Associate in Guildford

The firm DMH Stallard provides a comprehensive range of commercial, dispute resolution and litigation, employment, cyber security and cyber-crime, corporate, intellectual property, real estate and technology, media and telecoms advice to both businesses and individuals. Our clients, our people and our professional networks are the keys to our success. With offices in London and across the region, including Brighton, Gatwick, Guildford, Horsham, and Hassocks, we’re proud to have grown to around 400 people. Culture really matters to us. In our most recent staff survey, 99.6% of our people said DMH is a great place to work, with 90% feeling they have a strong work-life balance, and 93.9% expressing confidence in the leadership team. We’re committed to building a genuinely inclusive and supportive workplace. Our Women in Law group meets quarterly, and we’re actively working toward gender balance at all levels. We already exceed the industry average, with 40% of our partners being women compared to the sector average at 29%. We actively invest in learning and development at all career stages. Our mentoring programme is available to all partners, and we are preparing to launch an internal mentoring programme to support progression right up to partnership. We also recognise that work-life balance is essential to long-term success and wellbeing, and we promote hybrid working arrangements to help our people perform at their best inside and outside of work. We’re also especially proud to achieve gold accreditation from Investors in People, which reflects our strong commitment to people development and leadership.

The REDR team at DMH Stallard is one of the largest in the South East with cross-team expertise enabling us to provide knowledgeable and commercial advice on all aspects of property litigation. We are the first port of call for many agents and intermediaries due to our reputation and ability to handle complex cases. We are solely dedicated to Property Litigation; ours is a ‘standalone’ practice devoted to this area. The volume and complexity of our reach across the South East and further afield is growing, most notably in the Sussex and Surrey markets, and in areas ranging from land disputes, business rates appeals, landlord and tenant matters, development disputes, insolvency related property matters, and property management. We pride ourselves on our highly commercial and technical knowledge in residential and commercial property, having equal strengths in both. We have expertise in specialist areas, including:

• Collective enfranchisement, residential lease extensions and right to manage claims
• Complex business rating cases
• Telecoms, rights to light and restrictive covenant work
• Building Safety Act, Defective Premises, and Renters Reform

We work closely with our colleagues in the Property Transactional teams, Planning and Environmental team, together with our Development and Construction teams. We enjoy an impressive client list of developers, retailers and occupiers, property investors and portfolio owners. These include national residential developers and local authorities. We act for national banks and many national retailers. We are also proud to act for several charities. On the property investor side, we act for a number of significant organisations in the region. We punch well above our weight in the work we do and clients we attract. We frequently come up against other such practices including BCLP, CMS, Eversheds, Browne Jacobson and Shoosmiths, who tend to represent our opponents. The quality and complexity of many of our instructions warrant working alongside high quality KCs and Counsel.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Operate as an effective member of the REDR team, working with REDR lawyers and paralegals and supporting Associates and Partners on more complex matters as appropriate.
• Manage, under supervision, a varied caseload of contentious commercial property matters, while working towards agreed contribution hours, fees and other targets.
• Work on commercial landlord and tenant, development and real property matters, including business lease renewals, dilapidations, breaches of covenant, alterations, reinstatement, rent and service charge disputes, business rates, rent reviews, vacant possession, forfeiture, breaks, restrictive covenants, adverse possession, rights of way and boundary disputes, rights to light, telecoms, development, overage, construction disputes and landlord and tenant insolvency.
• Maintain accurate case management data, monitor live files, file openings and closures, billing and time recording, and take appropriate action to ensure targets are met.
• Scope matters appropriately, including using budget templates where required, and deliver work on time and on budget.
• Deliver the highest standards of client care so that clients use DMH Stallard again and recommend the firm to others.
• Assist with marketing and business development initiatives, such as writing for e-newsletters or attending seminars, and comply fully with the firm’s Money Laundering, SRA, GDPR, FSMA and risk management policies and procedures.

Who Are We Looking For?

We’re looking for a collaborative and commercially minded Associate Solicitor with experience in contentious residential and commercial property matters, or a solid litigation background with a property bias and the willingness and ability to learn. You’ll be organised, client-focused, technically capable and able to communicate legal information clearly and accessibly.

Essential:

• Qualified solicitor, or equivalent, ideally with 2–5 years’ post-qualification experience.
• Previous experience of contentious commercial property, or a solid background in litigation with a property bias and a willingness and ability to learn.
• Good understanding of the legislation governing commercial tenancies, including the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927 and 1954 and the Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995.
• Ability to manage time effectively to achieve client and internal deadlines.
• Strong client care skills, with the ability to deal with a wide range of clients with differing objectives and understand their commercial objectives.
• Ability to work within a team and provide support to Associates and Partners as appropriate.
• Competent IT skills, including Outlook, Word and Excel, with strong drafting skills, attention to detail and the ability to communicate effectively in writing, by telephone and in meetings.

Desirable:

• Experience of commercial landlord and tenant work, including business lease renewals, dilapidations, breaches of covenant, alterations, reinstatement, rent and service charge disputes, business rates, rent reviews, vacant possession, forfeiture or breaks.
• Experience of real property disputes, including restrictive covenants, adverse possession, rights of way and boundary disputes, rights to light or telecoms matters.
• Experience of development, overage, construction disputes or landlord and tenant insolvency matters.
• Interest in supporting marketing and business development initiatives, including writing for e-newsletters or attending seminars.

Other information:

Our REDR team is ranked Band 1 in Legal 500 2026 for Property Litigation in the South East; and ranked Band 2 in Chambers and Partners 2026 for Real Estate Litigation in The South.

Benefits:

• 25 days holiday (of which 3.5 are taken during the Christmas period), plus Birthday holiday, plus Bank Holidays.
• Buying Holiday Scheme
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Pay
• Life Assurance
• Private Healthcare
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Sodexo Discounts
• Pension Scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts on Legal work