Legal Director / Partner – Strategic Land & Rural Development | Oxford

Advise landowners, estates and institutional clients on significant land and development opportunities.

Lex Exec is supporting a leading law firm with the appointment of a Legal Director or Partner to its established specialist practice in Oxford.

This growth appointment offers an experienced lawyer the opportunity to lead complex transactions, develop important client relationships and contribute to the continued development of the practice.

The opportunity

The team advises landed estates, institutional landowners, farming businesses and private clients on the development potential of their land.

With a strong focus on advising landowners, the practice combines substantial transactional work with long-term relationships. Clients need advice that reflects their immediate commercial objectives alongside the wider interests of an estate, family or institution.

Your work will include:

Significant development land sales to national housebuilders and developers, including negotiation of overage, infrastructure obligations and arrangements to protect future land value
Option, promotion and hybrid agreements for substantial residential and mixed-use development opportunities
Multi-landowner collaboration agreements, including equalisation arrangements, phased disposals and shared infrastructure requirements
Land assembly and complex title matters, including agricultural tenancies, mineral interests and other rights affecting development
Long-term advice to estates, institutional landowners and private clients on bringing land forward for development

You will work with colleagues across property, planning, tax and private client disciplines to deliver coordinated advice on complex matters.

Your role

You will take responsibility for significant transactions, manage client relationships and contribute to business development.

There is scope to strengthen existing relationships, develop new sources of work and play a meaningful part in the practice’s longer-term direction.

The appointment is supported by growing client demand and offers an established setting in which to develop your practice.

About you

You will be an experienced solicitor with a strong background in strategic land, rural development or related property work.

Experience advising landowners on option agreements, promotion arrangements and development disposals will be particularly relevant. You will combine sound technical judgment with commercial awareness and an understanding of clients’ longer-term priorities.

The opportunity is likely to suit a lawyer with approximately eight or more years’ PQE, although expertise and capability will carry greater weight than a fixed qualification threshold.

We welcome conversations with established Legal Directors and Partners, as well as senior lawyers ready to take the next step.

Location and remuneration

The role is based in Oxford, with working arrangements open to discussion.

Remuneration and appointment level will reflect your experience and the scope of the role.

An informal exploratory conversation can be arranged before entering a formal recruitment process.

About Lex Exec

Lex Exec is a boutique legal search consultancy specialising in appointments across Rural & Landed Estates, Private Client & Tax, Family, Employment and Private Wealth Disputes.

We work with leading UK law firms on appointments from Associate through to Partner level, taking a targeted, research-led approach to recruitment.

This search is being led by Colin Lynam, Founder & Head of Legal Recruitment at Lex Exec. For a confidential discussion, email colin@lex-exec.com.

​​​​​​​Legal Director / Partner – Strategic Land & Rural Development | Oxford

Legal Director / Partner – Strategic Land & Rural Development | Oxford