Senior Associate / Legal Director - Commercial Real Estate

Firm Overview

Birketts LLP is a prominent UK Top 50 law firm with a rich 160-year history, employing over 700 legal professionals across multiple UK locations including Ipswich, Bristol, Cambridge, London, and others. The firm supports a broad client base comprising businesses, government entities, and individuals both domestic and international, offering expertise through its four core practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution, and Private Client.

Team and Work Environment

The Commercial Real Estate Team at Birketts is recognized as one of the largest and most esteemed outside London, with more than 200 lawyers firm-wide. The Ipswich office houses a dedicated team of about 25 highly experienced professionals specializing in complex real estate matters such as development, investment, financing, and tenancy.

Role Responsibilities

• Handling conditional and unconditional acquisition and disposal transactions including portfolios
• Managing secured lending deals and advising both lenders and borrowers
• Supporting landlord and tenant issues across various sectors encompassing leases, surrenders, agreements for lease, and related management matters such as licenses
• Engagement in residential and commercial development projects, including land assembly and overage agreements
• Collaboration with the corporate team on real estate aspects of asset and share transactions
• Delivering exceptional client service with professionalism and efficiency
• Maintaining and expanding client relationships contributing strategically to firm growth
• Leading, mentoring junior legal professionals to foster a supportive team atmosphere
• Participating in business development initiatives through networking and events
• Promoting and utilizing advancing technologies including AI within legal workflow

Candidate Profile

The ideal applicant is a qualified solicitor with a minimum of seven years post-qualification experience in commercial real estate from respected city, regional, or national law firms. Candidates should possess comprehensive legal knowledge combined with practical commercial acumen to tailor clear, pragmatic advice. They will demonstrate strong academic credentials, meticulous attention to detail, client management excellence, business development interest, and an aptitude for leveraging technological innovations in legal practice.

Working Model and Benefits

Birketts endorses hybrid working, expecting approximately 60% office presence balanced with 40% remote engagement. The firm offers generous benefits such as 25–30 days annual leave plus bank holidays, long-service awards, private healthcare following probation, pension schemes, profit-sharing and performance bonuses, life assurance, paid CSR days, enhanced parental leave, subsidized gym memberships, electric car schemes, and a flexible dress code.

Culture and Inclusion

Birketts values ambition, inclusion, and equal opportunity, promoting a respectful, diverse workplace free of discrimination with selection solely based on merit.