Baker McKenzie
Senior Associate - Real Estate Finance
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Role Overview
Our Banking Group is seeking a Senior Associate with a strong real estate finance background to join their real estate finance sub-group within their banking and finance team, currently led by 3 partners. The real estate finance team has seen successful growth in recent years, and an opportunity has arisen for a further person to join the team. Further promotion in the future is possible for the right candidate. The broader banking and finance team currently comprises 9 partners, 1 knowledge lawyer, and 20 associates and trainees.
The role would suit an experienced and ambitious real estate finance senior associate looking for complex and interesting work with top-tier clients.
Duties
- Advise clients on a mix of real estate finance-related matters, including senior lending, back leverage, real estate-related special situations.
- Transactions in the team are mostly cross-border, involving multiple jurisdictions but will also involve some UK-focused transactions.
- Associates work in a collegiate environment and can expect a good variety of work.
- Associates are given regular and direct contact with clients, with a culture based on associates being given the level of responsibility they are ready for, rather than a PQE-based method of work allocation.
- Develop relationships with clients, including gaining a good knowledge of the client’s businesses, economic drivers, market, and sector requirements to ensure advice is relevant and commercial.
- There are regular opportunities for targeted secondments with clients to develop an associate’s business case.
- Posting to other offices under the firm's associate transfer programme is also a possibility.
- Engage in business development activities and be active in the promotion of the firm and seeking opportunities for new work.
- Work as part of a team and take an active role in sharing knowledge and experience with the team.
The Team
Real Estate Finance sits within the firm's broader Banking & Finance Practice, serving our global client base.
Our wider Real Estate group team blends real estate, finance, construction, corporate, and tax expertise to create a fully coordinated service. We assist arrangers, financial institutions, as well as borrowers including developers, funds, sponsors, and other institutional investors with respect to complex domestic and cross-border property and portfolio financing transactions. Our ability to offer genuine cross-border in-depth expertise in the real estate finance world is what truly differentiates us from other firms.
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We advise on a wide variety of asset classes including hospitality, logistics, offices, student housing, and data centers, amongst others.
We are able to advise financial institutions and other lenders, sponsors, borrowers, and other corporate entities on all aspects of financing transactions—from origination, negotiation, and documentation to closing. We also advise clients on enforcement situations, workouts, and reorganisations and the full breadth of structured and capital markets offerings. As a firm, we are noted for our expertise in acquisition finance, securitisation, bank lending, financial regulatory work, and project finance.
The London team is an integrated part of the Firm's Global Finance group of over 500 lawyers who cover the world's key financial money centres, many of whom are regularly featured in the top tier of rankings in both Legal 500 and Chambers for Banking and Finance. Some of these entries include:
- Baker McKenzie LLP is "excellent at helping clients navigate through complex multi-region financing deals" - Legal 500 UK
- Baker McKenzie LLP has "a top-class practice" - Legal 500 UK
- “They have a lot of resources to provide a big team. They are always well organised, highlight the right topics, and are always up to speed.” - Chambers UK
- “A great firm committed to a high standard of service to the client.” - Chambers UK
Skills and Experience
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate all or the majority of the following:
- A qualified lawyer with excellent academic credentials
- Current experience in the real estate finance team of a leading firm
- First-rate technical skills needed to support the client work of the department
- Commerciality and demonstrable business development experience
- Excellent written communication and drafting skills, and the ability to adapt style as required
- Initiative and proactivity
- Maturity and gravitas
- Strong service orientation—a "client first" culture
- Able to develop strong relationships with clients and to take responsibility for this relationship
- High work standards
- Able to work well in both a team and individually
- A keenness to learn and to develop their career
- Respects and enjoys the diversity of cultural, social, and academic backgrounds found in the Firm
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Why Join Us?
Baker McKenzie is a truly global law firm. Founded in 1949, we advise many of the world’s most dynamic and successful business organisations through our 13,200 people in 74 offices in 45 countries. Yet big does not mean impersonal. We work hard to ensure that everyone knows their role and has the support they need to perform it to the highest standard. Our culture encourages this—how we work, think, and behave in a collaborative and fulfilling way.
In London, you will be part of a 950-person office, which is also our largest office globally. Originally opened in 1961, Baker McKenzie London is well established in the UK as a leading international law firm and is regularly involved in some of the country's most high-profile legal matters. We can offer you the work, pride, and experience of being part of a leading law firm but in a local office environment that is hardworking, yet friendly and supportive.
The strength of the firm and our culture is evidenced by a number of recent rankings and awards, including:
- Ranked Tier 1 for Corporate Governance in the Legal 500
- Ranked Tier 2 for Equity Capital Markets mid-large cap category in the Legal 500
- Ranked Tier 3 for M&A: Upper Mid-Market and Premium Deals, £750m+ in London
- Shortlisted for Corporate team of the Year in the Legal Business Awards 2025
- Shortlisted for M&A Team of the Year in The Lawyer Awards 2025
- Included in The Times 2024 list of Best Law Firms
- Ranked in the Financial Times Most Innovative Law Firms in Europe 2024 list
- Listed in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2024-2025
- International Employment Lawyer - Elite Firm 2025
- Winner: Client Management Innovation Award, Law.com Legal Innovation & Technology Awards, 2024
- Winner: Employment & Labour Law Firm of the Year, Lexology European Awards 2025
- Winner: Pro Bono Initiative of the Year - The Lawyer Awards 2024
- Winner: Finance Team of the Year - Legal Business Awards 2024
- Ranked as one of the top 5 largest US law firms in London in The Lawyer’s 2024 US 50
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