Job Description

We are looking for a Senior Associate to join our Housing Development and Regeneration team based in Leeds

About the team

The Housing Development and Regeneration team, one of the top teams in the country, sits within our Real Estate Group, the third largest Real Estate practice in the UK.


The team comprises 12 partners, supported by a team of lawyers and paralegals, advising on all aspects of residential development and housing led regeneration.


This role is based in our recently established Leeds office that spearheads our Housing Development and Regeneration team's operations across the north. Our Leeds team is the regional leader in all aspects of residential development across the north and is headed up by Partner Julia Field supported by eight other fee earners.


We act for house builders, mixed use developers, affordable housing providers, landowners (public and private) and investors in the residential sector. The housing sector continues to be a key area of investment for the government, supported by opposition parties, and demographic demand requires a continuing increase in supply. Our large, experienced team and excellent client base has a proven track record of resilience in times of market downturn which has enabled us to capitalise on housing sector growth during stable market periods.


Operationally the team's areas of residential development expertise includes:


acquisitions, disposals and exchanges of land and property, including serviced parcels; overage arrangements, and security; strategic work - option agreements, promotion agreements and hybrids; collaboration, consortium and joint venture arrangements, with related site assembly; planning and infrastructure agreements; building licences and development agreements; development management agreements; mixed use schemes, with related structuring advice; private rented sector; public sector led development schemes including regeneration institutional investment in the residential sector; investor acquisitions and disposals of residential portfolios; funding agreements
Our clients include:


Major housebuilders such as Barratt, Taylor Wimpey, Vistry, Persimmon, Bloor, Miller, Crest Nicholson, Bellway, Avant and more High profile developers such as Harworth and Muse Major public sector bodies including Leeds City Council, Kirklees Council, London Borough of Barnet and West Yorkshire Combined Authority Landowners selling to residential/mixed use developers

About the role

The purpose of the role is to provide cutting edge specialist advice on all aspects of residential development and housing led work, to develop and maintain strong client relationships and to become immersed in the residential development market.


The role covers work streams involving title due diligence, land acquisition (both short and long term) and some of the more nuanced elements of residential development work whereby we add real value to client relationships and projects. The role presents the opportunity for a long and meaningful career in residential development, working as part of one of the biggest residential development teams in the country and for some of the top house builders and residential developers in the market. In particular the role envisages the successful candidate contributing to the growth of our business in the north and there are significant opportunities to develop a leadership career path in our Leeds office. Initiative, ambition and new ideas are welcomed and encouraged.


As a Senior Associate you will be encouraged to lead on transactions, supervising junior staff and coordinating multi specialist teams.


We have a separate team of paralegals dealing with plot sales and part exchange transactions. Therefore, this role does not include any element of domestic conveyancing and is covered off by our support functions.

About you

You will be able to:


Manage your own caseload to tight deadlines, remain calm under pressure and prioritise your workload effectively Work in a team environment (which may involve working as part of a larger project team) and support your colleagues Supervise and develop junior colleagues Give clear, practical advice with sound commercial judgment and swift accurate implementation of instructions Negotiate effectively and deliver commercial solutions for our clients Communicate appropriately at all levels within the team and the wider business as well as with clients, agents and other parties Work closely and collaboratively with Gowling WLG team members, clients, and other professionals (e.g. local authorities, agents, surveyors, consultants, accountants and others) Contribute to business development and marketing Assist on tenders to prospective clients including potential to take part in the pitch teams Take responsibility for management functions and projects within the business
You should


Be a qualified solicitor (at least 5 PQE) with either experience in residential development and/or a real interest and commitment to carve out a career in this sector Be ready to learn, to work hard and to reap the benefits of joining a well-established and successful residential development practice. Rest assured you will be supported all the way Enjoy working in a dynamic, informal and fast paced environment and have an enthusiasm for connecting with and developing effective relationships with team members and clients alike Have an ambition and commitment to high levels of client service and developing close and long term client relationships that form the bedrock of our business Want to grow your career with a national practise with particular focus on the Yorkshire and wider Northern region
An appetite for developing management and leadership skills will be valued

What we can offer you

The opportunity to work for a firm which has been recognised as one of the best places to work in the UK and has been ranked by Great Place to Work for 24 consecutive years.


Excellent benefits, including:


A hybrid approach to office and remote working. 25 days annual leave, with the option to buy up to a week's extra annual leave Private medical insurance, and the option to add family members A generous pension allowance Life assurance covering four times your annual salary The chance of a three-month sabbatical every five years Maternity, paternity and adoption leave schemes A range of health and wellbeing programmes Opportunities to flourish in your role through training and personal development
Many of our people work flexibly in some way. If you would like to explore your own flexible working arrangements with us, we are happy to discuss this during the recruitment process.

Equal opportunities

Gowling WLG is committed both to promoting equality and diversity in the firm and to Equal Opportunities in employment. The firm believes in equality of opportunity regardless of race or racial group (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, national origins), religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re-assignment and gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity. This also includes any incidents of perceptive or associative discrimination and harassment.


At Gowling WLG we seek to attract and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, to create an exciting and rewarding place to work. Our aim is to fulfil everyone's potential and together to achieve personal and business goals.


Any offers we make will be conditional subject to clearance by the SRA, evidence of eligibility to work in the UK and DBS clearance.


For more information on the role please get in touch with Sam Price - sam.price@gowlingwlg.com


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