Practice area Development and new build recruitment.
Wilson Mannion recruits senior new build solicitors, residential property fee earners, plot sales executives and completion teams for UK law firms. We look at how each role copes with a developer's timetable.
How do you hire for residential property and new build?
New build is not resale with a different brochure. Reservations, completion windows and developer panels all run to the developer's timetable, and the people who do well at it are not always the people who do well on a steady high street caseload.
We ask how a candidate handled a developer's deadline, how many plots they ran at once and what happened when a site slipped. Then we tell you who has done it and who has only read about it.
We also recruit the people around the fee earners: plot sales executives and the completion teams who keep the files moving.
What we ask first
- How many plots or units move through the team at once?
- Which developers and panels does the firm act for?
- Is the role a senior fee earner, a supervisor or a plot sales executive?
- How are completion dates managed when a site slips?
- What team sits around the role?
What should you look for in a new build or residential role?
New build suits people who like pace and structure. If you prefer long, varied matters, it may not suit you. We tell you which kind of role a firm is offering before you spend a day on an interview.
A senior new build solicitor should expect questions on caseload, developer relationships and how they supervise. We prepare you for those and for the offer.
Plot sales executives and completion team members get the same first call. Tell us what you do now and what you want next.
What we ask first
- Which developers does the team act for?
- How many plots will I run, and with what support?
- Who sets completion dates and handles slippage?
- Is any of the pay tied to completions?
- What is the route up from here?
What do our live adverts pay?
One bar per advert, today. Pay moves with experience, location and working pattern.
- Residential Development Solicitor, NQ–3 PQE£65,000 to £73,000
- Residential Development Solicitor / Legal Executive, 3–5 PQE£65,000 to £75,000
Which development and new build roles are open now?
Questions on development and new build recruitment.
Straight answers.
What is the difference between new build and resale conveyancing?
New build transactions run to a developer's timetable and use the developer's documents and panel arrangements, so the work is more structured and more pressured around reservations and completion windows. Resale is more varied and depends on the chain.
Do you recruit plot sales executives?
Yes. We place plot sales executives and the completion and support teams around the fee earners.
Can a resale conveyancer move into new build?
Sometimes. Some firms want direct developer experience and some will train the right person. We tell you which is which before you apply.
Do you have senior new build solicitor roles?
We advertise senior new build roles from time to time, and they appear in our live roles. Salary and working pattern are on every advert.
Does it cost the lawyer anything?
No. Firms pay us. By law, a recruitment agency cannot charge a candidate for finding them work, and we would not want to.
What should I read on development and new build?
- Ghost jobs: how to tell a real legal vacancy from a CV trapA ghost job is an advert for a role that nobody is trying to fill, often posted to collect CVs. You can usually spot one by wha...
- How long is a solicitor's notice period, and can it be shortened?Your contract sets it. The legal minimum is only one week once you have been in the job a month, and solicitor contracts can ru...
- How many live files is too many? Conveyancer caseloads explainedThere is no official number of live files that is too many for a conveyancer. The right figure depends on the type of work, the...
Related practice areas.
Tell us what you need.
Pick a time that suits you. A 30-minute discovery meeting for firms, a 20-minute confidential call for lawyers.