Real Estate Solicitor

The role
You will join Gateley Legal’s Commercial Real Estate team as a Solicitor, supporting Darren Hughes, Rachel Baker and their team on a varied and high‑quality workload. 

Your work will span the full life cycle of commercial property matters, including acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant work, real estate finance and wider asset management. You will be involved from an early stage, assisting with legal due diligence, drafting and reviewing documents, coordinating completions and liaising with clients and third parties. 

You will also support on larger and more complex transactions, including development projects, office, retail and industrial sites, and portfolio work for investors, developers, occupiers and banks. There will be regular exposure to multi‑million‑pound deals and nationally significant clients, alongside the day‑to‑day advisory work that underpins long‑term client relationships. 

From day one, you will be encouraged to take responsibility appropriate to your level, with the support of experienced Partners who value clear thinking, commercial awareness and getting the basics right. 

The team

You will be working closely with Darren Hughes and Rachel Baker, both Partners in Gateley Legal’s Commercial Real Estate practice. 

Darren has a broad commercial real estate practice, advising occupiers, developers, investors and banks on acquisitions, disposals, property management and real estate finance. His work regularly involves complex and high‑value transactions, including corporate‑led property deals and refinancing matters.  

Rachel advises a wide range of clients on the acquisition lettings and disposal of high value properties, real estate finance and general estate management issues. 

You will be part of a collaborative, well‑established team that shares knowledge openly and supports individual development. The team works closely with colleagues across Gateley’s national platform, giving you exposure to different sectors, client types and ways of working, while remaining grounded in a supportive and down‑to‑earth culture. 

The person
We are looking for a qualified Solicitor (NQ up to 2 year PQE) who is keen to build a strong grounding in commercial real estate and who is motivated by working on good‑quality, varied matters. 

You will: 

• Be a qualified Solicitor in England and Wales, at junior level. 
• Have a genuine interest in commercial property and how it supports wider business objectives. 
• Be comfortable dealing with detail, deadlines and multiple matters, while keeping a clear view of priorities. 
• Communicate clearly and professionally with clients, colleagues and third parties. 
• Be willing to ask questions, take feedback on board and develop your technical and commercial skills. 

Most importantly, you will be someone who takes pride in doing things properly, is open‑minded about learning, and enjoys working as part of a team that values straight‑talking advice and practical solutions. 

The benefits

With support, coaching and feedback from some of the most engaging colleagues around our great development and progression opportunities will reward your commitment and loyalty. We offer a competitive remuneration package where you'll be rewarded for your individual performance with an opportunity to receive an annual bonus.

In addition, we have a wide range of learning and development opportunities via our Learn platform to develop new skills and progress your career. Our My Flex comprehensive rewards package includes options covering annual leave (and the benefit of purchasing extra days), cycle to work, critical illness benefit, employee assistance programme, group personal pension, health care, season ticket loan and many more benefits (grade dependent). Finally, with Perks At Work/Home you can select a host of retail benefits that suit your needs alongside a Community Online Academy, free courses for all from fitness to coding to languages to hip hop dance.

We are Gateley

We are forward thinking and straight talking, our approach is to find solutions to the problems that our clients face. Gateley is a legal and professional services group, we are a group of formidable experts in all areas of law and business. Passionate problem solvers, we get our kicks from finding the right answers and getting our legal and business clients where they need to be. We support more than 5,700 active clients, ranging from FTSE 100 companies to private individuals, in the UK and beyond. Being part of Gateley is not just about the expertise that you bring; it's about attitude too.

The 'Gateley Story' is the story of our people and our culture. It is what has got us to where we are today as a successful business and it's the driving force behind the Gateley Team Spirit and the values that have shaped it. We have a set of shared internal values that capture what the Gateley Team Spirit is and this includes five elements that bind us all together as one Gateley: Ambitious for Success, Forward Thinking, Room to Breathe, Trusted to Do and Working Together. Every year across the group, we recognise members of our team that have gone and above and beyond and have lived these shared values. They are recognised at our annual Gateley Team Spirit awards.

Diversity, inclusion and well being

Diversity, inclusion and well being is an important part of Gateley's culture and values. We recruit talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, providing equal opportunities for all to join our team regardless of age, sex, race, sexual orientation, disability, or culture.

We create an exciting and rewarding place to work that aims to fulfil everyone's potential and together to achieve personal and business goals. We offer flexible working patterns to help our staff achieve a good work/ life balance and we encourage candidates seeking flexibility in their next role t­o apply for any of our vacancies.

We are proud to have been recognised by The Law Society as gold standard for our Diversity and Inclusion Charter and to be Stonewall Diversity Champions.

Additional Information

If you are successful in receiving an offer of a role with our company a variety of pre-employment screening checks will be completed. Our screening checks can include but are not limited to your eligibility to work, professional and academic qualifications, any criminal records, your financial stability and references from previous employers. The screening that takes place will be relevant to your role and will vary from role to role.