Member Article

Property in Leeds is booming again with a surge in demand for Yorkshire property lawyers  

As experts predict a massive rise in property prices and recovery of the housing market as a whole, a surge in Leeds property law jobs points to a boom here in Yorkshire.

Local recruitment consultant Douglas Scott is advising that property lawyers’ stock has risen again, and that the specialist company has over 35 new clients in Yorkshire looking for residential lawyers and conveyancers.

“We took on 15 new property roles last Friday alone,” says Douglas Scott’s head of Yorkshire, Joanne Watkinson. “Lots of lawyers left conveyancing in 2008 as the market slumped but it is back with a vengeance, and clearly not just in London and the Southeast.”

This is supported by the company’s 2013 salary and benefits benchmarker, which processed over £19m of salary data, and revealed that property and personal injury lawyers accounted for the highest paid paralegals in the UK.

As consumers gain confidence in property as a viable investment again, Jo predicts that property lawyers will soon regain the top spot in terms of demand and wages.

Government assistance for prospective housebuyers, plus a return of confidence in property as a whole, is meaning a shift - and this has already been reflected in Douglas Scott’s recruitment opportunities. “Demand for experienced conveyancers is starting to outstrip supply,” advises Jo.

This optimism is echoed by Elliot Nathan, partner at John Charcol Associates, the leading independent mortgage and remortgage advisor. “Low interest rates are encouraging people to buy,” he says. “The banks are starting to see property as a reliable investment again, particularly in comparison to badly performing ISAs and pensions. Property has always been a tangible asset and we are thankfully seeing the tide turning - people are buying again.”

Douglas Scott Legal Recruitment is an independent legal recruitment specialist operating across the whole field of legal positions, from secretaries to partners. The company has offices in Manchester, London, Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham and its clients include the UK’s leading regional, national and international law firms.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Wilson .