Partner Manjit Virdee joined Schofield Sweeney in 2005 and now heads up one of the biggest Real Estate teams in Yorkshire. He shares a day in his life with The Brief.

Early starts

I like to get up early and get ahead of the day, so I’m usually up between 4.30 and 5am. I open up my laptop and get a couple of hours’ work done before anyone else is awake, reviewing what my day and the rest of the week has in store for me – because it's always changing!

I very rarely work from home as I prefer the buzz of one of our busy offices, whether that is Leeds or Bradford.

I make sure anything urgent is dealt with or I make time to deal with it. I very rarely work from home as I prefer the buzz of one of our busy offices, whether that is Leeds or Bradford.

If I’m heading to the Leeds office I will often drop my youngest son at college en-route, and get to my desk for about 8.30am.

In the office

You could say that every day is different, but also the same. I very much have an open-door policy, so the result is that my office is a hub of activity between nine and five. I like to be really accessible for the whole team – to support junior solicitors and be available and supported by senior solicitors.

People pop in to speak to me, whether it is an issue on files, because they want clarity or a second opinion on an aspect of a transaction, or because we are working on jobs together and we need to convene to discuss next steps.

Picking up the phone

Spending time with clients is one of my favourite parts of the job – managing and maintaining the strong relationships. I love developing new business and I have a particular focus on property banking clients.

I think there is a bit of a lost art in people picking up the phone to have a discussion and agree terms and key points.

I do a lot to bring new clients on board, for my team and the firm in general. On transactional matters I think there is a bit of a lost art in people picking up the phone to have a discussion and agree terms and key points.

I am not afraid to say I don’t know everything, and if the solicitors on the other side can teach me something new then that’s great, but I always want to understand everything clearly and why they do a job a certain way. Having direct conversations makes that a whole lot easier.

Intense year in Yorkshire

The last year or so has been quite intense in the real estate market in West Yorkshire. With Bradford being the City of Culture, and seeing a number of landmark projects come to fruition, this has really boosted the market.

There’s also major regeneration going on in Huddersfield town centre and, as ever, there has been a lot of activity Leeds, as one of the UK’s biggest and most vibrant cities, so for our team it has been a really busy and exciting time.

My focus

I started out in family law but soon realised it wasn’t the right fit for me, so I joined Schofield Sweeney to concentrate on real estate. We’ve now got one of the biggest real estate teams in the region, with more than 30 fee earners, and we’re still growing.

Developing the team is a big focus for me and a real source of pride. We have regular team meetings in each office looking at new billing opportunities.

Once a quarter we get everyone together to have a full debrief and presentation on where we are in terms of profitability, opportunities and successes.

Team members share anything that they've learned and want to share with the team, and there’s plenty of discussion on compliance topics. And then once a quarter we get everyone together to have a full debrief and presentation on where we are in terms of profitability, opportunities and successes.

I think that’s hugely important because it gives everyone a sense of ownership and reinforces the fact we are all part of the team, with important contributions. Of course, it is also great to have a bit of lunch together and have a general catch-up. Those social bonds are very important for us.

I’m also on the Executive Board for the firm and we have regular inter-team meetings to ensure we are maximising our cross-selling opportunities. For example, we might need to work closely with the corporate team on a transaction.

Building the business profile

Part of my role involves working closely with our marketing team, particularly marketing director Ann-Marie Keighley and business development manager Darren Francis, in making sure we are maximising opportunities for the whole business.

Schofield Sweeney is a very well-known firm in West Yorkshire now, and in Bradford in particular, where we started. We recently launched the Bradford Professionals Network, which brought 200 key business leaders and organisations together in the stunning new Bradford Live venue.

We believe it is so important to be the conduit that brings the business community together to network, share experiences and expertise and just boost the city as a whole.

And for several years now we have run an event in Leeds, called Top of the Props, which is primarily aimed at our property and corporate clients. Again, it brings together about 150 agents, surveyors, bankers, architects and other clients, and is a great opportunity for them to meet our team, have a have a few drinks and some nibbles.

I’d like to say I go to the gym after work, but… What I do always make time for is my family.

We always get a great turnout, and these events are invaluable for cross-selling and networking, but also just bringing the human side of the business across and getting to know people on a more personal level.

I do like to get involved in the planning of these events to make sure they are as good as they can be and serve their purpose.

End of the day

After five o'clock it does calm down a little – it’s the time when, once again, I can get my head down and focus for a couple of hours. I generally stay in the office till about 6.30 to 7.00pm – and on Thursdays, nine times out of ten, there'll be an event that I need to attend.

I’d like to say I go to the gym after work, but… What I do always make time for is my family. My sons are 17 and 20 so we make sure we get time to sit down together, and we manage to eat together most evenings.

My wind down is reading – whether that’s a book or comics and graphic novels, which is a bit of a hobby. But I also love to just listen to some music, watch a bit of TV – reruns of The Big Bang Theory or Everybody Loves Raymond go down really well to help me relax – they’re very funny and I know all the lines!

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