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NEW VACANCY – Head of Real Estate

Head of Real Estate (Partner Level)

We are seeking an exceptional Head of Real Estate to lead and grow our property practice, building on our strong private client offering and expanding our presence within the prime residential and private wealth real estate market.

The Opportunity

This is a senior strategic appointment for an established Partner with a strong reputation in the London market and a demonstrable track record of advising high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients on complex property matters.

The successful candidate will lead the firm’s real estate practice, drive business growth, broaden referral relationships and work closely with our Private Client, Corporate, Family and Media & Entertainment teams to develop a market-leading private wealth real estate offering.

We are particularly interested in individuals with an existing client following and a portable practice capable of transitioning to Russells.

Ideal Candidate

We are seeking an existing Equity Partner or Senior Salaried Partner from a recognised London law firm with significant experience acting for:

  • High-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
  • Entrepreneurs and business owners.
  • Family offices.
  • Private investors.
  • Trustees and fiduciaries.
  • International families and cross-border wealth structures.
  • Clients operating within the music, entertainment, media and sports sectors.

Core Practice Experience

The successful candidate will have extensive expertise across:

Prime Residential Property

  • Prime Central London residential acquisitions and disposals.
  • Country estates and high-value rural property transactions.
  • Complex leasehold and freehold matters.
  • High-value refinancing and secured lending transactions.
  • Property portfolio structuring and management.

Private Wealth Real Estate

  • Advising wealthy families on multi-generational property ownership.
  • Trust-owned property structures.
  • Family investment companies and corporate ownership vehicles.
  • Offshore holding structures and cross-border ownership arrangements.
  • Estate planning considerations relating to property ownership.

Investment and Commercial Property

The role should reflect a practice mix broadly weighted towards:

  • 80-90% residential and private wealth real estate.
  • 10-20% commercial property and investment transactions.

Accordingly, candidates should have experience advising on:

  • Investment acquisitions and disposals.
  • Mixed-use property holdings.
  • Commercial lease transactions.
  • Development and investment structures.
  • Property assets connected to private businesses and family investment portfolios.

Business Development and Market Presence

The candidate should possess strong and longstanding relationships within the private wealth market, including:

  • Private banks.
  • Family offices.
  • Wealth managers.
  • Accountancy and tax advisory firms.
  • Private client professionals.
  • Trustees and fiduciaries.
  • Property buying agents and search consultants.
  • Luxury estate agencies.
  • Investment advisers.

Particularly attractive would be established referral relationships with:

  • Knight Frank.
  • Savills.
  • Beauchamp Estates.
  • Sotheby’s International Realty.
  • Leading wealth management and family office boutiques.
  • Advisers operating within the entertainment, media, music and sports sectors.

Leadership Responsibilities

The Head of Real Estate will:

  • Lead and develop the firm’s real estate strategy.
  • Grow revenues and market share across the private wealth real estate sector.
  • Mentor and develop junior lawyers and support staff.
  • Work collaboratively across departments to maximise client opportunities.
  • Maintain and enhance key client and referrer relationships.
  • Represent the firm at industry events and networking forums.
  • Recruit and develop talent to support the growth of the practice.

Portable Business Requirements

Candidates should be able to demonstrate:

  • A meaningful and transferable client following.
  • Evidence that key clients have a relationship-led loyalty to the individual.
  • A consistent history of originating work.
  • Established referral sources capable of generating instructions upon joining.
  • Strong networks across the private wealth, property, entertainment, media and sports sectors.

Key Attributes

The successful individual will be:

  • Commercially minded and entrepreneurial.
  • Well-connected within the London private wealth market.
  • A recognised specialist in prime residential property.
  • Collaborative and team oriented.
  • Ambitious and growth focused.
  • Relationship-driven with exceptional client care skills.
  • Comfortable acting as the public face of the firm’s real estate practice.

Applications

If you are interested in discussing this opportunity in confidence, please submit your CV together with a brief covering letter to Joanne Cocozza at joanne.cocozza@russells.co.uk and Tiffany Austin at tiffany.austin@russells.co.uk.