Head of Agriculture & Rural Property Senior Associate to Partner Newcastle / Flexible Working

Head of Agriculture & Rural Property Senior Associate to Partner Newcastle / Hybrid Working

Senior Associate Legal Director Salaried Partner Agriculture & Rural Property Team Leadership

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne / Hybrid & Flexible Working

Level: Senior Associate / Legal Director / Salaried Partner / Partner

Experience: Ideally 8+ PQE, but overall experience and suitability are more important than rigid PQE

Practice: Agriculture, Rural Property & Landed Estates

Lex Exec is working with a highly regarded full-service law firm to recruit a senior Agriculture and Rural Property lawyer to lead and develop its established Agriculture and Rural Services practice.

This is a particularly interesting opportunity because the firm is flexible on both level and career stage.

Applications are welcomed from established Legal Directors or Partners, as well as from experienced Senior Associates (6+ PQE ideally) who are ready to step into a Legal Director role with genuine leadership responsibility and a clear progression path. An experienced Legal Director looking for the next step towards Salaried Partner would also be strongly considered.

The emphasis is on finding the right rural property lawyer with the experience, credibility and ambition to lead the practice, rather than imposing a rigid job title.

The Opportunity

The firm has an established and well-regarded Agriculture and Rural Services offering, recognised by both Chambers and The Legal 500.

The successful candidate will take responsibility for leading the Agriculture and Rural Services practice, with the opportunity to shape its future direction, develop existing client relationships and drive further growth.

Although the role is centred on Agriculture and Rural Property, the wider practice brings together expertise across Real Estate, Private Client, Corporate, Employment and Dispute Resolution, providing a genuinely multidisciplinary service to rural businesses, landowners and estates.

You will work alongside an existing Rural Property lawyer and have the support and platform of a substantial full-service firm.

This is not simply a fee-earning position. It is an opportunity for someone who wants to build, lead and develop a practice.

The Work

The practice advises landowners, estates, agricultural businesses and rural clients on a broad range of matters, including:

• Sales and purchases of farms, estates, forestry and rural land
• Rural development and diversification
• Renewable energy and energy-related land projects
• Options, leases and other agreements with developers and operators
• Residential, commercial and sporting lettings
• Land use and rural development projects
• Overage and development agreements
• Title issues, boundaries and voluntary registrations
• Rural business structures and wider estate matters

The increasing interaction between rural land, development, renewables and infrastructure also provides significant scope for the successful candidate to help shape the future direction of the practice.

Who Should Apply?

We would particularly like to hear from Agriculture, Rural Property and Landed Estates lawyers with significant experience in the sector.

You might currently be:

• An experienced Senior Associate looking for your first genuine leadership role and progression to Legal Director
• A Legal Director looking for a platform offering greater autonomy and a route towards partnership
• A Salaried Partner or Partner interested in leading and developing an established rural practice

You should have strong technical experience in agricultural and rural property transactions, together with the confidence to develop client relationships and contribute to the strategic growth of the practice.

A following would naturally be welcomed, but the opportunity is particularly attractive because there is already an established practice and client base to build upon.

Flexible Working

The firm is genuinely open to flexible and hybrid working arrangements for the right person.

While the practice is based in Newcastle upon Tyne and candidates will need to maintain a meaningful connection with the team and clients, there is flexibility around how the working week is structured.

This could therefore suit an established rural practitioner who does not necessarily want to be Newcastle office-based five days a week but is attracted by the opportunity to lead an established practice and take the next significant step in their career.

Why Consider It?

This is a relatively unusual opportunity in the Agriculture and Rural Property market.

Rather than joining an established hierarchy above you, you would have the opportunity to take ownership of a recognised practice, shape its strategy, develop the team and build your own profile within the sector.

For the right Senior Associate or Legal Director in particular, it offers the chance to make a meaningful career step rather than simply moving firms at the same level.

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne / Hybrid & Flexible Working

Level: Senior Associate / Legal Director / Salaried Partner / Partner

Experience: Ideally 8+ PQE, although overall experience and suitability are more important than rigid PQE

Practice: Agriculture, Rural Property & Landed Estates

About Lex Exec

Lex Exec is a specialist legal search business focused on connecting exceptional lawyers with leading UK law firms. We work extensively across Agriculture, Rural Property, Landed Estates, Private Client and related specialist practice areas.