Construction & Projects Solicitor: Birmingham

Our client is a City-led, international and national law firm with over 130 partners and 830 staff. With offices across the UK, Middle East and Far East, they provide a full-service integrated offering.

Their clients operate in diverse industry sectors such as construction, transport and infrastructure, banking and financial services, distribution and logistics, education and health, hotels and leisure, defence, engineering and surveying, charities, retail and energy and natural resources. They also act for many high net worth individuals.

They are different and believe it is their people that make them unique.

While the work on offer is rewarding and often complex, the qualities they look for are simple. The ability to get on with people from all walks of life, for example. To talk and to listen. To develop the sorts of relationships that mean you win the friendship and loyalty of clients and colleagues alike. In short, to connect. These are the characteristics their people all have in common. They are vital, as is the drive and imagination to use your unique talents to the full. they will help you in this. In fact, they will support you in every way they can.

The Practice area/ department

Their award-winning construction practice is, justifiably, one of the leaders in the construction legal field; equally comfortable acting on landmark national infrastructure projects or niche social housing developments, and their work takes them across the globe, wherever the clients are active.

Their national offering is a 'life span' service for all construction/engineering related matters, from initial structuring, procurement advice, setting up contracts, appointments, joint ventures and development agreements with backup specialists in employment, energy, property and tax. They are integrated with their colleagues in real estate, housing and regeneration, tax and planning to ensure nothing is missed. The team combines legal excellence, commercial acumen and an impressive track record together with a deep understanding of the construction industry. A number of their team are ranked as experts and leading practitioners in their field by Chambers UK and Legal 500.

The Team:

You'll form part of a strong local team and will be supported in keeping ahead of the latest industry trends and developments to best deliver for our clients. The scope of work in Birmingham is broad and has involved acting on a number of large and varied schemes within the housing, education, leisure and commercial sectors. The team have recently won a tender resulting in us being one of two appointees to the construction panel for a multinational construction and services company. They have also been appointed to the West Midlands Combined Authority Legal Panel. More specific recent transactions have included: acting for Seven Capital on various high profile city centre developments in Birmingham; advising various procurement consortia on complex high profile procurements including a multi-billion pound new build framework involving off-site manufacture; acting for a housing association in a potential joint venture with a national contractor to develop around 16 large residential development sites.

As part of a 39 strong fee-earner national department you can also expect to work alongside colleagues on work which is being led out of the other UK offices as well as, working closely with their Birmingham real estate practice in advising public sector and private developer clients. They will provide relevant training and the support you need to develop within the firm.

Responsibilities

• Advising clients including local and central government departments, developers, employers, contractors, housing associations, subcontractors and consultants operating in the commercial / private and public sectors.
• Advising on construction and procurement strategies risk management, tendering, contract formation, and all aspects of development through design and construction.
• Advising on asset management contracts and maintenance contracts.
• Providing construction due diligence support to the real estate, corporate and banking teams on acquisitions and disposals.
• Building and maintaining effective client relationships.
• Active participation in marketing initiatives.
• Ensuring files are managed in compliance with Lexcel procedures.
• Participating in firm-wide and departmental training sessions.

Specification

The firm has a Career Development Framework which sets out the competencies they expect of those at the Solicitor grade. In particular for this role they require:

• Excellent technical skills,
• Strong client focus,
• Drive and enthusiasm,
• Commercial awareness,
• Credibility.

Experience and qualifications required:

• Excellent academic record.
• Qualified solicitor.
• The willingness to learn and develop an understanding of the construction sector.

Lipson Lloyd Jones Ltd is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy. Please note our advertisements use PQE levels purely as a guide to the minimum level of experience required. However we are happy to consider applications from all candidates who are able to demonstrate the skills necessary to fulfill this kind of work.