Overview
Associate – Real Estate Jobs in Brussels, Brussels Region, Belgium at Baker McKenzie
Title: Associate – Real Estate
Company: Baker McKenzie
Location: Brussels, Brussels Region, Belgium
The Team
The Real Estate team is an integral part of Baker McKenzie's Belgian Office and has been involved in several high profile deals in recent years such as the Cityforward transaction.
The team has been consistently ranked band 1 or 2 in Chambers and Legal 500 over the last few years. The Belgian Real Estate team works closely and regularly with the Regional and Global Real Estate practices of the Firm which boasts more than 500 real estate professionals around the world. The work of the Brussels Real Estate team is varied, of high-value and often international in nature and is often performed in close integration with the banking & finance, environmental and tax teams.
Our Real Estate department advises on a wide range of property matters specialising in the areas of:
- High value investment acquisitions and disposals;
- Corporate headquarter leasing;
- Real estate financings;
- Hotels and leisure sector transactions;
- Planning and sustainability matters;
- Development projects;
- Retail (luxury goods) leases;
- General landlord and tenant matters;
- Real estate input into M&A transactions.
The department acts for a diverse range of high-profile clients in the corporate and financial arena and its primary client base comprises major developers, institutional investors, multinational corporates, foreign investment, financial institutions and private equity houses.
In recent years, the department has been able to keep a focus both on large international and Belgian investors (BNP, AXA, BentallGreenOak, Goldman Sachs, Aberdeen, Nextensa,…) and major Belgian developers (IRET, Re-vive, D’Ieteren Immo…) whilst continuing to serve the Firm's international corporate, tech and industrial clients as well as major transactions in the HRT sector. The team is mid-size and works as a cohesive team with specialist lawyers in other departments particularly administrative law, tax, funds and corporate, in both the Belgian office and globally. The team combines an extremely high level of real estate expertise that focuses on delivering clear, commercial and pragmatic advice. The successful candidate would be working within this supportive and collegiate environment.
The Role
We are currently seeking an ambitious and talented junior or mid-level Dutch speaking Associate, looking for a challenging and rewarding new role. Interested applicants should be able to demonstrate exemplary technical skills and relish the opportunity to join a truly unique and successful global real estate team.
The role will involve:
- Advising Belgian and international investors with real estate investment acquisitions and disposals in Belgium
- Advising major Belgian developers in development and disposal transactions
- Advising and supporting leading multi-national corporates with their occupational requirements in Belgium
- Working closely with the Belgian offices Banking team to support real estate finance transactions
- Working closely with the Belgian office Corporate team in the coordination and implementation of multi-jurisdictional mergers and acquisitions
- Developing relationships with clients, including understanding clients' businesses, economic drivers, markets, and sectors in order to deliver relevant and commercial advice and contribute to growing the relationship and winning further work
- Engaging in business development activities, and being active in the promotion of the firm and seeking opportunities for new work
- Working as part of a team and taking an active role in sharing knowledge and experience
- Associates are given regular and direct contact with clients, with a culture based on associates being given the level of responsibility that they are ready for, rather than a PQE based method of work allocation
- Posting to other offices under the firm's associate transfer programme is also a possibility.
Key Skills and Experience Required
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate all or most of the following:
- Strong academic background (Belgian law degree)
- 0-4 years of relevant experience in Real Estate
- Excellent command of Dutch (native or C1) and English and at least a good passive French level
- High quality work standards
- Strong client-service orientation
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to work well both in a team and individually.
Why Join Us?
Baker McKenzie is a truly global law firm. Founded in 1949, we advise many of the worlds most dynamic and successful business organisations through our 13,200 people in 74 offices in 45 countries. Yet big does not mean impersonal. We work hard to ensure that everyone knows their role and has the support they need to perform it to the highest standard. Our culture encourages this – how we work, think and behave in a collaborative and fulfilling way.
Baker McKenzie opened its first Belgian office in Brussels in 1957. In 2002, it opened its Antwerp office. Today, Baker McKenzie has more than 80 Belgian qualified lawyers across the two offices.
