Associate Senior Associate Legal Director

Birketts is a full service UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based in Bristol Cambridge Chelmsford Ipswich London Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: property corporate services litigation and private client advisory.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do. RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 5th best law firm to work at in 2024.

With our ambition to succeed comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do with female partners comprising 40 of our partnership.

We have one of the best regarded and largest dedicated property teams within the country numbering over 100 specialists. Our property lawyers are particularly experienced in dealing with development and investment planning secured lending and landlord and tenant matters.

Our lawyers come from a range of backgrounds including major City practices other major national and regional firms industry and local government and include individuals with construction planning and commercial expertise. The depth and range of expertise means the team can work together in major and complex transactions on cost effective terms providing our clients with true value for money.

The team currently comprises a number ofspecialist qualified Commercial Property solicitors and Partners making us one of the largest Commercial Property teams in the East of England.

We have the strength and depth of expertise to ensure we deliver the service you would expect in respect of technical quality practical approach and timeliness of advice.

The property team has experience in all areas of contentious and noncontentious legal matters representing clients from a broad range of public and private organisations as well as individuals and senior executives and we are proud to act for sector leading clients nationwide and some of the East of Englands most important businesses and institutions.

Our team has extensive combined experience and the ideal candidate will possess experience in the following areas:

• Conditional and unconditional acquisitions and disposals
• Portfolio acquisitions disposals and management
• Secured lending transactions for lenders and borrowers
• Acting for landlords and tenants across multiple sectors in relation to:

Leases

Surrenders

Conditional and unconditional agreements for lease

Management matters such as licences to assign alter etc

• Supporting the firms corporate team with the real estate aspects of their share and asset sales and purchases
• Being an integral part of the teams business development initiatives

To join our Commercial Property team we are seeking a candidate who is a solicitor with ideally 5 years PQE experience gained within a wellregarded city regional or national firm with a welldeveloped knowledge in all areas of commercial property law.

The successful candidate will have an excellent knowledge of the law yet be able to think commercially and analytically so as to provide accurate and practical advice to company clients and high net worth individuals which is tailored to their needs with an ability to think clearly under pressure. You will also be expected to play an active role in marketing and practice development as well as providing a high level of service to existing clients.

The successful candidate will also be involved in team leadership and supervision of junior members of the team also supporting the leadership teams across all offices.

Birketts has designed a Talent Management Framework which provides a career structure that will help us develop retain and reward talented people. Promotion is based on assessment of your performance competency and achievements. Our Talent Management Framework will see you joining as a Senior Associate at 6 years PQE with the opportunity to be promoted to Legal Director / Partner over 10 years PQE or equally (depending on experience) we will consider Legal Directors or Partners for this role.

This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious commercial property lawyer to join a successful team in a growing firm which enjoys an excellent reputation and can offer good career prospects.

Qualifications/Experience

• 5 years PQE gained within a strong regional national or City firm
• Commercial landlord and tenant work knowledge
• Experience of acting for both banks and borrowers in secured lending matters
• Knowledge of providing property support as part of corporate transactions
• Strong academic background
• A high attention to detail to produce work/ documentation which is consistently of a high standard
• To have a flexible approach to work to ensure client deadlines are always met and clients are communicated with on a consistent and regular basis.
• Interest in and aptitude for business development

The information provided in relation to PQE is provided for guidance only and will not be determinative in the recruitment decision. Any applicant with more or less PQE than that mentioned in the vacancy details will be considered on their individual merits.

At Birketts our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success development and wellbeing of our colleagues helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth. Alongside a flexible and inclusive work environment we offer the following core benefits:

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays(rising with service up to a maximum of 30 days) (Senior Associate and Legal Director 30 days holiday)
• Long Service holiday award 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme 5 employer / 5 Employee)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR Day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Electric car scheme
• Agile/Hybrid Working Policy
• Dress for your Day Policy

is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. We welcome applications from people looking for flexible agile and parttime roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age disability sex race religion or belief gender reassignment marriage or civil partnership pregnancy or maternity or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all valuing the right mix of talent skills and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.