Professional Support Lawyer - Real Estate

Are you looking for an opportunity to utilise your strong technical and people development skills in a new way?

We are looking for a Professional Support Lawyer on a part time basis to support the development of our Edinburgh-based Real Estate practice during a period of exciting expansion.

We bring new ideas and perspectives to everything we do, without ever compromising the quality of our work. Join us and you'll be surrounded by high quality work and specialist expertise every day, as you make an impact on a national and international scale.

The Firm

Our working environment is professional yet progressive, where quality of work and quality of life go hand-in-hand. Our collaborative approach to how we do business is totally refreshing. It's what attracts some of the best legal minds in the industry and it's why our people love working here.

We are proud to have received an Investors in People - Platinum Accreditation and have recently been voted by our people as a RollOnFriday's ‘Firm of the Year to Work for 2024', which is our third year in a row in the top spot.

And did you know our hybrid working model offers flexible working options too?

The Team

You will be joining a UK wide award-winning, multi-disciplinary team, ranked in the top tier by both Chambers UK and Legal 500.

The team services a range of industry sectors and asset types across the UK, including energy, offices, retail, industrial and logistics, housing, healthcare, hotels, student accommodation, government and infrastructure and rural/agricultural property.

Our clients are institutional investors, listed and private property companies, banks, developers, public sector bodies, corporate occupiers and high net worth individuals.

We opened the office in Edinburgh in 2019 and have achieved rapid organic growth since. The Real Estate Team now has 14 Edinburgh-based Lawyers, including 2 Partners and continues to cement Burges Salmon's reputation as one of the premier law firms in Scotland.

What others say

‘A knowledgeable and approachable team where partners and directors are actively involved. [...] We get a real feel they want to be a partner to the business and not just an external lawyer.'

(Legal 500, 2023)

‘The commercial property team is outstanding, well-led, well-resourced and very capable. The team has an excellent knowledge base and considerable experience. They are able to take a commercial perspective and give well-considered advice.'  

(The Legal 500, 2024)

About the role

As a PSL, you will be an integral part of the Real Estate team working alongside our experienced Real Estate PSL and the firm's wider PSL network, including those in related practice areas such as construction, planning and Real Estate litigation.

This is a general Professional Support/knowledge lawyer role but the primary focus will be:

• Developing and co-ordinating a comprehensive legal training programme for our lawyers, paralegals, legal executives, trainees and apprentices. This will include identifying knowledge gaps and personally delivering and/or procuring the training; in particular concentrating on adapting training design and delivery to suit our emerging hybrid working practices
• Facilitating the sharing of knowledge within the team by encouraging the collation and dissemination of technical know-how using our knowledge management tools
• Supervising the use of online platforms and contributing your expertise to delivering innovative digital and automated solutions for our Real Estate practice
• Consultancy on technical legal issues and legislative or practice developments as a trusted adviser for our team

You will have the opportunity to become involved in team and firm wide initiatives to support the firm's knowledge management and business development, in collaboration with our marketing and innovation specialists.

This opportunity is available on a part-time basis, 2 to 3 days per week.

Responsibilities

• Building the Culture: You'll support our commitment to market leadership by delivering service excellence and participate in cultural initiatives that underpin life at the firm, making Burges Salmon a great place to work.
• Delivering Results: Focus your contribution to support the firm's overall aims and apply your expertise in the delivery of legal services to heighten efficiency and optimise profit.
• Growing our People: Maintain your own status as an expert, and support the development of others. Take responsibility for curating knowledge, providing a source of technical legal know-how to stay on top of developments in your field. Disseminate your knowledge to others, educating them on aspects relevant to their role, and facilitate the sharing of ideas within and between teams.
• Developing our Business: Support efforts to protect and enhance existing client and referrer relationships.

What you'll need

• Relevant experience working on complex and high value Real Estate transactional work
• Be a strong team player, with excellent interpersonal skills
• You should have the necessary experience to debate and advise on technical legal issues and suggest practical solutions on transactional matters. To have the confidence to do so effectively we expect that ideally you will have at least 6 years relevant PQE.
• Experience of leading others to develop their skills and knowledge.
• Must be a SRA or Law Society of Scotland registered lawyer
• Experience working as a Professional Support Lawyer is highly desirable, but not necessary

Benefits

Click here for a full overview of our brilliant reward package and find out more about the benefits of a legal career with Burges Salmon, here.

We're committed to finding the right person for this role and we're open to discussing flexible working, full time or part time working patterns.

It's important to us that our organisation represents the diverse community in which we operate and we encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and identities. As a Disability Confident employer we will provide a fully accessible recruitment process.

Get in touch!

If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, please contact Chris Jenkinson - 0117 307 2246 - for an informal and confidential conversation.

Are you ready to blaze a trail with industry leaders? Make a leap. Make a splash…