Working in property law is never boring and becoming a property lawyer apprentice is a great way to kickstart your career. Within property law, you deal with a wide range of property transactions including sale, purchase, re-mortgage, new builds, shared ownership properties and other schemes. You also deal with a wide variety of people including your clients, estate agents, other solicitors, property investors and more.

Here is a normal week for a property apprentice at Attwells Solicitors:

Monday

– I review my emails and post that has come in over the weekend. I complete all the small jobs and make a to-do list of jobs that require more consideration and time. I think about the priorities for today and the week.

– I spend time on the phone talking to estate agents and clients and updating them on the transaction as well as answering questions. We get a lot of calls on Monday as people have discussed items over the weekend or reviewed documents.

– My manager and I spend the afternoon learning new steps in the conveyancing transaction this week the focus is on mortgages. I learn how to review them and report them to the client. I also learn what I need to check in the offer and what I should report to the lender if anything.

Tuesday

– I complete some of my longer to-do list tasks these could include; reviewing legal documents and reporting on the content to clients, drafting contracts and getting paperwork ready on sale files to send to buyers.

– I focus on doing as many mortgage offer reports as this can help me practice what I learned yesterday.

– I review my emails and answer any clients and complete and 5 min jobs.

– I have a meeting with a client to help sign documents and answer any questions they may have.

Wednesday

– This is the day we focus on checking our property files and making sure they are progressing. I help call other solicitors, clients and lenders to check that they have received any items that we have sent and ask when we may get a response. I note and file the outcome of the calls so the property lawyer will know what is going on with the file.

– I spend the afternoon working on my training portfolio as this is evidence of the work I have done to show that I am gaining the experience needed to become a licenced conveyancer. Today I reviewed a property title document and drafted a report to my client. My supervisor has reviewed it and offered feedback which I am noting in my portfolio.

Thursday

– Today I take a step back on helping the conveyancing team and work on my studies. I log in online and complete a module in my contract law section. If I get stuck I can request the assistance of my online tutor.

Friday 

– A lot of people choose to move house on Friday so I manage the completions for some of the team. This includes monitoring the files for when money is received and calling the relevant people to let them know they have completed. I call the client and let them know they can pick up their keys which is my favourite part. I then complete the paperwork following completion which on purchase includes filing a stamp duty return with HMRC.

– In the afternoon once hopefully everyone has moved into their new homes I complete tasks such as answering some questions the buyer’s solicitor has raised and reviewing searches and mortgages and reporting to clients.

If you are interested in becoming a property lawyer please message charlotte.reason@attwells.com or apply via our apprenticeships page https://attwells.com/apprenticeships/