think smart and be yourself, everyone in the firm holds equal value, and everyone plays their role in supporting, encouraging and inspiring colleagues to do their best work.

At the same time, we recognise and reward individualism, celebrating the diversity of our people and supporting them to grow their practice and drive their own career advancement.

As well as client work, there is opportunity to broaden your horizons at the firm with fulfilling pro bono and charity projects. We have a regular social calendar full of wellbeing activities, charitable and social events too.