Associate - Real Estate, Development

The role

We are seeking an Associate to join the Development Team within our Real Estate Department.

This is an excellent opportunity for a commercially minded lawyer with strong technical property experience to develop their career within a highly regarded Real Estate Development practice. You will work closely with Partners, Senior Associates and colleagues across the wider firm, supporting on a broad range of high-quality development matters while building your technical expertise and client relationship skills.

You will be proactive, commercially aware and collaborative in your approach, with the ability to manage your own workload effectively and deliver a high standard of client service. You will also have opportunities to contribute to business development initiatives and support the continued success of the team.

The Real Estate Department advises on a broad range of property matters and acts for a number of well-known developers and investors, including Galliard, Ballymore and City & Docklands.

Role responsibility

You will undertake a broad range of development work, including advising developer clients on:

• Site acquisitions and disposals, including due diligence exercises, reviewing title documentation, preparing reports on title and assisting with the negotiation of transaction documentation.
• Strategic land and promotion agreements.
• Option agreements and conditional contracts.
• Overage agreements.
• Development agreements and development management arrangements.
• Sub-sales.
• Transfer of a Going Concern (TOGC) transactions.
• Affordable housing transactions.
• Property aspects of real estate finance transactions, including certificates of title, disclosures of title and related financing documentation.

In addition, you will:

• Manage your own matters and workstreams with appropriate supervision, while supporting Partners and Senior Associates on larger and more complex transactions.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships by delivering responsive, practical and commercially focused advice.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across Construction, Planning, Tax and Property Litigation to deliver seamless client service.
• Assist with due diligence exercises and transaction management throughout the lifecycle of development matters.
• Identify legal and commercial issues affecting development projects and contribute to practical, solutions-focused advice.
• Delegate effectively to Trainees and Paralegals where appropriate and assist in supporting their development.
• Participate in business development initiatives, including networking events, client presentations, articles, pitches and sector-focused activities.
• Contribute to the continued growth and success of the Development Team and wider Real Estate practice.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant legal and market developments affecting the real estate sector.

About you

To be successful in this role, you are likely to demonstrate many of the following attributes:

• Demonstrable post-qualification experience advising developers, investors or other real estate clients on a range of development matters, including those outlined above.
• Experience managing real estate transactions and supporting on more complex matters.
• Strong technical skills and the ability to analyse legal issues and provide practical, commercially focused advice.
• A good understanding of construction, planning, tax and property litigation issues affecting development projects.
• The ability to manage competing priorities effectively and take responsibility for progressing matters.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation and communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to work effectively under pressure and meet deadlines.
• A collaborative and inclusive approach to working with colleagues and clients.
• Strong client service skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with clients and contacts.
• A commercial and pragmatic approach to problem solving.
• Experience supporting and working collaboratively with Trainees, Paralegals and other junior team members.
• An interest in business development and contributing to the growth of client relationships and the wider practice.
• A genuine enthusiasm for real estate development work and a desire to continue developing technical and commercial expertise.

At Howard Kennedy we believe that everyone deserves the space to thrive. We’re committed to creating an inclusive recruitment experience that reflects the diversity of both our people and our clients.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and identities, and we’re committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and accessible to all.

We understand that every candidate’s needs are different If there’s anything we can do to make your application journey more comfortable— whether for interviews, assessments, or onboarding—please let us know. We’ll work with you to remove any barriers and ensure our recruitment process is comfortable for you. 

Contact our recruitment team at recruitment@howardkennedy.com to discuss any support you might need.

Agency Introductions

Please note that we are not accepting applications via agencies for this role at this time. Before sharing any named candidate CVs, please contact your recruitment representative. If any named CVs are sent from agencies without approval from our recruitment team, they will not be deemed valid introductions, and no agency fee will be paid.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 25 days annual holiday
• Permanent Health Insurance
• Life Assurance
• Interest free Season Ticket Loan
• Private Healthcare
• Pension Scheme
• Staff Introductory Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme

About us

With almost 200 lawyers in one location, we ensure our clients have the right team to help them get from where they are to where they want to be. We advise major corporates and institutions as well as entrepreneurial, ambitious enterprises which are often privately or family owned, or private equity backed. As well as our significant business law capability, we are one of only a few London-based law firms with a large private wealth offering. Our clients find our straightforward approach a compelling alternative to larger, less personal firms.

Whether you are an ambitious and talented individual wanting to hit the ground running from day one, or an established professional looking for a new opportunity, Howard Kennedy is the firm where you can really make it happen.

We have earned a strong reputation for our exceptional and uniquely talented people who between them deliver outstanding results for clients. In a firm of our size, our strong team dynamic creates a thriving culture of creativity and entrepreneurialism. Howard Kennedy is a pragmatic and non-hierarchical environment where success is shared, and you are proactively encouraged to thrive at your own pace.

Our distinctive culture is built on fairness and respect. Guided by the firm’s values of talk straight, think smart and be yourself, everyone in the firm holds equal value, and everyone plays their role in supporting, encouraging and inspiring colleagues to do their best work.

At the same time, we recognise and reward individualism, celebrating the diversity of our people and supporting them to grow their practice and drive their own career advancement.

As well as client work, there is opportunity to broaden your horizons at the firm with fulfilling pro bono and charity projects. We have a regular social calendar full of wellbeing activities, charitable and social events too.