Solicitor / Associate - Property Litigation

Why Michelmores?

Michelmores is the destination law firm for the ambitious, the imaginative and the distinctive. We help enterprises and individuals navigate change to find a positive future.

We are a flexible, friendly and inclusive organisation with as clear a focus on fresh thinking as we have on growth and success. We value and nurture our people’s potential and inspiration and give them a creative, open and collaborative environment in which to develop a career and succeed.

We believe that whatever your legal experience, you’ll find Michelmores different. From day one we encourage our people to forge relationships and expand their understanding and knowledge of areas that interest them – developing an understanding of commercial challenges and opportunities, rather than just knowing the law. We nurture creative and commercial thinking to help in your long-term career success – it mirrors our approach to ensuring the very best outcomes for our clients too.

Finally, our culture really is something special to us. At Michelmores we take pride in how we all work together, whatever our role or seniority, and you’ll really grow and thrive because we encourage people to develop in areas that excite them or makes them different. That’s how we nurture the brightest and best lawyers.

Are you keen to find an exciting new role where you will be part of a dynamic, forward-thinking, agile team? If so, come and join us on the journey.

What sort of work?

Our highly rated Property Litigation team is looking for a Solicitor or Associate to join their Specialist Real Estate offering. This role could be based from either our Bristol or Exeter office and will support the team in delivering a first-class service to clients. This will include advising on a complete spectrum of real property related issues: business lease renewal and opposition to renewal, short residential tenancies, residential long leases including enfranchisement, rent recovery, service charges, dilapidations, telecommunications, forfeiture and possession claims, adverse possession, easements, restrictive covenants, land registration, options, sale and purchase contracts, and many other subject areas. Much of our work involves the provision of advice in uncertain or contentious situations, but it also includes representing clients in court action, the property tribunals, arbitrations, expert determinations, and mediations. Experience in every area is not essential, because we pride ourselves on providing quality training and supervision.

Why this team?

Our Property Litigation team, led by Andrew Baines, act for a range of clients, including residential developers and investors, development land owners, offshore trust companies, local authorities and other public bodies, business property occupiers and investors, and numerous private individuals in relation to property which they own or occupy.

The team operates on a cross-office basis across the South West carrying out international, national, and the best of the region's contentious property work. The team works closely with our Transactional Real Estate team, as well as other teams across the firm.

We provide excellent training and career progression opportunities in an inclusive environment.

How do we work?

We take a flexible, agile approach to working patterns. As a team we agree together on the best working arrangements that will enable each of us to provide exceptional client service, to collaborate and connect with colleagues, and to achieve the right home/work balance.

As a Firm we are committed to supporting our people across all levels to achieve the balance they need. We are open to talking about flexible working and empower any candidate to put forward a flexible working pattern to meet their needs.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for somebody who will understand our values and thrive in our culture. The role can be based in either our Bristol or Exeter offices and the ideal candidate will have:

• Experience at a strong City, National or top Regional commercial practice and excellent academics
• Expertise in contentious property including commercial and residential
• 1-5 PQE (although we would consider an NQ who has done a Property Litigation seat as part of their training contract)
• An enthusiasm to master business development and marketing in tandem with legal expertise
• Strong interpersonal skills, building rapport with colleagues and clients at all levels
• A pro-active, professional, and collaborative approach to work with a willingness to support partners in other teams and offices
• The desire to help train and coach more junior team members and delegate effectively
• Excellent organisational skills, with demonstrable examples of multi-tasking, managing competing priorities and use of initiative to work towards objectives or career goals
• The ability to communicate well under pressure and be positive role model
• This is a great opportunity to join a Firm which believes potential, inspiration, and teamwork should be valued and nurtured.