Solicitor, Real Estate in Manchester

About the Team

The Manchester Real Estate team advises on a broad range of transactional real estate matters, including residential and commercial development, investment, landlord and tenant asset management, corporate occupier, corporate support, real estate insolvency and real estate finance work.

Our clients include both private sector and public/private sector partnerships operating as residential and commercial developers and renewable energy developers, investors, funders, corporate occupiers, financial institutions and other organisations with significant real estate interests. We are keen to appoint a Solicitor with 1-3 years post-qualification experience to join our established Manchester Real Estate team. This is a general transactional real estate role, with a particular focus on candidates who have a broad depth of experience in Landlord and Tenant asset management work acting for both Landlord clients and corporate occupiers and also have some more general real estate transactional experience and a genuine interest in, commercial and residential development work.

Role Purpose

Our career development drivers set out what professionals are expected to demonstrate at each level of development. In this role, a Solicitor will be expected to contribute across the following areas:

• Business & Financial Management e.g. Demonstrate commercial awareness of own practice area and consistently meet hours/billing targets.
• Client Focus e.g. Build knowledge of clients and their sectors and attend and assist with organising client events and seminars.
• Working with People & Teams e.g. Build confidence in giving legal advice to clients, checking work with supervisor in advance.
• Business Development e.g. Shows awareness of how to identify potential new business opportunities and asks relevant and insightful questions in interactions with clients and colleagues.
• Technical Skills e.g. Interprets and solves problems using research and analysis.
• Knowledge & Innovation e.g. Expand knowledge in developments in law, regulation, and market practice. Embraces new ways of working, challenges established approaches where appropriate, and identifies innovative solutions that improve client outcomes, efficiency, and service delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Assisting partners and senior colleagues on acquisitions and disposals of freehold and leasehold real estate assets, including commercial and residential development sites and investment properties.
• Supporting commercial and residential development transactions, including site acquisitions and disposals, development agreements, conditional contracts, options, overage arrangements, easements and other development documentation.
• Advising on landlord and tenant and asset management matters, including agreements for lease, leases, licences, assignments, renewals and rent reviews, and acting for corporate occupiers acting on behalf of both Landlord clients and tenants taking leases.
• Assisting on investment, portfolio and real estate finance transactions, and general real estate support including title investigation, due diligence, reporting and certificates of title.
• Taking responsibility for matters, or appropriate parts of larger transactions, with regular client contact and liaison with other advisers and stakeholders.
• Draft legal documents including title review and reporting.
• Conduct legal research on case summaries and internal know-how.
• Assist with business development initiatives, including articles, client briefings, events and writing posts for social media.
• Ensure accurate and efficient recording of time and effective diary management.
• Liaise with clients, counsel and external advisors, and other stakeholders in a professional and empathetic manner.

About You

The ideal candidate will be a 1-3 PQE Solicitor who thrives in a collaborative, market facing and high-performing environment. They will demonstrate excellent communication skills, deliver high-quality legal advice while building trusted relationships with clients and colleagues under appropriate supervision.

Experience and Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor in England and Wales with 1-3 years post-qualification experience in transactional real estate work.
• Ideally some experience of, and a genuine interest in, commercial and residential development work; experience across other areas of transactional real estate.
• Relevant hands-on transactional experience, with the ability to manage matters and communicate clearly with clients and colleagues.
• A sound knowledge of English land law and landlord and tenant law, together with a willingness to develop knowledge across the full range of the team’s work.
• Experience of drafting and negotiating transactional real estate documents, undertaking title due diligence and producing clear, commercially focused reports.
• Strong interpersonal, drafting, organisational and time-management skills, with close attention to detail.
• A positive, collaborative and commercially minded approach, with the ability to work well with colleagues at all levels and manage competing priorities.

Who are we looking for?

• We don't have a type. We believe our differences are our strength; varied cultures, approaches and experiences can only benefit us.

What do we offer?

• You can be yourself: It takes everyone to make us who we are. We’re a culture of diverse perspectives, with each of us making unique contributions that make us better together.
• In the office or WFH?: We think the best balance is more time in the office than at home, so we operate a 60:40 rule.
• Beyond salary: We offer plenty of benefits; private medical insurance, health cash plan, dental insurance, life assurance, critical illness insurance, matched pension contributions up to 7%, holiday trading, plus many more. Visit: Reward & Benefits ¦ Fieldfisher.
• Come for the WOW views: Based on the 17th floor in No.1 Spinningfields, with views of the entire City.
• Nurturing your talent: Take a 'build a career' approach to your training. You'll be on a pathway but free to wander if you see something you'd like to study more closely.
• Funnel your interests: You have a life outside work, and we can help it to flourish. Join clubs, affinity networks, inclusive events, and pro bono/charity initiatives.

Inclusion at Fieldfisher

At Fieldfisher, inclusion is central to how we work. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, supported and able to succeed.

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process or once you join us, we will work with you to put the right support in place. Examples include extra time for assessments, accessible document formats, alternative interview formats, quiet rooms, or physical and technological accessibility support.

For accessibility information on our Manchester office, visit: Accessing Fieldfisher Manchester ¦ Fieldfisher

What to do next:

• Click 'Apply Now', complete an online application and upload a CV.
• Successful applications will be invited to a 20–30-minute introductory call with a recruiter.
• Every role recruits differently. But we'll always let you know what to expect from the process, so you get no surprises.
• For hybrid opportunities, you'll be invited to visit our offices for a face-to-face meeting.
• We try to make sure the process takes around 2-3 weeks only, but we can't always promise that. We will work around everyone's availability. You can contact us at Liam.Stockton@fieldfisher.com.

We recruit on a rolling basis. Your application may be reviewed before the application deadline. We accept applications until we have filled the role.

We are not a UK firm with offices in Europe. We are a European law firm at our core. While our HQ is London, we are spreading across Europe at pace. In addition to UK, China and Silicon Valley we have offices in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain.

With 1,800 people across 28 offices across 14 countries you might expect an impersonal office culture, but you will find a homely, family feel even in the largest offices.

Quality on both sides
Across all our offices and jurisdictions are market-leading practices in corporate/M&A, finance, real estate, energy and natural resources, technology and life sciences.

We count as clients large corporations including major technology firms, pharmaceutical and life sciences companies, energy suppliers, infrastructure companies, global banks and financial institutions.

We aim to ensure equality of opportunity and are actively working towards improving the diversity of our staff. Applications will be considered on merit and the applicant's suitability to meet the requirements of the role.