Background
Outer Temple Chambers engaged Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Property & IT Manager to oversee its property, facilities, IT and support services. The primary responsibilities included managing Chambers' premises and IT infrastructure, cost management, and ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations. The role also involved liaising with landlords, managing agents and service providers so that clients, barristers and staff experienced a well-run set of Chambers.
The brief called for a candidate with exceptional organisational skills, strategic insight and the ability to maintain high standards in a fast-paced legal environment. Barristers' chambers are a distinctive setting for a facilities role: the building serves self-employed members as well as employed staff, client-facing standards are high, and the person in this seat is expected to solve problems without being asked.
The Challenge
The difficulty was finding one person who could integrate into the particular environment of Outer Temple Chambers and cover a broad range of duties well. The ideal candidate needed to:
- Advise on strategic property management to maximise efficiency and cost savings.
- Oversee the maintenance, presentation and operational aspects of Chambers' premises.
- Manage IT and telephony services to support all members and staff.
- Conduct effective negotiations with landlords and service providers.
- Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations and manage the related documentation.
- Provide support services with a proactive, solutions-oriented approach.
Combined property and IT roles are harder to fill than either discipline alone. Candidates from a facilities background often lack confidence with IT and telephony; those from an IT background rarely have experience of landlord negotiations or health and safety documentation. The search had to find someone credible in both.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens assessed candidates against every element of the brief rather than the property side alone: strategic property advice, premises upkeep and presentation, IT and telephony management, commercial negotiation, health and safety compliance, and the service mindset the Chambers environment demands. The aim was a shortlist of people who could take on the whole remit, not a strong facilities manager who would need IT support bolted on later.
The Outcome
The appointment of the new Property & IT Manager led to significant improvements for Outer Temple Chambers:
- Improved efficiency. Strategic management and optimisation of property and IT resources.
- Cost savings. Successful negotiations and cost-effective management produced significant savings.
- Better client experience. High standards of maintenance and presentation improved client and member satisfaction.
- Reliable operations. Robust IT and support services kept day-to-day operations running smoothly.
Why This Placement Worked
The role was recruited as it actually operates: a single appointment spanning property, IT and support services in a client-facing legal setting. Defining it that way from the start, and assessing against the full breadth, is what produced a candidate able to deliver on all of it.
If you are recruiting a combined property, facilities and IT role for chambers or another professional practice, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach candidates who genuinely cover it. Get in touch with our team.