The role

DLA Piper’s Real Estate Group comprises real estate lawyers in more than 40 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the US. We pride ourselves on leveraging our collective knowledge and skills and training our teams to support the delivery of a high-quality service on major international real estate assignments. 

The Firm’s International Quality strategy is delivered by Knowledge Professionals in collaboration with dedicated Knowledge Partners and input from our lawyers in a manner that is tailored to meet the needs of each Group and Sector. 

We are looking for an experienced lawyer (based in England) to join our Real Estate Knowledge team as a Knowledge Development Lawyer, reporting to our Head of Knowledge for the Real Estate Group, to work closely with our established Real Estate Knowledge team and our partners and fee earners in the UK, and to support the International practice.

The role can be performed successfully from any of our English offices. We are ideally seeking a full-time commitment (which can include flexible working), although the role could be successfully completed by someone working four days per week. It will require occasional travel. 

The purpose of the role is to:

• Enhance the quality and efficiency of the Group’s legal practice and to be a role model for technical knowledge, skill and transactional delivery in the Group.
• Champion the firm’s vision for Quality across the Group. 
• Support the Real Estate Group’s International Quality strategy. 

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The role will involve:

   – Taking the lead role in developing, updating and maintaining the real estate group’s standard documents and technical legal/practical know-how guidance for England and Wales. Assessing whether documents are needed or not, and updating them to reflect current law and practice. 
      –   Working with our automation team to automate suites of standard documents, where appropriate. 
      –  Using those standard documents and guidance to support the international real estate practice.
 As a secondary role, supporting our existing knowledge development lawyers with:

• Co-ordinating the existing comprehensive training programmes (both in the UK and, where appropriate, across the international practice), which will include preparing and updating training materials, delivery of some training sessions, and supporting our partners and lawyers to develop and deliver training.
• Capturing and promoting sharing of expertise, market trends and the practical experience of our lawyers, and developing appropriate best practice.
• Ensuring that lawyers are kept aware of legal and market practice developments, providing analysis of the impact of significant developments and how they will affect the Real Estate Group’s business and its clients.
• Working with the professionals in our Legal Service Delivery team (including Process Improvement, Legal Project Management, Legal Technology, IT and Resource Management) to help develop and promote best practice in our transactional processes and in the adoption and use of appropriate tools and technology.
• Interfacing with the Group’s Marketing and Business Development team to provide legal input into client-facing initiatives and tools.

ABOUT YOU

• Experienced real estate lawyer.
• Excellent academic credentials. 
• Excellent drafting, research, analytical and problem-solving skills. 
• Highly organised and able to co-ordinate and deliver projects.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability and willingness to connect, influence and collaborate in a multi-cultural environment.
• Experience of developing knowledge resources and delivering training would be helpful, but not essential.
• Fluent in English.

We would be pleased to consider applications from individuals currently working in practice or who already have some Knowledge development experience. 

ABOUT US

DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers and business service professionals located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Our global reach ensures that we can help businesses with their legal needs anywhere in the world. We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality, service excellence and value to our clients and offering practical and innovative legal solutions to help them succeed. Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies, as well as government and public sector bodies.

OUR VALUES

In everything we do connected with our People, our Clients and our Communities, we live by these values:

• Be Supportive – we are compassionate and inclusive, valuing diversity and acting thoughtfully
• Be Collaborative – we are proactive, passionate team players investing in our relationships
• Be Bold – we are fearless and inquisitive, challenging ourselves to think big and find creative new solutions
• Be Exceptional – we are strategic and driven, exceeding standards and expectations

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

At DLA Piper, diversity and inclusion underpins how we live our values and everything we do. We believe that everyone has a voice, and that everyone’s voice counts. We know that the rich diversity across our firm makes us stronger, more innovative and creative, which helps us to better serve our clients and communities. We are committed to providing an inclusive working environment and culture across our global firm, where everyone can bring their authentic self to work.

Diversity of perspective, thought, background and culture combine to make us the leading global law firm; that’s why we actively seek to build balanced teams. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people – however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.

HYBRID WORKING

We recognise that people have responsibilities and interests outside of their career and that as a business, we all benefit from working flexibly. That’s why we are open to discussing with candidates the different ways in which we are able to support requests for agile working arrangements.

PRE-ENGAGEMENT SCREENING

In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits and where relevant, we will conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and work-related references.