Real Estate Finance Associate- Leeds

Real Estate Finance Associate(s) – Finance Team, NQ–3PQE

Location: Leeds Salary: Competitive Vacancy Type: Qualified Lawyers Business Area: Finance & Projects Contract Type: Permanent Hours: Full time / Part time considered

Purpose of the Role As part of a period of significant continued growth, the firm is looking to recruit strong real estate lawyers to join its Housing and Transition Finance Group.

• The Team
• The team is widely regarded as a market leader in the social housing sector, with consistent recognition from leading legal directories.
• This is a fantastic opportunity for ambitious lawyers looking to take the next step in their career by joining a well-established and thriving team with a strong reputation for excellence in the sector.
• The team works with a diverse range of clients, including housing associations, developers, registered providers, funders and investors, advising on many of the most complex and high-value transactions across the UK aimed at addressing the housing crisis.
• What the Role Involves
• Due to unprecedented growth, there are two vacancies in London and one in Leeds for additional junior lawyers. Day-to-day work is likely to include:
• Carrying out real estate due diligence on large property portfolios, including:
• preparing and reviewing both NHF social housing certificates of title and CLLS certificates of title;
• reviewing, analysing and reporting on title documentation, leases, easements, restrictions, charges etc. affecting the security;
• identifying and clearly articulating title and other issues, and proposing practical, commercial solutions and risk mitigants for funders and borrowers.
• Assisting on complex multi-funder and multi-tranche transactions in excess of £1bn+, including:
• coordinating real estate due diligence and reporting requirements across multiple funders;
• managing and reconciling differing funder requirements and funder-specific conditions precedent;
• supporting senior fee earners and ensuring consistency across property and security documents.
• Acting for a broad range of predominantly funder-side clients, including:
• UK and international banks, institutional investors, bondholders and security trustees;
• building long-term working relationships with in-house legal teams and deal/relationship teams;
• understanding and applying funder risk appetites, internal policies and credit requirements to the structuring and documentation of transactions.
• Drafting and negotiating security and transaction documents, including legal charges, security trust deeds, accession deeds, and conditions precedent/subsequent relating to property and security matters.

• Reviewing and reporting on real estate documentation, including

• leases, agreements for lease (including development and forward funding agreements), nominations agreements and management agreements;
• development agreements, option agreements, overage arrangements and joint venture documentation;
• preparing clear, concise and commercially focused reports on title issues and risk levels for funders.

• Managing the real estate workstream on transactions, including

• coordinating the collection and delivery of property-related conditions precedent and due diligence;
• maintaining and updating CP checklists and transaction trackers;
• liaising with borrowers' solicitors, clients and other advisers to progress and close transactions efficiently.

Successful candidates will have the opportunity to join a vibrant team and get involved in each of these transaction types.

In addition to underlying finance transactions, the Housing and Transition Finance Group also supports clients on product development and government/regulatory engagement relating to policy shifts across these areas.

• Candidate Profile
• To thrive in this team, candidates need to be entrepreneurial and self-starting: confident with clients, collaborative across transactions, proactive in driving deals forward, and market-facing with a hunger to drive their own development and network.
• This is an environment where ambition and talent are enabled to flourish.
• Candidates should understand the underlying fundamentals of a transaction and the key part real estate assets play.

Familiarity with market-standard forms of certificates of title is expected, without being wedded to them — candidates should be solutions-focused, ready to learn, and (at the more senior end of the range) confident with bespoke drafting.

Comfort with technology is important, alongside the ability to demonstrate the unique value that skilled lawyering brings to complex transactionss

• About the Firm
• This is a firm where people are valued, encouraged, and challenged to fulfil their potential in a supportive and collegiate environment.

A culture of improvement, growth and collaboration delivers results, drives innovation, and rewards ambition.

• The firm not only provides technical excellence and experience but, crucially, demonstrates real insight into its clients and what matters most to them — making it a natural choice for FTSE 100 clients and their equivalents in other markets.

The firm's success has been built by people from the widest range of backgrounds, locations, and perspectives, supported by a number of employee networks that provide space to discuss and celebrate what makes people who they are.

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