Principal Associate - Real Estate Finance

Gowling WLG International Limited; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international law firm in the UK seeks an ambitious real estate finance lawyer with 7+ years PQE to join their growing team. This dynamic role involves advising on a variety of financings, drafting complex agreements, and managing projects across diverse sectors. The firm is recognized for its excellent work environment and offers competitive benefits, including hybrid working options, generous leave, private medical insurance, pension allowances, and a commitment to equality and diversity. Opportunities for professional development are also provided.

Benefits

Hybrid approach to office and remote working

Generous annual leave

Private medical insurance

Generous pension allowance

Life assurance covering four times salary

Three-month sabbatical every five years

Wellbeing programmes

State-of-the-art offices

Qualifications

• Talented real estate finance lawyers with strong technical skills.
• International experience is valued, but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Draft and negotiate LMA style facility agreements and security documents.
• General project management of the conditions precedent process.

Skills

Strong technical skills

Commercial awareness

Collaborative approach

Education

7+ years PQE

Job description

With a dedicated team of specialist lawyers, our real estate finance team advises on the full spectrum of domestic and cross-border real estate financings – from high‑value, complex transactions, to development financings and acquisitions. With offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Canada, the firm is looking to grow their real estate finance team and is seeking an ambitious 7yrs+ PQE lawyer to join this growing practice. With a truly global client base, the candidate can expect to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including lenders, borrowers, arrangers, issuers and investors. We operate across a diverse range of sectors, including:

• Hotels & Leisure
• Residential & Student Accommodation
• Office, Retail & Logistics
• Large-Scale Mixed-Use Regeneration Projects

As part of the team, you will benefit from the depth of resources and global reach of a top‑tier law firm, working collaboratively across jurisdictions to support clients wherever they operate. Applications are welcomed from talented real estate finance lawyers with strong technical skills, commercial awareness, and a collaborative approach. International experience is valued, but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Drafting and negotiating LMA style facility agreements and security documents including debentures, share charges and assignments over subordinated debt.
• Drafting and negotiating guarantees including cost overrun guarantees and bad boy guarantees.
• Drafting and negotiating deeds of priority and intercreditors.
• Drafting legal opinions covering capacity and enforceability.
• General project management of the conditions precedent process.

What We Can Offer You

The opportunity to work for a firm which has been recognised as one of the best places to work in the UK and has been ranked by Great Place to Work® for 25 consecutive years. Excellent benefits, including:

• A hybrid approach to office and remote working.
• Generous annual leave, with the option to buy up to a week's extra annual leave.
• Private medical insurance, and 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, in the heart of Birmingham City Centre, with an onsite restaurant.
• 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 both to promoting equality and diversity in the firm and to Equal Opportunities in employment. The firm believes in equality of opportunity regardless of race or racial group (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, national origins), religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re‑assignment and gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity. Any offers we make will be conditional subject to clearance by the SRA, evidence of eligibility to work in the UK and DBS clearance.