Senior Lawyer, Helix

Overview

Permanent position in the Helix department. Reports to the Managing Lawyer or Deputy Managing Lawyer. Reference number: 10859.

This role suits an experienced real estate lawyer who wants to deliver high-quality commercial property work for major clients while operating within a flexible, remote working model. You will manage matters with significant autonomy and direct client relationship ownership, supported by a team designed for modern, sustainable legal delivery.

Flexible working patterns will be considered where compatible with the needs of the role, the team, and clients.

Responsibilities

• Take day-to-day ownership of a varied portfolio of commercial real estate matters for a small number of significant clients.
• Build trusted, long-term relationships with client legal teams, property teams, and other business stakeholders.
• Draft, review, and negotiate leases, licences, property contracts, title documentation, and other real estate documents.
• Provide clear, pragmatic, commercially focused advice on freehold and leasehold matters from both landlord and tenant perspectives.
• Manage multiple matters and workstreams concurrently, prioritising effectively, anticipating deadlines, and keeping clients informed of progress.
• Maintain strong matter discipline, including accurate tracking, clear file management, status reporting, financial awareness, and prompt escalation of risks or blockers.
• Coordinate input from clients, counterparties, colleagues, and other stakeholders to keep matters moving through to completion.
• Exercise sound judgement on when to resolve issues independently and when to involve colleagues or specialist lawyers.
• Support and help develop junior lawyers, paralegals, and other team members where appropriate through guidance and review.
• Collaborate with colleagues across Helix and the wider Real Estate practice to provide a seamless, consistently high-quality service.
• Use AI, workflow tools, legal technology, and data as part of day-to-day delivery to improve efficiency, consistency, quality, and client outcomes.
• Identify and implement practical improvements to processes, templates, playbooks, reporting, and matter management.
• Understand client priorities and identify opportunities to improve or broaden the support provided over time.
• Contribute to the continued development of Helix as a modern, technology-enabled legal delivery model.

Requirements

• Qualification as an England & Wales solicitor or equivalent.
• Around 6+ years’ PQE or equivalent relevant experience in commercial real estate (quality and breadth of experience are more important than a precise number of years).
• Strong commercial real estate experience, particularly landlord and tenant, estate management, or other portfolio-based property work.
• Strong drafting, reviewing, and legal analysis skills, including the ability to identify commercially important points.
• Ability to provide clear, pragmatic, commercially focused advice.
• Excellent organisational and matter-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple matters and competing priorities while maintaining control of detail.
• Proactive approach: anticipate issues, agree priorities, identify next steps, and drive progress without waiting to be prompted.
• Strong attention to detail and a disciplined approach to deadlines, matter administration, tracking, and reporting.
• Confidence building direct relationships with clients, the Helix team, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work autonomously while recognising when escalation or specialist input is needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting, supervising, or mentoring junior team members (helpful but not essential).
• Experience in retail, restaurant, infrastructure, energy, electric vehicle roll-out, or other multi-site sectors (helpful but not essential).
• Curiosity about technology and willingness to use AI and other legal tools in day-to-day work (previous legal technology expertise not required).

Location

Remote working model (with team connectivity and escalation/support as appropriate).

Inclusion and Diversity

The employer is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications from everyone, including candidates of any age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, neurotype, disability, or with parental or caring responsibilities. Flexible working is supported.

The employer is a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Notes

No agencies please.