Interim Real Estate Finance Counsel (£190 - £210k)

Leading Global Investment Bank – London

Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Desk

Overview

A leading global investment bank is looking to hire an experienced Real Estate Finance Lawyer to support its London‑based Commercial Real Estate (CRE) business. The role is embedded with the business, providing hands‑on legal support on complex, high‑value real estate finance transactions.

This is a highly commercial, front‑office‑adjacent role, suited to a lawyer who enjoys close alignment with deal teams and is interested in a longer‑term platform opportunity rather than purely transactional cover.

Role & Responsibilities

The successful candidate will act as the primary legal adviser to the CRE desk, with responsibility for:

• Advising on commercial real estate origination transactions
• Supporting CMBS transactions
• Working on large‑ticket, sponsor‑led financings (not volume or small‑loan work)
• Assisting with bespoke and non‑standard deal structures
• Increasing exposure to back‑leverage structures (experience helpful, not essential)
• Providing pragmatic, solutions‑focused advice to support deal execution
• Managing and coordinating external counsel (the desk typically works with a small number of trusted firms)

The role sits very close to the front office and requires a strong balance of technical ability and commercial judgement.

Candidate Profile

Essential

• Qualified lawyer with solid real estate finance experience
• Experience gained in top‑tier private practice and/or a financial institution
• Familiarity with working on transactions for large, sophisticated sponsors
• Comfortable operating in a fast‑paced, business‑embedded environment
• Commercial, proactive and able to work with a high degree of autonomy

Desirable

• Previous in‑house or secondee experience embedded with a deal team
• Exposure to CMBS and/or structured real estate finance
• Broader leveraged or structured finance experience (useful given the bespoke nature of transactions)

Working Model

• Location: London
• Working pattern: Ideally 5 days per week, hybrid working.
• Start date: Immediate start preferred, due to ongoing deal flow