Job Description

Join our leading Real Estate Disputes team in Birmingham.

The role

Our Real Estate Disputes (RED) team is looking for an Associate (2 - 4 PQE) to join our Birmingham office, working alongside a close-knit team of six fee earners and with partners Richard New and Sam Maw.



Joining our Real Estate Disputes team means stepping into a role that offers variety, where you'll tackle a broad and challenging caseload. You'll work with prestigious clients including local and central government bodies, leading universities, NHS trusts, and major charities. With exposure to high-profile matters across multiple sectors, this is a fantastic opportunity to develop your career and deepen your expertise.



The team has an excellent reputation internally and externally. It has strong links and good relations with the principal property sets of counsel, particularly Falcon Chambers, Landmark Chambers, Maitland Chambers and Wilberforce Chambers and strong connections with local chambers.

The person

We're looking for someone with an excellent writing style and clear, logical drafting ability, backed by strong technical analysis and attention to detail. You'll need to demonstrate excellent time and paper management skills, along with strong communication and interpersonal abilities, and a genuine interest in helping grow the practice.



A willingness to learn and build a broad range of experience is essential, as is a proactive approach to marketing and relationship-building with clients and agents. You should have a solid commitment to real estate disputes, with high-level analytical and litigation skills and the potential to handle increasingly complex matters. A pragmatic problem-solving mindset, the ability to make a positive impression with clients and stakeholders, and a collaborative approach to working with colleagues across teams are all key to success in this role.

The activities

This role involves a stimulating mix of litigation and consultancy work, advising on a broad range of property issues including possession, forfeiture, lease renewals, rent reviews, adverse possession, rights of way, option disputes, and protestor injunctions. You'll work closely with our non-contentious real estate team to help clients proactively avoid disputes, while also representing them in the High Court, County Court, First Tier and Upper Tribunals, as well as through alternative dispute resolution methods such as arbitration and expert determination. Collaboration across the national RED team and active participation in marketing and seminar activities are also key aspects of the role.



For full details on this role, please ensure you read the job description below.


We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

The benefits

As you'd expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits.

Pre employment screening

If we offer you a role, we will conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening. This screening will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS, verification of your right to work, a three year employment history and a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our pre-screening employment process are available upon request.

The firm

Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for clients, their businesses and the wider communities we serve. Our clients and their industries benefit from our knowledge and learning, and receive consistent experiences with no surprises. We tell them what they need to know when they need to know it.



We build personal relationships, with advice individually tailored to individual need. And if clients need things we don't offer, we draw on our network to give recommendations. Our 1,250 plus people and over 750 lawyers share one vision - achieving more for clients.



By joining Mills & Reeve, you'll have the chance to build your skills and experience within a firm that's not only ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, but also one that truly values their people. Our mantra is "Achieve more. Together.", which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase! We're also ranked in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, and were recently awarded Platinum Investors in People.

and finally

Everyone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm. We encourage everyone to ask if they feel they need any workplace adjustments, and will do our best to support with these.