Real Estate - Associate

What we will offer

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We will offer you a place where you can be yourself and where there are no limits on what you can achieve. With us, you can take ownership of your career and have honest conversations throughout. You would join an ambitious firm with a clear strategy for profitable growth where you can get early responsibility. Here you can expect a competitive and fair reward as well as recognition based on all round performance. This forms part of our internal promise to you, The Deal, between the firm and its employees.

You can expect:

• A Competitive salary and a host of family friendly policies
• Life assurance, private health and central care for you and your family
• A range of flexible benefits including gym discount and retail vouchers
• Tech, cycle and electric car schemes
• The opportunity to support the firm's charity through volunteering leave
• A wellbeing strategy that focuses on preventative measures to maintain overall health, and tools and support for when we experience physical or mental difficulties. The strategy focuses on four pillars: physical, emotional, financial and social aspects.

Team Structure

With expertise and broad experience in every kind of commercial and residential property transaction, the firm's real estate practice advises both domestic and international clients. These clients include major property companies, institutional investors, developers, banks, hotel groups, public sector organisations, and corporate occupiers.

This role is part of a 40-strong team in London, comprising highly committed, top legal talent, including 8 partners and over 20 associates. The team has extensive experience in investment acquisitions and disposals, landlord/tenant, financings and refinancings, development projects (including planning and environmental advice), sale and leasebacks and other structures, and general commercial real estate management matters.

We also offer wider services to our real estate clients by working closely with our finance, tax, corporate, property litigation, and construction teams in other practice groups.

Main Responsibilities

• Extensive legal commercial real estate experience, including investment acquisitions and disposals, landlord/tenant and asset management, and ideally development.
• Experience of working on more complex investment buying and selling, landlord and tenant, and ideally development work for demanding clients.
• Demonstrable experience of responding quickly and effectively to client requests and of holding their own in challenging conversations and negotiations.

Most of our roles are hybrid, meaning that colleagues benefit from working in our office and remotely. We are happy to discuss this and other flexible working arrangements with you as part of the application and interview process.

Attributes/Skills Required

• Extensive legal commercial real estate experience, including investment acquisitions and disposals, landlord/tenant and asset management, and ideally development.
• Experience of working on more complex investment buying and selling, landlord and tenant, and ideally development work for demanding clients.
• Demonstrable experience in responding quickly and effectively to client requests and holding their own in challenging conversations and negotiations.
• Demonstrates the Stephenson Harwood values of individuality, commitment, teamwork, and straight talking.
• Ambitious self-starter with a strong desire to take on responsibility and play a key role in developing the firm's real estate practice.
• Exhibits an understanding of the firm's position in the market and how it distinguishes its services from competitors.
• Cooperative and collaborative approach, with the ability to develop excellent working relationships at all levels and roles.
• Organised, with the ability to manage own workload and lead a transaction with little partner support, including delegating to more junior lawyers.
• Keen interest in client management and client development.
• Willingness to fit into an existing team and help other team members when the need arises.
• Proficiency in legal technology tools, including expertise in DocuSign and other digital document management systems.

This job description is indicative only and does not represent an exhaustive list of responsibilities. The firm reserves the right to alter or change the responsibilities at any time, in line with the firm's strategy and business needs.

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to having a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, culture or any other protected characteristics. We aim to create a culture where everyone can be themselves and is valued for their strengths and unique perspectives.

About the Firm

With 8 offices worldwide and with our headquarters based in London, Stephenson Harwood is a law firm where our people are committed to achieving the goals of our clients - listed and private companies, institutions, and individuals across the globe. Our mix of expertise and culture results in a combination of deep local insight and the capability to provide a seamless international service.

Our experience encompasses corporate, commercial litigation and arbitration, employment, pensions and private wealth, finance, marine and international trade, and real estate and projects.

We assemble teams of bright thinkers to match our clients' needs and give the right advice from the right person at the right time. Dedicating the highest calibre of legal talent to overcome the most complex issues, we deliver pragmatic, expert advice that is set squarely in the real world.

We understand the power of diversity in delivering that high calibre advice to our clients. We want to attract diverse talent and we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented demographics.

Our values:

Individuality- We encourage creativity and develop talent

Commitment- To be the best and deliver the highest standard

Teamwork- We work together to build close, long-term relationships

Straight talking- We say what we mean and do what we say

These values express the personality of the individuals within our firm. They are the behaviours we encourage in our people and the standards which inform our decisions and actions.

Our vision into 2026

To be a successful firm where talented people work together in an entrepreneurial environment, building long term client relationships.

This vision is about who we want to be, as well as who we are. It is as much about our values as about our character - the attributes we want to see from all of our people. It also reflects the importance of remaining independent - a clear sign that we are confident in our own future. That's how we unlock our entrepreneurial spirit, advising our clients with top performing teams.

A key part of the 2026 strategy is to focus on five core sectors: decarbonisation, life sciences, private capital & funds, technology, and transportation & trade. These have been identified as crucial in the drive for accelerated profitable growth.