Solicitor – Real Estate (3-5 years PQE)

Birmingham London
Permanent
Full-time

14 days ago

Devonshires has been based in the City of London for more than 150 years. From our offices in
London, Leeds and Colchester we provide legal services to clients throughout the UK.
We are recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers UK as a medium-sized niche firm specialising in
construction, commercial litigation, corporate, employment, projects and property legal services to
clients based throughout the United Kingdom.
Our main client base is Registered Providers and the firm is ranked Tier 1 for its work in social
housing. We also act for a number of private developers and investments funds. Over the past few
years, we have grown significantly and now have over 300 staff across four offices and a growing
international reach.The Team
Real Estate (and particularly real estate development) is at the heart of Devonshires' business.
Within the Team, there are 15 dedicated partners working on a wide variety of property transactions
with a broad range of clients from registered providers of social housing and care homes, through to
pension funds, build to rent operators and private developers, acting on sites and developments
from a handful of units to thousands. Due to the size and nature of the transactions Devonshires are
involved in, deals are often reported in both the industry and national press with some of our
transactions nominated for awards.Job Purpose
The role will specialise in site acquisition and development projects for our clients. The role will
cover a full range of property related legal issues from negotiating development agreements,
conditional contracts and advising on potential title problems through to legal completion.
The role will also include an opportunity to provide support on property aspects of larger projects
such as joint ventures, leisure projects, regeneration projects and care.
An important part of the role is to provide direct support and assistance to two partners within the
team, whilst also contributing more widely to the team and its growth.1Main Duties and Responsibilities of the Role

Responsible for the day to day running of files to include, but not limited, to:
reporting on development searches
drafting full reports on title and proposing potential solutions for title issues;
reviewing section 106 agreements and planning consents (desirable but not

essential);

drafting, negotiating and reporting on development agreements, particularly those

with PLC housebuilders;

drafting and negotiating plot/block/phase leases and transfers;
an understanding of structuring transactions with reference to SDLT and VAT;
dealing with deeds of easements and deeds of release;
conditional contracts and option agreements.

To keep clients constantly updated with progress and meeting their deadlines;
To organise and maintain tidy and accurate files, both in hard copy and electronically;
To meet fee targets;
To develop and grow client relationships;
To provide support and supervision to other fee earners across the team and to share

knowledge as and when required;

To follow department procedures, the Solicitors' accounts rules and the Firm's policies and

procedures as detailed in the Office Manual, including LEXCEL;

Undertake such duties and tasks that are appropriate for the role of Solicitor such as

changes in information systems and new technology as may reasonably be required;

To take on an active role and responsibility for training and developing fee earners.

Person Specification
Attributes and Skills Required

You will have between 3 - 5 years' PQE as a real estate solicitor with experience of site

acquisition and development work;

You will have a strong academic background, ideally gaining a 2:1 at degree level;
Previous experience dealing with development matters is required;
You will enjoy client contact and have excellent communication skills, both written and

verbal;

Ability to prioritise workload to increase efficiency;
You will be commercially aware, proactive and able to convey clear and concise information

to clients and external organisations, which will not compromise the practice or the firm;

A high attention to detail to produce work and 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;

You will be happy to undertake work with minimal supervision;

To be familiar with Word, Outlook and Internet applications;
Familiarity with Registered Providers would be an advantage but is by no means necessary.

If you would like further details or wish to apply for this position please email your CV and covering letter direct
to and complete the diversity monitoring questionnaire which can be
accessed by
All recruiters must submit their candidates' CV via our HR team or using the recruitment inbox listed
above. Only HR can agree terms of business with third parties, provide the appropriate privacy notice
to be shared with candidates and ensure that the firm maintains its commitments to LEXCEL,
ISO27001 and Equality Diversity & Inclusion.
Devonshires Solicitors LLP is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and to providing a
workplace free from discrimination and harassment. As such all job applicants, employees, partners and third
parties who come into contact with us, will receive equal treatment, regardless of age, disability, gender re-
assignment, marriage and civil partnership, trade union activities, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or
belief, sex or sexual orientation. We welcome applications from groups where we are currently under-
represented. For this reason, we ask that all candidates complete the in
complete confidence for statistical purposes in order that we can effectively monitor how well our Diversity
procedures are working. To review our policies on Diversity & Inclusion and Dignity at Work please visit our

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