Partner / Legal Director

About the role

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client. We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face. Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do. RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 6th best law firm to work at in 2026. With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 42% of our partnership. The team you will join The Birketts Real Estate Team is one of the most highly regarded and largest dedicated real estate teams outside London, with over 250 lawyers. Our team brings together exceptional talent from diverse backgrounds, including major City practices, leading national and regional firms, industry, and local government. This breadth of experience covers all aspects of real estate, including residential, social housing, planning, and commercial expertise. Our team of experienced Real Estate Finance Lawyers acts for banks and specialist lenders on a full range of real estate finance law matters and advises on transactions involving commercial, mixed use and residential buy to let properties throughout England and Wales. They have a particular experience in working with lenders who use lender indemnity insurance on a volume basis. The work you will be doing The successful candidate will be responsible for maintaining and growing client relationships, ensuring the delivery of high-quality legal services and contributing to the strategic direction and success of the firm. You will be responsible for: Ensuring client needs are met with the highest standard of professionalism and efficiency including setting up processes for new and existing clients Maintaining and growing client relationships and contributing to the strategic direction and success of the firm. Leading, training, supervising and mentoring a team of junior lawyers, fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment. Participating in networking events, conferences and other business development activities to promote the firm's services. Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

Requirements

• Recognised technical expert who provides clear, tailored advice on complex legal and commercial issues.
• Drives efficient time recording, profitable pricing, strong cash flow, and team gross profit delivery.
• Strong academic background
• Leads business development and high-profile pitches, builds a strong market presence, wins new clients, and drives cross-selling opportunities.
• Delivers exceptional project and client management, consistently meeting expectations through strong communication and deep client understanding.
• Builds trust through strong relationships, continual professional development, clear communication of vision, and championing positive change.
• Hybrid Working
• Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. This role attracts a split of 60% office days and 40% working from home days per week.

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