Housing Paralegals - Birmingham

Role: Housing paralegal

Duncan Lewis Solicitors is seeking a motivated and talented Housing Paralegal to join our highly regarded Housing Department. This is an excellent opportunity to develop your career with one of the UK's leading law firms, recognised by The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners as a top-tier practice and awarded Law Firm of the Year at both the 2024 LexisNexis Awards and the 2023 Modern Law Awards.

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in the City of London, Duncan Lewis Solicitors is a national, award-winning, paperless law firm with over 500 professionals nationwide. Our ethos is simple: "We give people a voice."

Our Housing Department is ranked and recommended by both The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK for its expertise in social housing matters nationwide. Recognised for its "sustained legal conviction combined with outstanding advocacy", the team advises both landlords and tenants across a broad range of housing issues, including homelessness, disrepair, unlawful eviction, succession, neighbourhood disputes and possession proceedings. The department regularly represents clients at all court levels, including the appellate courts, and has extensive experience handling housing-related judicial review matters in the High Court.

Joining Duncan Lewis means becoming part of a diverse, supportive and forward-thinking organisation where you will have the opportunity to work alongside highly experienced housing specialists, making a meaningful difference to the lives of clients facing complex housing challenges.

As a Housing Paralegal, you will play a key role in supporting clients across a broad range of housing matters, including both Legal Aid Agency funded and private client cases. You will assist with homelessness applications, disrepair claims, unlawful eviction matters, possession proceedings, tenancy disputes and housing-related judicial review cases, helping to deliver high-quality legal services to vulnerable individuals and families.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Report directly to Department Director
• Professional pro-active approach, strong client care skills and a sensitive and sympathetic understanding of clients’ needs
• Assisting with casework including dealing with a range of public and private housing cases including Homelessness; Disrepair; Eviction; Possession; Property Ownership Disputes; Unlawful eviction; Succession for Tenants; Neighbourhood Problems matters as well as undertaking your own advocacy
• Attending clients, taking instructions and preparing cases
• Dealing with correspondence
• Maintaining accurate time costing procedures
• Implementing any recommendations made by your supervisor following monthly file reviews ensuring that these are dealt with promptly
• Ensuring compliance with file management

The successful candidate will demonstrate a genuine interest in Housing Law and a commitment to delivering exceptional client service.

Essential requirements include:

• A strong academic background with a Law degree
• Demonstrate passion and experience in a broad range of publicly funded Housing Law matters.
• Legal experience as a Housing Paralegal/Advisor
• Clear understanding and application of Housing Laws
• Excellent legal research, drafting and analytical skills.
• Strong organisational and time management abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Professional, motivated and client-focused approach.
• Business acumen and the ability to market the Company
• Excellent communications skills to work effectively with all types of people
• Excellent analytical and organisational skills and ability to use own initiative but know when to seek guidance
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office and document management systems.

We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive range of benefits designed to support your professional development, wellbeing, and work-life balance, including:

• Competitive salary with structured pay review process
• Company pension scheme
• 22 days annual leave, increasing with length of service
• Additional birthday leave*
• Occupational sick pay*
• Payment of practising certificate and relevant professional membership fees*
• Access to extensive e-library resources and training webinars
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and wellbeing support
• Employee referral scheme
• Eye care vouchers
• Enhanced family-friendly benefits*
• DBS checks paid by the Company
• Flexible and hybrid working options, including part-time arrangements where appropriate
• Support for solicitor qualification and SQE1 examinations*
• Clear career progression opportunities
• Support for industry recognition, awards, and professional profile development
• Company Medical Cash Plan*

*Subject to eligibility and Company policy.

At Duncan Lewis Solicitors, we are passionate about creating an environment where talented professionals can thrive. We are proud of our diverse and inclusive workforce and are committed to providing equal opportunities for all employees.

Our long-standing Investors in People Gold Standard accreditation reflects our commitment to employee development, while our Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO 27001 certifications demonstrate our dedication to excellence, innovation and security.

We invest heavily in the growth of our people through ongoing training, mentoring, clear progression pathways and opportunities to gain industry recognition. Whether you are looking to deepen your expertise, develop leadership skills or advance your career within a nationally recognised law firm, Duncan Lewis provides the platform to help you succeed.

Join a firm where your expertise is valued, your development is supported, and your work makes a genuine difference to the lives of clients across the UK.