Real Estate at Macfarlanes | Career Guide

Macfarlanes' real estate team is often described in market commentary as specialist, technically strong and client-focused. The team is comfortable on cross-disciplinary matters where corporate, tax and private client issues intersect with property - for example, real estate aspects of M&A, high-value development joint ventures, or estate planning for substantial property portfolios.

The team typically covers the following practice areas:

• Investment Sales And Acquisitions: Acting for institutional investors, family offices and corporate sellers on central London office and mixed-use acquisitions.

• Development And Project Work: Advising promoters and joint venture partners on development agreements, construction contracts and planning risk allocation.

• Real Estate Finance: Supporting lenders and borrowers on property-secured facilities and security structures.

• Landlord And Tenant: Lease surrender, variation, dilapidations, enfranchisement and long‑term leasing for occupiers and landlords.

• Portfolio Management And Private Clients: Advising high-net-worth individuals and trustees on property holdings and transactions.

For aspiring solicitors, the appeal is often the variety - work can range from drafting complex lease provisions and bespoke security documents to negotiating heads of terms on large-scale developments. The team's size means trainees gain partner-level exposure early and can see transactions from start to finish.

Rather than focus on single headline deals, it is more useful to understand the technical patterns that recur in the team's work. These include:

• Complex cross-disciplinary transactions where property and corporate/tax issues overlap. Examples include structuring property portfolios within acquisition vehicles and advising on property warranties in share sales.

• High-value central London office and mixed-use development matters that require careful planning risk allocation and bespoke commercial drafting.

• Real estate finance transactions with layered security packages, intercreditor arrangements and enforcement considerations.

• High-stakes landlord and tenant disputes, often arising from redevelopment projects or contentious dilapidations claims.

These technical strengths mean you will develop skills in detailed drafting (leases, security documents, development agreements), rigorous due diligence, negotiating with multiple counterparties and translating commercial instructions into legally effective documentation. If you enjoy technical drafting and problem-solving - and seeing how property law interacts with tax, corporate and planning - the team offers strong exposure.

Macfarlanes operates a structured training contract that typically provides trainees with several core seats and some flexibility to choose options aligned to your interests. Expect a real estate seat to include:

• Drafting-focused work, including leases, transfers, security documents and completion accounts.

• Exposure to live negotiations and client calls with partners and often direct client contact for day-to-day instructions.

• Hands-on project management responsibility on smaller matters, and supporting roles on large transactions.

Trainees benefit from small-team supervision and partner access. Typical development pathways after qualification include moving into a fee-earner role in the real estate team, rotating into transactional specialisms (finance, development) or taking secondments.

Secondments are particularly valuable in real estate. Useful secondment options include:

• In-house real estate teams at property companies, large occupiers or investment managers.

• Lender or borrower side secondments with banks or specialist funders.

• Planning or development-focused teams with local authorities or developer clients.

Practical strategy: When offered a training contract, try to secure at least one secondment that complements your technical interests (for example, a development secondment if you want to move into project work). Keep a short record of your secondment learning outcomes to discuss at appraisal and in future interviews.

Macfarlanes looks for candidates who demonstrate technical ability, commercial awareness and a collaborative mindset. Application stages usually include an online form, CV and cover letter, online assessments and interviews (possibly a virtual assessment centre element). Actionable steps:

• Tailor Your CV: Emphasise relevant experience such as property-related paralegal roles, commercial placements, academic modules in land law or property finance, and drafting examples. Use short bullet points showing impact (for example, "Prepared due diligence schedules for a 10-unit residential development; identified three title defects that required planning covenants to be varied").

• Write A Focused Cover Letter: Demonstrate knowledge of the team's work and why you want a real estate seat. Reference recent market themes (see commercial awareness below) rather than generic praise.

• Prepare For Numerical And Situational Tests: Real estate roles often value attention to detail and commercial judgement. Practice online numerical reasoning and situational judgement tests used by law firms.

• Interview Preparation: Expect a mixture of competency questions, technical prompts and case studies. Sample questions and approaches:

• "Describe a time you managed competing deadlines." Explain the context, your plan, prioritisation decisions and the outcome. Highlight use of checklists, delegation and proactive communication.

• "Outline the key due diligence checks for acquiring a central London office." Discuss title review, planning consents, environmental searches, asbestos reports, tenant leases, rent reviews and any restrictive covenants.

• "How would rising interest rates affect a real estate investment transaction?" Discuss valuation impact, refinancing risk, covenant strain for occupiers, lender security concerns and the negotiation of pricing or conditions precedent.

Practice mock interviews with mentors. Resources to use include YourLegalLadder, Legal Cheek, Chambers Student and LawCareers.Net for firm profiles, market intelligence and interview reports.

To stand out and develop quickly once inside the team, focus on technical excellence, commercial judgement and relationship skills. Practical actions:

• Build Technical Depth: Read industry press such as Property Week, Estates Gazette and the Financial Times' real estate coverage. Subscribe to specialist updates on planning reform and commercial landlord and tenant law.

• Practice Drafting: Create a personal bank of model clauses and short precedent notes for common provisions (e.g. break clauses, rent review mechanics, tenant repairing obligations). Ask supervisors to review and explain alternative drafting choices.

• Gain Transaction Experience Early: Volunteer for portions of due diligence, completion bundles and post-completion tasks. These build an understanding of lifecycle risk.

• Network Intelligently: Attend property-focused events, law fairs and webinars. Use LinkedIn to follow in-house counsel, fund managers and Macfarlanes' real estate partners for insights. Keep conversations focused and prepare intelligent questions.

• Use Study Resources: For SQE or LPC preparation, combine technical textbooks with practical question banks. YourLegalLadder offers SQE tools and question banks alongside established providers such as Kaplan and BARBRI.

Finally, keep a learning log. After each matter, note one legal lesson, one commercial lesson and one practical improvement (for example, quicker due diligence template or a negotiation tactic). Over time this becomes a tangible demonstration of continuous development for appraisals and interviews.