Commercial Property Senior/Principal Associate

Job title

Principal 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

We are looking for an experienced transactional property lawyer to join our thriving Property Team.  Our team is well known for being one of the most active and well-respected in the region, with a fantastic bank of diverse and interesting clients.  No two days are the same!

We offer an exciting breadth of work, advising international corporates, owner managed businesses, individuals and landed estates on all manner of property transactions, including disposals, acquisitions, commercial and residential development, property finance, corporate support, landlord and tenant/asset management, renewable energy and residential conveyancing.  We are proactive in the industrial and logistics and healthcare/childcare sectors, working with a number of key clients to grow and manage their property portfolios.

We are seeking to grow the team even further and are looking for an experienced transactional lawyer to join us. This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the most dynamic, energetic and successful teams in the region and work with the likes of The Old Station Nursery Ltd, Palletline, AF Blakemore, London & Cambridge Properties, Urban Splash and many more brilliant clients.  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 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 take on commercial and residential development transactions.

Key Responsibilities

In line with policies and procedures key responsibilities include:

• Good commercial awareness and excellent technical and interpersonal skills with an ability to provide commercial, pragmatic and strategic advice to clients
• Ability to draft and negotiate legal documentation relating to varied transactional work including contracts, agreements for lease, leases, licences, deeds, transfers, options and overage agreements
• Ability to manage a busy caseload and prioritise effectively
• Deal with file opening, compliance and anti-money laundering matters and understanding ethics and professionalism in a legal context
• Confidence when dealing with and managing clients with whom you will have direct contact and front-line responsibilities
• Excellent financial hygiene on matters including WIP and debt management and time recording practices
• 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 Partners in the team
• Opportunity to supervise and lead our developing lawyers

Person Specification

• Proactivity and self-management
• Good communication, organisational and team skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Eagerness to learn new skills
• Flexible and dependable, able to take the initiative
• Able to remain calm under pressure and work to tight deadlines and prioritise effectively
• Conscientious, approachable and enthusiastic
• Able to quickly build confidence, respect and trust with others

 Technical Knowledge

• Given the strength and depth of our client base, the ideal candidate will have already established a strong technical foundation to their practice, with broad experiences across a variety of transactions and sectors. 
• Experience in landlord and tenant, property finance, corporate support and renewable energy transactions will be particularly useful.  In addition, there will be ample opportunity for further professional and technical development given the broad and diverse range of work we already offer to our clients.  It is a really exciting time to be joining the team, as we continue to grow together!

 What You Need to Know

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 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

As charter signatories to The Law Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Charter, Higgs are committed to developing a diverse business by engaging with the widest pool of talent. We recognise this is an ongoing journey and regularly monitor our figures which can be viewed here.

People Driven. Legal Excellence.