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Senior Associate - Real Estate (Investment & Development)

Employer
Trowers & Hamlins
Location
Exeter, Devon
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
23 Dec 2022

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Vacancy Type
Solicitors – Private Practice
Contract Type
Permanent
Practice Area
Real Estate
Experience Level
5+ yrs PQE
Role Classification
Lawyer

Job Details

Trowers & Hamlins is a City-led, international and national law firm with over 160 partners and 950 staff. With offices across the UK, Middle East and Asia, we provide a full-service integrated offering.

Our clients operate in diverse industry sectors such as construction, transport and infrastructure, banking and financial services, distribution and logistics, education and health, hotels and leisure, defence, engineering and surveying, charities, retail and energy and natural resources. We also act for many high net worth individuals.

We are different and we believe it is our people that make us unique. We expect and respect that you and your talents are too. The truth is we don't prescribe who you are or how you ought to be. It's what you can do that interests us most.

While the work on offer is rewarding and often complex, the qualities we look for are simple. The ability to get on with people from all walks of life, for example. To talk and to listen. To develop the sorts of relationships that mean you win the friendship and loyalty of clients and colleagues alike. In short, to connect. These are the characteristics our people all have in common. They are vital, as is the drive and imagination to use your unique talents to the full. We will help you in this. In fact, we will support you in every way we can.

Who we are:

Real Estate is a key focus of our business.  From investment and management of existing assets to major development and regeneration schemes, about 60% of our lawyers practice full-time in the sector across a wide range of disciplines including investment, finance, development, construction, asset management, planning, environmental and dispute resolution.  We are ranked by The Lawyer as having one of the UK's Top 15 Real Estate practices overall. 

The team

From large scale investment and regeneration to local housing, our thinking extends beyond the day-to-day delivery of transactional and advisory legal services - we provide our clients with fresh thinking and commercially driven solutions.  Our multidisciplinary real estate team advises on investment and development across commercial, retail, residential and mixed-use real estate, with a strong inward investment practice.

Based in the firm's second biggest UK office, the Exeter Real Estate Team currently includes 47 fee earners. The team undertake a very wide range of property projects advising on large mixed use development schemes and regeneration projects. We provide our clients with fresh thinking and commercial driven solutions, working alongside colleagues in our planning and construction departments.    The team has recently won 'Property Law Firm of the Year' at the Business Insider South West Property Awards 2021.

What you'll do:

As a Senior Associate you will work in the Real Estate, Investment and Development Practice, working closely with the Partners in assisting with the supervision and running of the team whilst engaged in work across a wide spectrum of property projects and advice, with a particular focus on residential development and strategic land / land promotion for a range of clients including regional residential developers, promoters and landowners.  In particular this role will provide an opportunity for the successful candidate to broaden their knowledge in areas of law which link heavily with residential development projects and land promotion including planning CIL, construction, rights to occupy, funding/banking and tax.  Additionally we are seeking to attract an individual who is interested in building their own profile and that of the firm, in the South West property market through supporting Partner Nicholas Burt in focused business development activities. Nicholas also leads Trowers and Hamlins Strategic Land Group national, and there will be opportunities to assist with the development and growth of that Group.   

Depending on experience the successful candidate will be responsible for, and take a lead role in, smaller residential and commercial development files including sites for regional house builders and other private sector clients.  Engagement in schemes will run from promotion / pre planning stage, through acquisition (likely to be by way of option or conditional contract), to site build out and disposal including estate set up in anticipation of open market plot disposals (in conjunction with our plot sales team) and negotiating sales to RPs and social housing providers by way of golden brick agreement and / or turn-key delivery.

There will also be opportunities to engage and assist with larger regeneration schemes and projects (with elements of mixed use / tenure including both PRS/BTR and more traditional commercial uses.

Some of the team's recent transactions include acting for a national promoter in taking promotion agreements over four sites.   Acting for a residential developer on the acquisition of a development site by way of the purchase of the entire issued capital in the promotion company that held the site, and numerous option and conditional contracts for regional house builders.

Principal responsibilities

  • Engaging  in the acquisitions of development sites for residential and mixed use schemes for private sector developers and housing providers on a cradle to grave basis including working with specialist teams within the wider real estate team;
  • Assisting on land acquisitions and disposals including by way of promotion agreements and conditional and unconditional contracts;
  • Advising on overage arrangements;
  • Negotiating sales or acquisitions by RPs and social housing providers by way of golden brick agreement and / or turn-key delivery;
  • Acting for both lenders and borrowers on development site acquisition arrangements;
  • Assisting with a range of security papers including legal charges, deeds of postponement / priority, step in arrangements and tripartite deeds of adherence (or similar);
  • Investigating legal title and reporting on search results;
  • Drafting and negotiating a range of ancillary documents including development transfers, overage deeds, deeds of grant easements, deeds of release / surrender of easements and statutory agreements including S104 Agreements and S38 / S278 Agreements;
  • Setting up the legal pack for sales of shared ownership properties and open market plot sales for developers;
  • Delivering training sessions and seminars to clients;
  • Legal research;
  • Running own files and ensuring compliance with Lexcel procedures;
  • Active participation in client and business development activities;
  • Building and maintaining effective client relationships;
  • Promote, engage in, and helping to deliver training sessions and seminars to clients;
  • Comply with core competencies as appropriate to level of qualification; and
  • Attend and participate in firm-wide and departmental training sessions.

What you'll need:

The firm has a Career Development Framework which sets out the competencies we expect of those at Senior Associate grade.  In particular, for this role we require:

  • Excellent technical skills and innovative approach to their application;
  • Proven ability to take on responsibility, manage and progress matters independently where appropriate;
  • Strong client focus and service delivery;
  • Drive and enthusiasm;
  • Commercial awareness;
  • Credibility;
  • Flexibility and can do attitude;
  • Aptitude for business development;
  • Substantial client management experience;
  • Proven track record and aptitude in origination/business development;
  • Solid academic record;
  • Qualified solicitor with 6+ PQE and proven expertise in real estate;

As part of our firm recruitment policy our candidates are subject to employment screening background checks. These checks include personal details, education and employment history, professional qualifications and credit and criminal checks as appropriate.

Trowers & Hamlins is an equal opportunities employer and values diversity and inclusion. All applications will be considered on merit and the applicant's suitability to meet the requirements of the role and will be treated equally irrespective of Ethnicity, Gender (including Trans and non-binary) Race, Disability, Religion and sexual orientation.

Company

Trowers & Hamlins is a City-led, international and national law firm with over 130 partners and 830 staff located across the UK, Middle East and Far East, we provide a full-service integrated offering.

Our clients operate in diverse industry sectors such as construction, transport and infrastructure, banking and financial services, distribution and logistics, education and health, hotels and leisure, defence, engineering and surveying, charities, retail and energy and natural resources. We also act for many high net worth individuals.

We are different and we believe it is our people that make us unique. We expect and respect that you and your talents are too. The truth is we don't prescribe who you are or how you ought to be. It's what you can do that interests us most.

While the work on offer is rewarding and often complex, the qualities we look for are simple. The ability to get on with people from all walks of life, for example. To talk and to listen. To develop the sorts of relationships that mean you win the friendship and loyalty of clients and colleagues alike. In short, to connect. These are the characteristics our people all have in common. They are vital, as is the drive and imagination to use your unique talents to the full. We will help you in this. In fact, we will support you in every way we can.

Company info
Website
Telephone
+44 (0)20 7423 8000
Location
3 Bunhill Row
London
EC1Y 8YZ
GB

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