Senior Associate – Renewable Energy Real Estate

We are recruiting a Senior Associate to join our Real Estate Future Energy team, based in Bristol, Belfast, Birmingham or Manchester. This is an excellent opportunity for a driven real estate lawyer to develop a specialism in one of the most exciting and topical sectors in the legal profession.

The Role

• Drafting option agreements and leases across a wide range of clean energy projects, including wind, solar, battery storage, electric vehicles and hydro.
• Undertaking due diligence on projects, including review of title, enquiries and searches.
• Acting on the financing of clean energy projects and large-scale acquisitions and disposals, working closely with colleagues in corporate, banking, construction, planning and regulatory disciplines.
• Plenty of client contact, running your own files, and early responsibility for delivery of transactions.
• Supporting the wider team’s work, including landlord and tenant, corporate support and public sector matters.
• Delivering high-quality service to clients, nurturing existing relationships, and spotting opportunities for business development.

Skills and Experience

• A qualified solicitor with the ability to work independently with limited supervision.
• 3–7 years’ post-qualification experience in real estate. Experience in the future energy sector is ideal but not essential – we welcome applications from those with a keen interest to specialise.
• A forward thinker with excellent analytical, communication and organisational skills, able to manage workloads and deadlines.
• Commercially aware, with some exposure to business development and strong client relationship skills.
• Able to develop a deep understanding of client business needs and act in the best interests of both client and firm.
• A collaborative team player, with ambition to help develop more junior team members.

The Team

You will join one of the UK’s largest real estate groups, with a team of over 180, advising on thousands of transactions across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each year. The team acts for corporate occupiers, developers, banks, investors and public bodies, and is particularly active in the future energy market – advising on over 30% of all UK solar renewables projects, as well as major energy infrastructure projects.

About the Firm

This is a fast-paced, growing and forward-thinking law firm with more than 1,800 people in offices across the UK and a network of partner firms across Europe, India and the US. The firm is consistently recognised by industry directories and awards for its high-quality work and supportive culture. It offers a collaborative and open environment where people are encouraged to be their whole selves, with a progressive flexible working approach. A competitive salary, annual review, 25 days’ holiday (rising to 30 with service) and private medical insurance are offered.

• Qualified solicitor in England and Wales or equivalent.
• 3–7 years’ PQE in real estate, ideally with some exposure to the future energy sector.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision.
• Strong analytical, communication and organisational skills.
• Commercial awareness and client relationship management capability.
• Self-motivated, forward-thinking and collaborative.