Real Estate Development/Housebuilder Senior Associate/Managing Associate - 3- 10 years PQE - Leeds

Our client, a top 45 full-service UK commercial law firm with 13 offices nationally and around 1,300 staff, is building one of the most ambitious residential development practices in the country. Its Housebuilding & Strategic Land (HSL) team is one of the fastest-growing residential development teams in the UK, having tripled in size over the last four years. The team now includes more than 100 lawyers across the wider sector group and acts for all top-10 UK housebuilders, alongside local and national developers, housing associations, landowners, local authorities, investors and promoters. Each year the team advises on land acquisitions with a combined gross development value of £10bn or more, and it was recently recognised as Legal Team of the Year at a leading national property awards programme.

As the team continues to grow, our client is looking for a Real Estate lawyer to join its Leeds office and play an active role in the next stage of that growth.

About the Role

The firm is keen to hear from ambitious lawyers (from circa 3 years PQE) who enjoy working closely with clients, building relationships, and delivering commercially focused advice. Experience acting for housebuilders and residential developers would be advantageous, but the firm is equally interested in lawyers with broader commercial property development, regeneration, infrastructure, strategic land or investment experience who want to build their expertise in the residential development sector.

Experience

• Essential
• Solid real estate experience gained within a commercial property, development or residential development practice
• Experience managing land acquisition transactions and building client relationships
• Strong due diligence, drafting, negotiation and project management skills
• Desirable
• Acting for housebuilders, developers, promoters, landowners, housing associations or local authorities
• Exposure to development transactions including conditional contracts, unconditional contracts, options, overages, site assembly and infrastructure agreements
• Experience with affordable housing transactions
• Knowledge of strategic land, promotion or collaboration agreements

Candidates don't need experience across all of these areas. The firm provides extensive training, mentoring and support from colleagues across its national HSL team, with opportunities to develop expertise across the full spectrum of residential development and strategic land work.

Why Join

This is an opportunity to join one of the UK's largest and most experienced residential development teams, working on market-leading projects for high-quality clients within a supportive and ambitious culture. The firm is committed to helping its people succeed — whether that means developing technical expertise, strengthening client relationships, building a specialism, or progressing towards partnership — with clear, structured career pathways and ongoing support. Colleagues describe the culture as genuinely collaborative, with regular manager check-ins (every 6–12 weeks), a dedicated career sponsor, and active mentoring and network groups for lawyers at every stage.

Alongside exciting work and genuine career opportunities, the firm offers:

• Agile and flexible working
• Enhanced family-friendly leave, including extended maternity/shared parental and paternity pay
• Generous holiday entitlement with a buy/sell scheme
• A strong pension contribution structure
• A firm-wide focus on wellbeing, inclusion, and helping every employee reach their full potential
• The firm holds B Corp certification and is listed as a Leading Firm in the Legal 500, reflecting its wider commitment to responsible business practice.

Does this Sound Like a Match? If you're someone who cares deeply, communicates openly and collaborates effectively, this firm would love to hear from you.