Principal Associate - Non-Contentious Construction - 12 month FTC

Gowling WLG; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lawyer bonus

Generous annual leave

Private medical insurance

Generous pension allowance

Life assurance

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Gowling WLG seeks a Principal Associate for their Non-Contentious Construction team in Birmingham. The successful candidate will advise on high-value construction projects, requiring at least six years' PQE and strong negotiating skills. The role offers a hybrid approach to working, alongside benefits such as a lawyer bonus, generous annual leave, and private medical insurance. Candidates should have a proven ability to manage significant matters independently and support junior staff.

Qualifications

• Minimum of six years’ PQE required.
• Experience on major projects and regeneration schemes.
• Ability to supervise junior fee earners.

Responsibilities

• Advise clients on high-value construction projects.
• Negotiate and manage contracts.
• Run major matters with minimal supervision.

Skills

Pragmatic commercial advice

Strong negotiating skills

Time-management

Drafting skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Qualified Solicitor

Tools

Construction contracts (JCT, NEC, MF/1, FIDIC)

Development agreements

Job description

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Principal Associate to join our Non‑Contentious Construction team in Birmingham, to advise property companies, real estate investors, public sector clients, corporate occupiers and contractors on high‑value, high‑profile construction, engineering and infrastructure projects.

About the Team

Our construction & engineering team comprises 50 lawyers, including 13 partners, and is one of the largest and most respected construction & engineering teams in the UK. We offer in‑depth legal and technical expertise in every area of construction & engineering law and pride ourselves on providing proactive and realistic advice to assist the successful negotiation and management of contracts.

Our advice is based on detailed knowledge of the industry – its practices, procedures and processes both on‑site and off‑site – and members of the team include a former quantity surveyor with practical experience of major projects.

Clients include many of the UK’s leading development, funding, residential, retail and industrial companies, major corporates, a significant number of public sector bodies and major contractors.

The non‑contentious construction & engineering team is in a unique position within the market, acting for the developers, contractors and institutional purchasers/investors. The team plays a leading role in numerous large‑scale, complex, and important projects across sectors such as real estate development, institutional investors, logistics and e‑fulfilment, housing, infrastructure, energy/nuclear, regeneration, health care, pharma and life sciences, central and local government, hotel, retail & leisure, building safety and alternative asset classes.

Examples of Recent Projects

• Official Legal Advisers to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, including HQ fit‑out, overlay agreements and utilities infrastructure agreements;
• Advising the developer on the forward funding and development of a 2.94 million sq ft global parts logistics centre – the UK’s largest‑ever single occupier logistics build‑to‑suit transaction;
• The development of a new 500,000 sq. ft. office campus for a major international bank, hailed upon deal completion as the largest value building contract let in the UK since the COVID‑19 outbreak;
• Highways England's £1.7 billion A303 road scheme at Stonehenge;
• The decommissioning of an off‑shore lighthouse;
• Advising a Premier League football club on the development of a new training facility and two County Cricket Clubs on extensive redevelopments to their stadiums;
• Global pharma manufacturing facilities in the UK, Europe and North Africa;
• Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration scheme, one of the largest regeneration schemes in the country, including a new rail freight facility, a new railway station and a new waste transfer station.

About You

• Qualified Solicitor with a minimum of six years’ PQE;
• Experience advising on all major forms of construction contract, including JCT, NEC, MF/1 and FIDIC;
• Experience in advising on development and funding agreements and lease agreements;
• Experience working on major projects and regeneration schemes;
• A proven ability to give pragmatic, commercial advice;
• Ability to run major matters with little partner supervision;
• Experience supervising junior fee earners;
• Excellent time‑management and organisation skills;
• A commitment to team goals and a willingness to get involved in new areas of work;
• Strong negotiating skills;
• Sound drafting and problem‑solving skills;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Excellent client‑handling skills.

What We Can Offer You

• A hybrid approach to office and remote working;
• Lawyer bonus;
• Generous annual leave, with the option to buy up to a week’s extra annual leave;
• Private medical insurance, with the option to add family members;
• A generous pension allowance;
• Life assurance covering four times your annual salary;
• The chance of a three‑month sabbatical every five years;
• Maternity, paternity and adoption leave schemes;
• A range of health and wellbeing programmes;
• State‑of‑the‑art offices;
• Opportunities to flourish in your role through training and personal development.

Many of our people work flexibly in some way. If you would like to explore your own flexible working arrangements with us, we are happy to discuss this during the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunities

Gowling WLG is committed to promoting equality and diversity and to equal opportunities in employment. The firm believes in equality of opportunity regardless of race, nationality, ethnicity, religions, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, marriage, civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity. All offers are conditional upon clearance by the SRA, evidence of eligibility to work in the UK and DBS clearance.