Senior Property Lawyer | Senior Associate / Special Counsel

Engage Personnel; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hybrid working

Part-time arrangements considered

Competitive remuneration & bonus

Job summary

Engage Personnel partners with a Melbourne law firm to recruit a Senior Associate or Special Counsel with 10–15 years of property experience. You will act as the second-in-command to the Property Partner, leading the team and guiding complex property matters.

The role emphasises mentoring, business development and strong client/referrer networks, with a clear pathway toward partnership and a flexible hybrid work model in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

Qualifications

• Approximately 10–15 years' property law experience.
• Strong technical capability across commercial property and development.
• Confidence managing complex transactions and senior client relationships.
• Experience mentoring and developing junior lawyers.
• Commercial judgement and a practical, solutions-focused approach.
• Genuine interest in leadership, practice development and building a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor the Property team, providing technical guidance.
• Manage a broad range of property matters including acquisitions, development, leasing and due diligence.
• Develop client and referrer relationships to grow the practice.
• Act as 2IC to the Property Partner and contribute to strategic growth.

Skills

Property law

Leadership

Mentoring

Client relations

Development

Commercial property

Job description

An exceptional opportunity for an experienced Property Lawyer to step into a genuine leadership role within a sophisticated and growing property practice.

We are partnering with a highly regarded Melbourne law firm seeking a Senior Associate or Special Counsel with approximately 10-15 years' experience to work closely alongside its Property Partner as a genuine second-in-command.

This is more than a senior technical appointment. The successful candidate will play an important role in managing and developing the team, strengthening key client and referrer relationships and helping drive the continued growth of the practice, with a genuine longer-term pathway towards partnership.

The opportunity

You will work across a sophisticated range of commercial and private client property matters, including:

• Commercial, residential and development property acquisitions and disposals.
• Property development agreements and joint ventures.
• Commercial, industrial and retail leasing.
• Complex property due diligence and transaction structuring.
• Property finance, easements, covenants and title issues.
• Property-related duty, GST and land tax considerations.
• Compulsory acquisition and infrastructure-related matters.

Beyond managing your own matters, you will take on a key leadership role, mentoring lawyers, providing technical guidance, supporting workflow management and developing important client and referral relationships.

You will have access to an established network of high-quality private clients, developers, investors and professional referrers, with genuine support to build your own practice over time. An existing referral network would be advantageous, but is not essential.

The firm has deliberately built a sophisticated boutique offering, attracting lawyers from leading mid-tier and top-tier practices and servicing an established private and commercial client base.

Based in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, it offers the opportunity to continue working on complex, high-quality matters without the demands of a traditional CBD environment.

The Property team is well established, comprising experienced lawyers and a dedicated conveyancing team. The culture is genuinely collaborative, with a strong emphasis on mentoring, knowledge sharing and supporting one another.

The ideal candidate We are looking for someone who brings:

• Approximately 10-15 years' property law experience.
• Strong technical capability across commercial property and development.
• Confidence managing complex transactions and senior client relationships.
• Experience mentoring and developing junior lawyers.
• Commercial judgement and a practical, solutions-focused approach.
• A genuine interest in leadership, practice development and building a team.

Just as importantly, you'll be approachable, low ego, generous with your time and someone who genuinely enjoys working collaboratively.

What's on offer?

• A genuine 2IC role working directly alongside the Property Partner.
• A meaningful longer-term pathway towards partnership.
• An established client and referral network.
• Sophisticated work and quality clients.
• Flexible hybrid working, generally two days from home.
• Consideration of part-time arrangements for the right person.
• A sensible billable expectation of approximately 5.2 hours per day.
• Competitive remuneration and an attractive performance and referral bonus structure.
• A supportive environment that genuinely values work-life balance.

Interested in exploring a more meaningful senior opportunity?

If you're an experienced property lawyer looking for greater influence, autonomy and the opportunity to help shape a growing practice, we'd love to hear from you.