Senior Associate - Real Estate

Clyde & Co LLP; Guildford; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Clyde & Co LLP is seeking a Senior Associate in its Guildford Real Estate team. You will handle a broad mix of development and investment matters with a focus on high-value transactions, including acquisitions, disposals, and structuring complex agreements.

The role emphasizes collaboration with developers, investors, funders, landowners, and occupiers, and involves coordinating with planning, finance, tax, and construction teams to deliver strategic outcomes.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor 4-8 PQE in real estate.
• Experience in development and investment transactions.
• Strong drafting and commercial mindset.
• Experience with real estate finance, planning, and landlord/tenant matters.

Responsibilities

• Leading on a range of real estate transactions, including high-value development and investment deals.
• Advising on acquisition, disposal, and funding of development sites and investment properties.
• Drafting, negotiating, and reviewing complex real estate documents including agreements for lease, development agreements, and sale and purchase contracts.
• Providing strategic advice on planning matters, land assembly, and infrastructure agreements.
• Supporting clients in ongoing landlord and tenant relations including lease negotiations and asset management.
• Coordinating with colleagues in planning, finance, tax, and construction as part of a multidisciplinary approach.
• Supervising and mentoring junior associates and trainees within the team.
• Contributing to client development, thought leadership, and business growth initiatives.

Job description

Department: Real Estate

Location: Guildford

Role: Senior Associate (4-8 PQE)

Team

The Clyde & Co’s Real Estate team is a dynamic and commercially focused practice that advises a broad range of clients on all aspects of their property-related activities. The team has a strong reputation for acting on investment acquisitions and disposals, and is particularly active in residential-led, mixed-use development projects across the UK. Our lawyers regularly advise on both corporate and asset-based transactions, including the purchase and sale of development and investment assets. We work closely with developers, investors, funders, landowners, and occupiers, guiding them through all stages of the property lifecycle—from site assembly and planning, through construction and leasing, to exit strategies. The team has deep expertise in landlord and tenant matters, particularly in relation to retail and office premises, and is experienced in structuring and advising on joint ventures, profit-sharing arrangements, and complex ground lease structures. We are known for combining technical precision with a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach, making us trusted advisors in high-value and strategically significant real estate transactions.

Role

We are seeking a talented and experienced Senior Associate to join our thriving Real Estate team. The successful candidate will play a key role in advising on a broad mix of development and investment matters. The work is transactionally focused, often involving elements of real estate finance, planning, and landlord and tenant matters. You will work closely with a wide variety of clients, including developers, institutional investors, fund managers, property companies, and corporate occupiers.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading on a range of real estate transactions, including high-value development and investment deals.
• Advising on acquisition, disposal, and funding of development sites and investment properties.
• Drafting, negotiating, and reviewing complex real estate documents including agreements for lease, development agreements, and sale and purchase contracts.
• Providing strategic advice on planning matters, land assembly, and infrastructure agreements.
• Supporting clients in ongoing landlord and tenant relations including lease negotiations and asset management.
• Coordinating with colleagues in planning, finance, tax, and construction as part of a multidisciplinary approach.
• Supervising and mentoring junior associates and trainees within the team.
• Contributing to client development, thought leadership, and business growth initiatives.

Skills and Experience

• Qualified Solicitor 4-8 PQE in real estate, ideally from a top-tier firm or reputable real estate team.
• Strong experience in development and investment transactions.
• Familiarity with real estate finance, planning law, and landlord and tenant matters.
• Excellent technical and drafting skills with a commercial, solutions-focused mindset.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex transactions with minimal supervision.
• Strong communication, client-handling, and business development skills.
• A collaborative team player with leadership potential.

When you work at Clyde & Co, you join a team of 490 partners, 2,400 lawyers, 3,200 legal professionals and 5,500 people in nearly 70 offices and associated offices worldwide. Our values are the principles that guide the decisions we make, unite us in our endeavours and strengthen our delivery, for both our clients and our firm. We work as one, excel with clients, celebrate difference and act boldly. We are committed to operating in a responsible way by progressing towards a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities and clients it serves. We are devoted to providing an environment in which everyone can realise their potential, using its legal and professional skills to support its communities. We do this through pro bono work, volunteering and charitable partnerships, and minimising the impact it has on the environment, including through our commitment to the SBTi Net-Zero standard and the setting of ambitious emissions reduction targets.

• We offer a range of tailored benefits and support, including healthcare, retirement planning and wellbeing initiatives.

Clyde & Co is proud to be an equal opportunities employer.

Our core values encourage us to support fairness, celebrate diversity and prohibit all forms of discrimination in the workplace to allow everyone to excel at work.

Therefore, we welcome and encourage all applications from suitably qualified individuals, regardless of background or identity.

We’re a global law firm working with businesses at the heart of global trade and commerce. But we’re so much more than that. Our collective drive, our pursuit of excellence and our ambition to do our best for our clients, and each other has fuelled our growth for over 90 years. Find out more about our firm. It’s an exciting time to work with us. With challenging cases, impactful client projects, growing teams and new offices, you’ll work in a fast-paced environment with rewarding outcomes. Collectively, we strive towards our shared goal of consistently delivering exceptional outcomes and bringing the best out in each other. Explore where you could work with us. Our early careers programmes differ from any other law firm, because of our rich learning experience coupled with our opportunities to work directly with clients. In return, we ask you to bring your ambition and collaborative mind to support the firm’s continued success and growth.

Discover where we are based.

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Our people stay with us because we invest in strong relationships and value shared success.

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