Associate / Senior Associate

About us

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 6th best law firm to work at in 2026.

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 42% of our partnership.

The team you will join

Our team of experienced Real Estate Finance Lawyers handle a range of real estate finance law matters and advise banks and specialist lenders on property transactions throughout the UK.

The work you will be doing

The team manages a large case-load of secured lending transactions for a range of banks and specialist lenders.

You will be responsible for:

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• Acting as a key point of contact for clients, building trusted relationships, and identifying opportunities to add value
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• Participating in marketing and networking initiatives
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• Ownership of personal financial performance, demonstrating accountability and a commercial mindset
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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.

What we are looking for

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• A minimum of 3 years ( Associate) or 6 years (Senior Associate) PQE in a professional legal environment with experience of secured lending in commercial and/or residential property transactions.
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• Experience building credibility and trust through effective relationships and business development
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• To be competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, time recording software, case management, Outlook and digital dictation
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• Ability to mentor junior team members and contribute to team development (SA)
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• Established client base or network (preferred but not essential)
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Hybrid Working

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. This role attracts a split of 60% office days and 40% working from home days per week.

Benefits

As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:

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

Inclusivity and Culture

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.

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.