The Department
We have earned a reputation as one of London's largest and best specialist property litigation teams. The team is led by Daniel Levy and all six of the team's partners are individually ranked in the key directories. The way in which the team functions allows the individuals in it to take on responsibility from an early juncture, but at the same time provides on-going support and development in a genuinely collaborative working environment.
Unlike other leading property litigation teams, we are equally at home advising high net worth individuals as we are leading UK property companies, developers, corporate occupiers, and investment funds. This role will focus on servicing those individuals.
The lawyers in our team regularly participate in court and trial work, including in the Appeal Courts. The size and complexity of the matters not only requires commercial and strategic acumen but the ability to handle the often significant media interest. Recent examples of such matters include acting for the successful landlord in the Court of Appeal in relation to Bank of New York Mellon (International) Ltd and v Cine-UK Ltd and others and other High Court trials in 2022 in the cases of Davies-Gilbert v Goacher & Ors and Hush Brasseries Limited v. RLUKREF Nominees (UK) One Limited & Anor. In both cases the team acted for the successful claimants.
While recognised as assertive, highly skilled litigators, our team are also renowned negotiators and regularly conduct mediations, arbitrations and other dispute resolution alternatives.
The team's expertise covers the full range of real estate disputes including:
- Breaches of contract
- Commercial, residential and mixed-use schemes
- Compensation claims
- Construction disputes
- Development disputes
- Dilapidations claims
- Insolvencies
- Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 maters;
- Landlord and tenant issues including rent arrears and forfeiture (both commercial and residential)
- Mixed use scheme advice (including tenants' rights of first refusal)
- Party wall disputes
- Possession of land claims (both commercial and residential)
- Professional negligence
- Rights of light claims
- Service charge disputes
- Telecommunications Code strategic advice and disputes
The team's key clients include, among others:
- Brookfield
- Blackstone Property Management
- Chelsfield
- Capital & Counties Plc
- Delancey
- IWG (Regus)
- TK Maxx
The property litigation team sits within the wider Real Estate department. In addition to property litigation, the department's core practice areas include construction, development and urban regeneration, fashion and retail, investment, planning and environment, residential, finance and taxation.
The department's clients span both the world of corporate and private wealth giving us a unique perspective on the market. This role will focus on the latter. Our infrastructure of connections and investors coupled with our understanding of the complex policy landscape, are both highly valued by our clients.
We find practical commercial solutions, underpinned by a tenacious determination to get the deal done. We offer a one-stop shop for property services from acquisition and planning, through to construction, disposal and asset management, encompassing both commercial and residential property.
Candidates should be confident in managing client relationships, workloads and priorities. We are looking for proactive applicants who are ambitious and have lots of drive and enthusiasm. Candidates should be creative legal thinkers who are able to approach matters both from a legal as well as a commercial perspective.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Management of a varied and complex contentious property caseload.
- Exercise high standards of client care in a professional manner at all times.
- To ensure that all client work is progressed in a timely fashion and that the client is kept regularly informed on progress and costs.
- To ensure the confidentiality and security of all of the Firm's client documentation and information.
- To play a key role in the success of both the team and the wider firm.
- Development of client relationships as well as relationships with contacts in the industry.
- Be responsible for achieving agreed levels of billing and time recording.
Skills and Experience
- 1-4 years PQE, ideally having spent time within a highly rated property litigation practice.
- Strong academic record.
- Excellent technical skills in the field of property litigation, an ability to make a considered judgement call and a proven history of meeting and exceeding client expectations.
- Candidates will need to be assertive, focussed and be able to present themselves in a confident manner to clients, particularly high net worth individuals. Resilience and an ability to remain calm under pressure are also key attributes.
- Candidates will need to demonstrate excellent written and interpersonal skills in order to meet the drafting and presentation aspects of the role, as well as a keen eye for detail.
- Organisational and prioritising skills are also essential to meet the demands of challenging internal and external clients.
- Good teamwork skills and the ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels are essential.
- Candidates are expected to be pro-active and take the initiative both in relation to the development of their development and their relationships with key clients/contacts.
About The Mishcon de Reya Group
The Mishcon de Reya Group is an independent international professional service business with law at its heart, employing over 1450 people with close to 670 lawyers. It includes the law firm Mishcon de Reya LLP and a collection of leading consultancy businesses that complement the firm's legal services. We have grown rapidly in recent years, showing more than 40% revenue growth in the past five years alone.
Based in London, Cambridge, Oxford, and Singapore, with an association with Karas So LLP in Hong Kong, the firm services an international community of clients and provides advice in situations where the constraints of geography often do not apply. The work we undertake is cross-border, multi-jurisdictional and complex, spanning six core practice areas: Corporate ; Dispute Resolution ; Employment ; Innovation ; Private ; and Real Estate.
As of 1 January 2023, Mishcon de Reya and Taylor Vinters merged. The merger delivers on both firms' strategies to support the innovation economy and accelerate our growing share of the technology, media and life-sciences legal and consultancy services market in the UK and in key international innovation hubs globally.
In times of such far-reaching and profound change we want to be the law firm that enables our clients - and our own people - to shape the world's possibilities. We are here to help our clients benefit from new economies, new geographic centres of wealth, the new global movement of people and capital, and the impact of new technologies and new knowledge.
Our purpose remains rooted in our founding values. We take pride in the diverse range of people who make up the firm and are proactive in driving change and continuous improvement across the spectrum of equality, diversity and inclusion. Mishcon Academy, our in-house place of learning, development and new thinking for our people, clients and contacts and our innovative impact strategy, including acommitment to be a net zero carbon business, also play a central strategic role in the direction of the firm. In 2020 we launched Mishcon Purpose, a first-of-its-kind sustainability practice providing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) advice and purpose-driven insight to clients.
The Mishcon de Reya Group comprises standalone businesses MDR Brand Management, MDR Cyber, MDR Discover, MDR Mayfair (in London, Singapore and Dubai) and MDRxTECH. Complementary to Mishcon de Reya's core areas of work, each is led by best in class professionals recruited from a variety of non-legal industries and sectors.
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.
We strive to create a fully diverse and inclusive workplace where all our people are empowered to fulfil their potential. We are proud of our agile working culture and are always happy to talk flexible working.
