Solicitor

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do.  RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 5th best law firm to work at in 2024.

With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 40% of our partnership.

The Birketts Commercial Real Estate Team is one of the best regarded and largest dedicated real estate teams within any firm outside of London, with over 200 lawyers across the firm as a whole. Our Cambridge office houses the firm’s centre for excellence for Strategic Land Development, as well as specialists in Core Real Estate, Real Estate Finance, Real Estate Investment, Clean & Renewable Energy, Residential Development, Commercial Development, Management and General Advisory, for a broad variety of clients.

Our Team consists of highly skilled and dedicated individuals and we pride ourselves on being an invaluable resource to our clients, with a never-wavering commitment to both technical and service-level excellence.   We share knowledge and experience, stay connected and we are invested in our colleagues’ wellbeing and personal professional development. Colleagues are empowered to achieve and to be enterprising in their careers.

Our Team’s unique collaborative and supportive environment takes us from strength to strength, and our sustainable growth and legacy is a result of diversification, specialism, deepening market penetration, strategic hires and promotions. This environment is reflected firm-wide, meaning that we are able to work seamlessly between the offices, supporting each other on very large transactions and providing essential specialist advice, as a single team.

If you seek an exciting future in Commercial Real Estate and feel passionate about your career, this is a unique opportunity to join a vibrant team. We look forward to hearing from you.

Led by 4 Partners and supported by a diverse group of lawyers, we have the strength and depth of expertise to ensure we deliver top tier service in respect of technical quality, practical approach and timeliness of advice.

We are proud to act for leading clients nationwide and some of the East of England’s (and Cambridge’s) most important businesses and institutions, including high profile clients in sectors such as:

• Residential Development / Housebuilding
• Land promotion and development (residential and commercial)
• Private landowners and family trusts
• Public sector, including Local Authority and health
• Education including higher and further education, schools and colleges
• Charities
• Institutional investors
• TV and media
• Clean/renewable energy
• Logistics, storage and distribution
• Funders

NQ - 2 PQE gained within a strong regional, national or City firm with experience in some or all of the following:

Commercial landlord and tenant work

Investment and asset management

General commercial property development

Experience of acting for banks and/or borrowers in secured lending matters

Knowledge of providing property support as part of corporate transactions

The information provided in relation to PQE is provided for guidance only and will not be determinative in the recruitment decision. Any applicant with more or less PQE than that mentioned in the vacancy details will be considered on their individual merits.  However, the team is keen to recruit someone who will initially undertake work referred down from the Partners and Senior Associates and provide clients with good value services.

We deal with a wide range of high quality Commercial Real Estate work, much of which is complex, high value and high profile. 

This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious junior Commercial Real Estate lawyer to join our successful and growing Commercial Real Estate team in Cambridge. We are seeking an NQ – 2 year PQE solicitor, however, we are looking for the right person for this role, and all applicants will be considered on their individual merits, not solely on their formal PQE. 

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work on the full range of Commercial Real Estate deals, both locally and nationally, including strategic land promotion, residential and commercial development, investment sales and purchases, leasing and asset management (acting for both landlords and tenants), real estate finance, clean energy and general advisory work. 

You will be supported to find the area of practice in which you can thrive, and will be given the knowhow, training and resources to develop your skills and experience.

You will be empowered to play an active role in marketing and practice development as well as providing a high level of service to existing clients.

You will benefit from a transparent career progression structure that successfully develops, retains and rewards talented people.

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth. Alongside a flexible and inclusive work environment, we offer the following core benefits:

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays, rising to 30 days with service 
• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme 
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR Day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Electric car scheme
• Agile/Hybrid Working Policy
• Dress for your Day Policy

https://www.birketts.co.uk/recognition-reward-benefits/

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application. 

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.