Paris Smith LLP is one of the South’s leading law firms with a clear strategy and vision for the future. We are committed to ensuring that clients have a positive experience with the Firm, and to inspire our people to reach their full potential aligned to our values. We are based in offices in Southampton, Winchester and Bournemouth with 40 partners and employing over 170 members of staff.

We are looking for a talented and motivated Commercial Property Solicitor to join our busy and friendly Retail and Leisure Team within the Property Department.

The Role

The successful candidate will join a collaborative team handling a large and varied caseload covering the full breadth of real estate work, including for national retailers and leisure operators. They will manage matters while also working closely with colleagues on larger, more complex projects.

The role offers genuine exposure to a wide range of commercial property transactions and the opportunity to supervise junior team members.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

The day-to-day work includes:

• All aspects of landlord and tenant work.
• Portfolio management.
• Development agreements and conditional contracts, both commercial and mixed-use.
• Acquisitions and disposals on a pure property basis, as well as forming part of corporate sales and acquisitions, including share, asset and portfolio transactions.
• Options, promotion agreements and overage.
• Advising businesses, developers and private clients.
• Contributing to marketing and business development activity, including collaborating with other teams and disciplines across the Property Department and the wider firm.

The Candidate

We are looking for a solicitor with 3–6 years PQE who has proven experience in commercial real estate and who shares our commitment to delivering exceptional client service. You will be someone who thrives in a team environment, takes pride in the quality of their work, and is keen to continue developing their career.

Essential skills and experience:

• Proven experience across a wide range of real estate work.
• Ability to build strong client relationships with repeat clients.
• Experience supervising junior colleagues and working collaboratively with colleagues across different practice areas to deliver comprehensive advice on transactions.
• Ability to provide pragmatic, commercially focused advice with strong commercial awareness.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and strong organisational ability, including the capacity to manage multiple tasks and ensure compliance with key dates.
• A positive attitude, with drive, enthusiasm and willingness to take initiative.
• Pride in the quality of work produced, with a willingness to take ownership and be accountable for their work.
• A collaborative team player with the ability to build strong relationships across the firm.
• IT literate, with proficiency in using legal software and other IT tools, including Word and a document management system.
• Interest in learning about Artificial Intelligence and how it can improve legal services.
• High attention to detail.
• Ability to manage and prioritise a significant workload effectively, including under pressure.
• Commitment to the highest level of client care.

Location: Southampton

Contract: Full-time, Permanent

Department: Property – Retail and Leisure Team

You’ll join our friendly and collaborative Retail and Leisure Team within the Property Department, working alongside partners Rachel Saint and Hannah Winchester and colleagues across the team. You’ll also have the opportunity to work closely with specialists across the wider Property Department and other practice areas, supporting a varied client base including national retailers and leisure operators.