Property Seats - Trainee Q&A - Charles Russell Speechleys

At Charles Russell Speechlys we’re a full-service international law firm and have a strong Property focused practice across all our UK offices. We spoke with 3 of our trainees in our Real Estate, Private Property and Real Estate Disputes teams to hear more about their experiences in their seat so far:

Will Payne – Real Estate in our London office

Bella Stuart-Bourne – Real Estate Disputes in our Guildford office

Clare Mallein – Private Property in our Cheltenham office

What kind of work does the team do?

Will – In the London office, there is a strong focus on general commercial Real Estate, a planning sub team and a regeneration sub team. In Cheltenham they also have a focus on ‘strategic land’. Real Estate is one of the larger teams at the firm, meaning the work can be just as large scale. Plus as a first seat trainee this has meant I have substantial peer support not only in London but across the offices. 

Bella – I’m currently sitting in Real Estate Disputes (RED) – we pick up when any property related dispute arises and the work is really varied. All the properties are situated in the UK, however, some of the clients are based overseas or hold international assets so this can add a complex angle. This can result in opportunities for our team to refer our clients to one of our international offices. 

Clare – The Private Property team technically sits in the ‘Private Client’ division, unlike Real Estate and Real Estate Disputes, but there are a lot of similarities. We deal with the buying and selling of large estates and properties on behalf of typically high net worth individual clients. The clients are fascinating and in the Cheltenham office, the property is often farmland or rural estates so there is often a lot of estate management work that goes along with that.  

What kind of tasks are you involved with as a trainee?

Clare – I have typically been involved with Land Registry requisitions and drafting various types of legal documents such as contracts for sale, transfer deeds, commercial leases and assured shorthold tenancies, as well as reports to clients (for example on the terms of a mortgage). I’ve done some interesting research pieces recently that particularly have an impact on the types of clients we get in the Cheltenham office. For example, investigating hunting rights, titles, and easements that may already exist over a piece of land. 

Will – From drafting agreements and enquiries to actually visiting sites, I have done every aspect of the work. In the Regeneration team we often act for house builders, so a lot of our work is acquisition based and focused on getting a site ready and building built, then drafting the contracts of sale. I’ve also got up to speed on land registry and requisition applications pretty quickly!  

Bella – I’m involved in a whole range of matters, from boundary disputes and possession claims, to ‘rights of light’ agreements and high value dilapidations claims. A typical day might include drafting a letter to the court, calling a client to update them on their matter, undertaking legal research, drafting an advice note for a client, incepting matters and completing client due diligence, creating bundles, and calling the Land Registry – just a few of the many tasks I am busy with! 

What is the pace of the work like?

Bella – Any disputes-based team will have hearings and court interactions come in peaks and troughs, and our team is no different. Court deadlines keep us on our toes, but when we are not working to meet these, we are kept just as busy by, for example, progressing settlement matters or preparing advice notes for clients. Some days are fast-paced and exciting, whilst others are quieter, providing space to knuckle down on other matters; every day is different.

Will – Real Estate is very fast paced – there’s always things to do. Sometimes you’ll be chasing matters and have them all come back at the same time so it’s important to be able to juggle your workload and prioritise.

Clare – The pace is fast in Private Property too, so you are constantly shifting your priorities around. It’s great as you get stuck in really quickly and the team are so nice and supportive.  

What has surprised you so far?

Will – I didn’t expect Real Estate to be so varied! I’m juggling a range of tasks and matters and that is enjoyable. I could be dealing with a sale of land worth £25 million, or a licence worth £2,000 and the work is all bespoke depending on the client needs. There is also a huge amount of client contact, for example I spoke to a client on the phone this morning.

Clare – By and large a lot of the properties we are looking at are in the millions - these are not standard sales.

Bella – I chose to do this seat, so I hoped to like it, but it is a pleasant surprise just how much I am enjoying the mix of work! 

Which matter have you enjoyed working on the most?

Will – I went on a site visit last Monday. As a lawyer you can often be at your desk but I loved the hard hats and high vis jacket - there is a real tangible nature to Real Estate which it makes it really exciting. Afterwards, I reviewed my notes and actions and this was more enjoyable because of the clear picture in my mind. 

Clare – I’ve enjoyed some of the more unusual particularly related to the estate management work we do. The variety has hugely appealed as there’s a great mix of things going on. I’ve also got a high level of responsibility where I’m directly involved in clients – they’ve got some fascinating backgrounds.

Bella – Got to attend a meeting with a prospective witness in a professional negligence claim relating to our clients' contracts to purchase leasehold properties. In this meeting, it was highly charged, and several shocking revelations were made. It felt like we were in a TV drama and so exciting to be involved with!