Junior Associate

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 years. It 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, specializing in the following areas:

• High value investment acquisitions and disposals
• Corporate headquarter leasing
• Hotels and leisure sector transactions
• Planning and sustainability matters
• 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. 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 focused on large international and Belgian investors (BNP, AXA, BentallGreenOak, Goldman Sachs, Aberdeen, Nextensa…) and major Belgian developers (IRET, Re-vive, D’Ieteren Immo…) while 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 cohesively with specialist lawyers in other departments, particularly administrative law, tax, funds and corporate, both in 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.

Role

We are currently seeking a Dutch speaking Junior Associate who can join our real estate team. The role involves:

• Advising Belgian and international investors with real estate investment acquisitions and disposals in Belgium
• Advising and supporting leading multinational corporates with their occupational requirements in Belgium
• Working closely with the Belgian Banking team to support real estate finance transactions
• Working closely with the Belgian Corporate team in the coordination and implementation of multi‑jurisdictional mergers and acquisitions
• Developing relationships with clients, understanding clients' businesses, economic drivers, markets and sectors to deliver relevant and commercial advice and help grow the relationship and win further work
• Engaging in business development activities and promoting the firm to seek new work opportunities
• Working as part of a team and actively sharing knowledge and experience
• Receiving regular and direct contact with clients, with a culture based on giving associates responsibilities commensurate with their readiness, rather than a PQE‑based allocation
• Possibility of posting to other offices under the firm's associate transfer programme

Key Skills and Experience Required

• Strong academic background (Belgian law degree)
• 0–1 year of relevant experience in Real Estate and/or relevant internships
• Excellent command of Dutch (native or C1) and English, and at least a good passive level of French
• High quality work standards
• Strong client‑service orientation
• Ability to work well both in a team and individually

Equal Opportunity Employer

Baker McKenzie is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion for all. Our unique international culture is reflected in the drawing together of a worldwide family of individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds in all of our offices. We encourage the best people – regardless of race, religion or belief, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or age – to fulfill their professional aspirations with us. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible experience for all candidates.