Real Estate Senior Associate

Practice Area: Commercial Real Estate
PQE: 5–9 years

Overview

A leading international law firm is seeking a 5–9PQE Senior Associate to join its London Real Estate practice.

The role is focused on broad transactional real estate work, with the successful candidate advising across mainstream commercial property matters alongside the property aspects of real estate finance transactions.

This is not a specialist Real Estate Finance position. The successful candidate will remain firmly within transactional real estate, working closely with dedicated finance lawyers where property work forms part of a wider financing transaction.

The wider practice covers investment, development, joint ventures, asset management and financing-related real estate work, alongside close collaboration with Planning, Construction, Tax, Litigation, Corporate and Funds specialists.

What You’ll Do

• Advise on major commercial real estate transactions.
• Work on investment acquisitions and disposals.
• Advise on development projects.
• Handle asset management matters.
• Work on real estate joint ventures.
• Advise on the property aspects of real estate finance transactions.
• Collaborate closely with dedicated Real Estate Finance lawyers on financing matters.
• Manage an independent caseload and substantial transaction workstreams.
• Supervise and develop junior associates.
• Build and maintain direct client relationships.
• Work with institutional investors, developers, lenders and other major real estate market participants.
• Collaborate with Finance, Construction, Planning, Tax, Litigation, Corporate and Funds teams.
• Gain exposure to UK and cross-border real estate mandates.

About You

• Approximately 5–9PQE, operating at Senior Associate level or equivalent.
• Significant transactional commercial real estate experience.
• Strong exposure to investment and development work.
• Experience of asset management and joint venture matters.
• Familiarity with the property elements of real estate finance transactions.
• Comfortable working alongside finance lawyers without being a specialist finance practitioner.
• Strong technical and drafting ability.
• Able to manage transactions and an independent caseload with limited supervision.
• Experience supervising and developing junior lawyers.
• Strong project and client-management skills.
• Commercial, personable and confident dealing directly with clients.
• Strong academic background.

Candidates do not need to come exclusively from Magic Circle or US firms. Lawyers from strong City and leading regional practices will be considered where the quality and relevance of their transactional real estate experience is comparable.

Pure Real Estate Finance lawyers whose practices are focused primarily on facility agreements and finance documentation are unlikely to be suitable.

Why Apply?

• Join a large and highly regarded international Real Estate practice.
• Maintain a genuinely broad transactional workload.
• Work across investment, development, joint ventures, asset management and financing-related matters.
• Avoid being siloed into a single asset class or narrow specialist area.
• Maintain exposure to real estate finance without moving into a pure finance practice.
• Work with major institutional investors, developers and lenders.
• Benefit from strong integration with Finance, Construction, Planning, Tax, Litigation, Corporate and Funds teams.
• Gain meaningful client and project-management responsibility.
• Supervise and develop junior lawyers.
• Build the skills required for further senior progression.
• Access a strong international platform and cross-border client base.
• Approximately 1,700 chargeable-hour target.
• Flexible and agile working arrangements.
• Strong option for senior real estate lawyers seeking high-quality international work without moving into a 1,900–2,000+ hour US-firm model.