Real Estate
Real Estate Partners- Leeds
- Location: Leeds & West Yorkshire
- Type: permanent
- Job Reference: 5781
Real Estate Partner Opportunities — Leeds
Location: Leeds
Practice Areas: Real Estate
Level: Partner
Firm type: International full-service law firm (UK-headquartered, with a substantial international network)
The Firm
A leading full-service law firm with deep roots in Leeds — one of its founding offices, tracing its history back over two centuries. Today the firm operates as an international practice with over 20 offices spanning the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and is consistently ranked among the top 20 UK law firms by revenue. It advises FTSE 100 companies, financial institutions, public sector bodies and private capital across sectors including financial services, real estate, energy, infrastructure, retail and consumer, and technology.
The firm is known for a collegiate, high-performance culture, with a strong team-based approach to winning and delivering work, and significant ongoing investment in innovation and technology.
The Real Estate Practice
The firm's real estate practice is one of the largest in the market, operating across the UK, Europe, Asia and the GCC. Over a recent two-year period, the team advised more than 800 funders, investors, developers and agents on nearly 14,000 real estate projects. The practice offers full-service capability from a single team — spanning mainstream real estate, real estate finance, corporate structuring, tax, planning, construction, construction litigation, environment and real estate disputes.
Regionally, the team is particularly noted for:
Why Now — The Opportunity
Leeds currently has a lean Partner group relative to the size of its associate base, and the firm is actively looking to rebalance this by bringing in additional Partners across several specific areas. This is a genuine growth story rather than a like-for-like replacement — successful candidates would be joining a well-resourced, high-demand platform with real room to build.
The firm is open-minded on level and background, but is being deliberate about fit: what matters most is alignment with one of the specific practice needs below, and a genuine, evidenced ability to build and grow client relationships — not simply the size of an existing following. Strong key-client relationship holders are of real interest even without a large portable book, provided there's a credible track record of growing work.
We are mandated to map the market discreetly, assess genuine interest, and manage introductions on candidates' behalf before any details are shared with the firm.
Current Priority Areas
1. Development & Energy A strong existing focus area with real momentum — the current team could readily absorb more work with the right additional support. Partners with a transactional development and/or energy background are of strong interest.
2. Transactional Real Estate Looking for a Partner-level candidate with a following in the region of £1m +, though as above, following size is only one factor — practice fit and relationship-building ability weigh heavily too.
Key responsibilities (across all tracks):
If you would like an informal discussion, please reach out to Kim Wilkes at Think Legal Recruitment
kim@thinklegalrecruitment.com
07860 649 030
Location: Leeds
Practice Areas: Real Estate
Level: Partner
Firm type: International full-service law firm (UK-headquartered, with a substantial international network)
A leading full-service law firm with deep roots in Leeds — one of its founding offices, tracing its history back over two centuries. Today the firm operates as an international practice with over 20 offices spanning the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and is consistently ranked among the top 20 UK law firms by revenue. It advises FTSE 100 companies, financial institutions, public sector bodies and private capital across sectors including financial services, real estate, energy, infrastructure, retail and consumer, and technology.
The firm is known for a collegiate, high-performance culture, with a strong team-based approach to winning and delivering work, and significant ongoing investment in innovation and technology.
The Real Estate Practice
The firm's real estate practice is one of the largest in the market, operating across the UK, Europe, Asia and the GCC. Over a recent two-year period, the team advised more than 800 funders, investors, developers and agents on nearly 14,000 real estate projects. The practice offers full-service capability from a single team — spanning mainstream real estate, real estate finance, corporate structuring, tax, planning, construction, construction litigation, environment and real estate disputes.
Regionally, the team is particularly noted for:
- Advising institutional and real estate investors on high-value portfolio transactions
- Infrastructure development and regeneration schemes, with strength in the living, transport and hospitality sectors
- Sector-dedicated teams in living, energy, logistics, hotels and transportation
- Independent legal directories rank the practice highly, with individual partners recognised as market-leading
Why Now — The Opportunity
Leeds currently has a lean Partner group relative to the size of its associate base, and the firm is actively looking to rebalance this by bringing in additional Partners across several specific areas. This is a genuine growth story rather than a like-for-like replacement — successful candidates would be joining a well-resourced, high-demand platform with real room to build.
The firm is open-minded on level and background, but is being deliberate about fit: what matters most is alignment with one of the specific practice needs below, and a genuine, evidenced ability to build and grow client relationships — not simply the size of an existing following. Strong key-client relationship holders are of real interest even without a large portable book, provided there's a credible track record of growing work.
We are mandated to map the market discreetly, assess genuine interest, and manage introductions on candidates' behalf before any details are shared with the firm.
Current Priority Areas
1. Development & Energy A strong existing focus area with real momentum — the current team could readily absorb more work with the right additional support. Partners with a transactional development and/or energy background are of strong interest.
2. Transactional Real Estate Looking for a Partner-level candidate with a following in the region of £1m +, though as above, following size is only one factor — practice fit and relationship-building ability weigh heavily too.
Key responsibilities (across all tracks):
- Lead and originate work in your specialist area, drawing on a well-established platform and cross-office client base
- Develop and manage client relationships with institutional investors, developers, funders, agents and public sector bodies as relevant
- Work closely with sector-focused teams (living, logistics, energy, hospitality, transport) and other practice groups (corporate, tax, planning, construction, disputes) to deliver integrated advice
- Contribute to the strategic growth of the Leeds real estate practice, including business development, profile-raising and mentoring
- Support cross-office and cross-border matters, drawing on the firm's national and international network
- Qualified solicitor (England & Wales) with significant PQE at partner or senior associate level ready to step up
- Practice background aligned to one of the priority areas above (development & energy, or transactional RE)
- A proven, evidenced track record of building and growing client relationships — this matters as much as, or more than, an existing portable following
- Strong regional network in Leeds/Yorkshire
- Excellent business development instincts and genuine interest in building and leading within a team
- Recognition (or clear potential for recognition) in independent legal directories
- A platform with genuine scale — one of the largest real estate practices in the market, with international reach
- A well-established, high-demand client base and institutional relationships to build upon
- Significant firm-wide investment in innovation and technology
- A collegiate partnership culture with strong profit-per-partner performance
- Full-service colleague support across tax, planning, construction, disputes and corporate teams
- Genuine scope to shape and grow a specific practice area, rather than stepping into an already-saturated team
If you would like an informal discussion, please reach out to Kim Wilkes at Think Legal Recruitment
kim@thinklegalrecruitment.com
07860 649 030
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