Q1 2026 - Overview of Real Estate Finance roles advertised in the London Market.

During the first quarter of 2026, the real estate finance recruitment market remained active, with a total of 27 roles advertised across UK International/Global, US and City/Regional firms. Of these, 17 roles were carried over from Q4 2025, while 10 were new to market in Q1.

Roles ranged from junior associate level through to senior associate and legal director, and there were two PSL positions.  While 18 roles closed during the quarter, 9 remained open going into Q2.

Below are overviews of roles advertised by firms in Q1 (we have included links to roles that are still open as of mid April):

Addleshaw Goddard

Addleshaw Goddard carried over an Associate - Real Estate Finance role (1+ PQE) from Q4 2025, which remained open going into Q2 (but closed in April). The role focused on high-value domestic and cross-border real estate financings for major lenders, funds, insurers, developers and property companies, with exposure to development finance, hotel finance, Islamic finance and mezzanine finance across a range of asset classes. 

A&O Shearman

A&O Shearman advertised one roles which remained open going into Q2. The was a broad Real Estate Finance role which had originally been first advertised in 2025 and covered complex domestic and cross-border real estate finance transactions across asset classes, alongside support on high-profile syndicated loans within the firm’s top-tier finance practice.  The length of time that the role had been live, and the fact that the level sought has changed a few times suggests that they may be looking for more than one lawyer.

Baker McKenzie

Baker McKenzie carried over a Real Estate Finance Associate role from Q4 2025, which closed in March. The role involved advising on complex domestic and cross-border real estate finance transactions, special situations and related broader finance matters within the firm’s London banking and finance team. 

Bevan Brittan

Bevan Brittan carried over a Banking & Finance Associate/Senior Associate role (5+ PQE) from Q3 2025, which closed in February. This was an experienced hire within the firm’s banking and finance practice, with a focus on healthcare, social housing and property development sectors. The role involved leading transactions, supervising team members, developing client relationships and contributing to practice strategy, with the firm seeking a lawyer with strong banking experience and ideally some real estate or corporate finance exposure.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner advertised two roles in February. The first was a Real Estate Finance Structured Debt Senior Associate role, which focused on complex structured real estate financings including warehouse facilities, loan-on-loan structures, back-leverage repo and MRA arrangements, note issuances, CMBS and receivables financings. This was a senior role requiring strong structured finance and securitisation knowledge, sophisticated drafting skills and the ability to lead teams and build client relationships. The role was closed in March.

The second was a Real Estate Finance Associate role, which supported lender- and sponsor-side real estate finance and structured debt deals across a variety of asset classes and financing types, involving drafting finance documents, helping manage transactions and contributing across sector and specialist teams. 

Clyde & Co

Clyde & Co carried over a Real Estate Finance Senior Associate / Legal Director role from Q3 2025, which remained open going into Q2. This senior London-based role was designed to lead the firm’s real estate finance practice and covered acquisition, development, refinancing and portfolio transactions for developers, funds, banks and investors. The role required extensive real estate finance experience, strong technical and negotiation skills and proven client relationship management, alongside leadership responsibilities for supervising junior lawyers and driving business development.

Dentons

Dentons carried over an Associate/Senior Associate – Corporate Lending role (4–8 PQE) from Q4 2025, which closed in March. The role sat within the firm’s corporate lending and real estate finance practice and covered lender and borrower work on investment-grade loans, syndicated facilities, acquisition finance, cross-border term and revolving facilities and cash-flow based lending. The firm sought a lawyer with strong LMA documentation experience, knowledge of UK company and security law and the ability to run transactions while contributing to business development and international collaboration.

Gowling WLG

Gowling WLG carried over a Principal Associate – Real Estate Finance role from Q4 2025, which remained open going into Q2. This senior role covered complex domestic and cross-border real estate financings, including development and acquisition finance, and was aimed at a technically strong and commercially focused lawyer with experience drafting LMA-style facilities, security documents and intercreditors. In February, the firm also advertised an Associate – Real Estate Finance role (2–3 PQE), which closed in March. That role involved advising lenders and borrowers on domestic and cross-border transactions across diverse asset classes, including development, hotel, Islamic and mezzanine finance, within the firm’s expanding London practice.

Healys

Healys advertised a Real Estate Finance Solicitor role (4–5+ PQE or equivalent) in January, which closed in February. This senior hire sat within the firm’s Legal 500-ranked real estate finance team and focused on lender-side work for banks and bridging lenders. The role offered significant responsibility, high-quality matters and scope to help build the practice, with the firm seeking an experienced practitioner with recent lender-side experience and a strong interest in business development and client growth.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Herbert Smith Freehills carried over a Senior Associate role from Q3 2025, which closed in February. The role sat within the firm’s market-leading real estate finance team and focused on large-scale investment and development finance deals across the UK and Europe, with lender-side work making up the majority of mandates. The firm sought a lawyer with cross-border transaction experience, excellent drafting skills and the ability to lead transactions and manage junior lawyers.

Lawrence Stephens

Lawrence Stephens advertised three roles across the period. A Senior Associate – Real Estate Finance role (4+ PQE), first advertised in Q3 2025, remained open going into Q2 and involved independently managing a broad caseload of secured lending matters, supervising junior lawyers and engaging in business development.

A Director – Real Estate Finance role, carried over from Q4 2025, closed in February and was a senior leadership hire focused on driving practice growth, leading client relationships and advising on complex real estate finance and corporate lending transactions.

In February, the firm also advertised an Associate – Real Estate Finance role (2+ PQE), which remained open going into Q2. That role focused on a varied lender-facing property finance caseload including acquisition, investment, bridging and development finance, with an emphasis on self-sufficiency, stakeholder communication and business development.

Mishcon de Reya

Mishcon de Reya carried over an Associate (2–5 PQE) – Real Estate Finance role from Q4 2025, which closed in January. This position sat within the firm’s transactional banking department and focused on acting for lenders and borrowers on predominantly real estate finance transactions, including senior and mezzanine facilities, refinancings, restructurings and enforcement matters.

In March, the firm also advertised an Associate – Real Estate Finance role (NQ–4 PQE), which closed in March. This junior finance role involved lender- and borrower-side transactions, largely in real estate finance, including conditions precedent coordination, drafting and negotiation of finance documents and support across a broad range of financings from property and refinancing work to specialist areas such as art and sports finance.

Russell Cooke

Russell Cooke advertised two roles in January, both of which closed in February. The first was an Associate – Real Estate Finance role (2–5 PQE), which focused on acting for lenders and borrowers on a broad range of real estate finance matters, including drafting security documents, reviewing title, preparing reports on title and working to tight transactional deadlines.

The second was a Senior Associate – Real Estate Finance role (5+ PQE), aimed at supporting the continued growth of the team through leading transactions, drafting and negotiating finance and security documentation, supervising junior lawyers and developing client relationships.

Simmons & Simmons

Simmons & Simmons advertised a Supervising Associate – Real Estate Finance role (4–6 PQE) in February, which remained open going into Q2. The role focused on complex and innovative cross-border real estate finance transactions for top-tier clients within a market-leading team. The firm sought candidates with strong real estate finance experience from a leading international practice, excellent academics, strong client focus and a willingness to contribute to business development and the use of technology to deliver smarter client solutions.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Simpson Thacher advertised a Real Estate Finance Knowledge Lawyer role in January, which closed in February. This knowledge-focused position supported legal tech, training and know-how initiatives within the firm’s real estate finance team. The role required a UK-qualified lawyer with strong real estate finance experience, a collaborative approach and an interest in innovation, legal technology and learning and development, working closely with the firm’s REFTech team.

Stephenson Harwood

Stephenson Harwood carried over a Debt Finance (REF) Associate / Managing Associate role from Q4 2025, which remained open going into Q2. This role focused on real estate finance work for UK and international banks, debt funds, corporates and investment clients across asset classes including offices, hotels, retail, industrial and student accommodation, with some crossover into leveraged finance, private credit and restructuring.

The firm also carried over a Knowledge Development Lawyer, Finance role from Q4 2025, which closed in February. That role supported the wider London finance group across aviation, REF, leveraged finance, general banking and restructuring, with responsibility for precedents, know-how, training, innovation and GenAI adoption.

In January, Stephenson Harwood also advertised a Debt Finance (General Banking) Associate role, which closed in February. Although broader than pure REF, it included corporate lending, acquisition and leveraged finance, real estate finance, asset-based lending and restructurings, with strong emphasis on drafting, transaction management and client interaction.

Taylor Wessing

Taylor Wessing carried over two real estate finance roles from Q4 2025, both of which closed during Q1. The first was an Associate – Banking & Finance (REF) role (1–3 PQE), which closed in February and focused on lender-led transactions for banks, debt funds and alternative lenders, including drafting and negotiating facility agreements, security packages and intercreditor arrangements across asset classes and jurisdictions.

The second was a Senior Associate – Banking & Finance (REF) role (5+ PQE), which closed in March. That position centred on leading complex lender-led real estate finance transactions, including structured real estate lending, acquisition finance, corporate lending and asset-based lending, with responsibility for structuring deals, supervising juniors and driving business development.

Wedlake Bell

Wedlake Bell advertised an Associate – Banking role (3–5 PQE) in March, which remained open going into Q2. This role was aimed at a banking lawyer with experience in finance transactions, particularly real estate finance and bespoke lending documentation. The position involved advising lenders and borrowers, drafting and reviewing finance documents, managing transactions and acting as a key client contact within a small but growing team, with strong technical knowledge, commercial awareness and business development skills all seen as important.