A day in the life of Joe, Commercial Property Solicitor

What does a Commercial Property Solicitor get up to during a working day? 

“I wake up as early as I can (although I must say I am not a morning person!), have breakfast and spend some time with my young daughter before heading to my office.  I work from home so my commute is thankfully only a few steps!

I set reminders in my calendar for each matter I deal with.  I set the reminders to notify me every 5 days on each matter.  The first thing I do is check each matter that I have a reminder in for that day.  This enables me to keep organised with all my matters and also ensures that I am proactive in driving each of my transactions forward and keeping the client up-to-date. 

Once I have dealt with all of my reminders, I then review and respond to the emails I have received overnight or over the weekend.  There can often be quite a few to deal with.

Whilst I am dealing with my reminders, emails or work generally I will receive numerous calls with clients, colleagues and other solicitors or professionals.  Calls can often take up a large part of my day. 

Once I have dealt with my reminders and overnight emails, I will start working on the main jobs I have on my list at any one time.  This will involve things such as:

1. Drafting or reviewing and amending a lease, rent deposit deed, contract or other documents;
2. Reviewing documentation received from a landlord or seller’s solicitor, raising enquiries with the solicitor about the documentation received and updating the client;
3. Responding to enquiries received from another solicitor (including taking instructions from the client);
4. Ordering or reviewing property searches;
5. Preparing a detailed report for a client;
6. Preparing a matter for exchange of contracts or completion; or
7. Dealing with an application to the Land Registry.

This will generally take me through the rest of the day (and often into the evening) whilst also still responding to emails and telephone calls.  I will also squeeze in time to have a sandwich whilst working (and possibly check the Sky Sports website for any updates on the much hoped for sale of Newcastle United!).  If the day has been a particularly productive one I will also try and fit in watching a webinar to ensure I am up-to-date with my professional development.”