Property Development - Senior Associate

Job title

Senior Associate

Department

Property

Our Purpose

To forge long-term relationships that have a positive impact on our people, our clients, our business partners, and our community.

Our Commitment to Our People

We do not think there is a magic formula to the Higgs culture. The key is to listen to and respect our people. If we take care of our people and our people take care of our clients, then everything we want as a firm will take care of itself. We are friendly and open to new ideas.

Our Core Values

Higgs core values are “CLEAR” – Care, Legacy, Excellence, Authenticity, Relationships

Role Purpose

Due to the continued success and growth of the Property Department, the firm is looking for an ambitious candidate with property development experience to join the team, the ideal candidate will be currently operating at Senior Associate level.

The property development team specialises in delivering high-quality legal advice and support across a broad range of residential and commercial development matters. We act for landowners, developers, funders and end-user tenants on a broad range of transactions. You will join our highly successful property development team and undertake top quality work. You will play a key role in the exciting growth phase that this firm and the property development team in particular is experiencing at the moment.

The role is particularly suitable for a candidate who is ambitious, confident in their abilities and keen to grow and develop their own relationships. You will work on key client relationships of the firm, acting as a trusted adviser to clients, and running your own transactions, including high value and complex projects. You will have responsibilities for client relationships undertaking a key account management role in some cases. You will also have supervision and management responsibilities for junior team members.

Dependent on experience and appetite there is also opportunity for you to undertake corporate support work alongside our award-winning Corporate team, and to get involved in wider commercial property work.

Key Responsibilities

• Deal with file opening, compliance and anti-money laundering matters and understanding ethics and professionalism in a legal context
• Good commercial awareness and excellent technical and interpersonal skills with an ability to provide commercial, pragmatic and strategic advice to clients
• Ability to manage a busy caseload and prioritise effectively
• Confidence when dealing with and managing clients with whom you will have direct contact and front-line responsibilities
• Ability to draft and negotiate legal documentation relating to varied transactional work including site acquisitions, conditional contracts, agreements for lease, leases, licences, deeds, transfers, options, and collaboration, promotion and overage agreements
• Advise on residential and commercial development schemes, including mixed-use projects and strategic land
• Undertake legal due diligence and title investigations and reporting to clients and producing certificates of title for lenders
• Manage client reporting processes across key client accounts
• Handle high value and complex legal matters in support of the senior leadership team
• Excellent financial management on matters including WIP and debt management and time recording practices
• Support and mentor our early careers lawyers
• Assist in business development activities, including networking, thought leadership and marketing campaigns

Person Specification

•  Proven background in property development, ideally across both residential and commercial sectors. Strong technical legal skills with the ability to draft and negotiate a wide range of transactional documents (e.g., site acquisitions, leases, licences, deeds, options, and collaboration agreements).
• Demonstrates excellent commercial awareness and the ability to deliver pragmatic, strategic advice. Committed to providing outstanding client service and achieving impactful results.
• Excellent interpersonal, organisational, and communication skills. Able to build trust and confidence with clients and colleagues and manage direct client relationships effectively.
• Highly self-managed and proactive, with strong attention to detail and the ability to prioritise under pressure. Capable of managing a busy caseload and meeting tight deadlines.
• Collaborative, dependable, and enthusiastic about fostering a respectful and inclusive workplace culture. Approachable and eager to learn and grow professionally.

Technical Knowledge

Property development law knowledge, including but not limited to:-

• Land acquisition and disposal processes
• Development agreements, joint ventures and collaboration agreements
• Infrastructure agreements and wayleaves
• Fundamentals of construction law and its role in development agreements
• Title investigation and reporting
• Land Registry procedures and requirements
• Option and Promotion Agreements

What We Offer You

We offer more than just a job. Our benefits reflect our commitment to your development, wellbeing and work-life balance. Click here to discover more

Higgs offers hybrid working wherever possible. Our Higgs’ Best FIT (flexible, inclusive, together) principles are designed to ensure that people can complete their best work from the most appropriate location. If you are looking to work flexibly then let us know and we will do what we can to accommodate your request.

We also encourage a ‘dress for your diary’ approach which means dressing in a manner appropriate for your schedule or the specific appointments you have on any given day.

Equal Opportunities

Higgs LLP is proud to be a signatory of The Law Society’s Diversity, Inclusion Charter and a Disability Confident Committed Employer. These commitments reflect our dedication to building a workplace that is inclusive, accessible, and welcoming to all. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities.

As part of our Disability Confident commitment, we offer a guaranteed interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role and choose to opt into the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

We are also committed to ensuring that all applicants can fully participate in the recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please let us know by contacting us at recruitment@higgsllp.co.uk

We recognise that inclusion is an ongoing journey, and we regularly review and publish our diversity data, which can be accessed here.

People Driven. Legal Excellence.