Maples Teesdale LLP

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Maples Teesdale LLP

‘Boutique commercial real estate firm’ Maples Teesdale gives trainees ‘the opportunity to gain exposure to all aspects of the property industry and see the life cycle of a transaction (from funding, to development, to management of the asset)’. Recruits enjoy ‘excellent exposure to work and clients’ from day one, and benefit from ‘working directly with experienced partners’, from whom they learn invaluable client handling skills which set them up well for life post qualification. A smaller firm with its offices in the City of London, Maples Teesdale is ‘more intimate’, which means that ‘you feel as though you know everyone, and you can approach all people at any time’. There are ‘plentiful opportunites to expand and progress’, and training sessions are abundant. Trainees are an integral part of their teams at Maples Teesdale; ‘your work really makes a difference to a transaction’, and ‘you never feel like you are left behind or not acknowledged’. Supervisors and colleagues regularly let trainees know that their contribution is valued. Recruits had very few complaints about Maples Teesdale, but some respondents felt concerned that there continues to be limited diversity at the firm. It’s worth noting, however, that the diversity and inclusion strategy is ‘still being developed and is ongoing’. For a ‘specialist property firm’ which is ‘at the top of its game’, take a closer look at Maples Teesdale.

A day in the life of... Charis Almond, trainee, Maples Teesdale

Departments to date: Commercial Property; Client secondment; Litigation; Real Estate Finance

Degree: Law (with Study Abroad), First Class Honours

9.00am: I arrive at the office, having taken a detour on my way in to pick up a coffee, and catch up with my colleagues about the evening’s events. It is ‘Dogs in the office’ day, so I make my way around the office to meet the dogs and catch up with colleagues from different teams. When I return to my desk, I check the property news update for any articles of interest and review the to-do list I prepared yesterday.

9.30am: I have been assisting a senior associate on a disclosure task that is nearly complete. I have one folder of hard copy documents left to sort through, determine the document’s relevance, and assess whether they are privileged. As I sit next to the senior associate that I am assisting, I ask if we can go through the documents I have sorted. We book a meeting room and check that my categorisation and privilege determination is correct, finalising the list of documents for the disclosure. Any questions that I have are addressed in this review, and I note the answers for any future disclosure task I work on.

11.30pm: One of the associates in the team invites me to join a call with the client on new instructions regarding a complex tenant dispute. During the call, the client explains the current situation, and the associate advises on possible strategies and outlines the next steps. Throughout this meeting, I take a detailed note to be sure that we can accurately reference the discussion later. After the meeting, I am asked if I have capacity to review this client’s lease and draft a letter before action. Using our office precedent, I draft the letter and discuss this draft with my colleague before sending to the client for their approval.

1.15pm: A few trainees head out for a lunchtime walk around the City and to pick up some lunch. As the weather is nice, we take our lunch up to the roof terrace and enjoy the sun while catching up on our week.

2.15pm: I have been asked to draft a tenancy at will for a tenant whose renewal lease is being negotiated by our commercial property team. I recall that a few weeks ago I drafted a similar tenancy at will letter for this client, so I retrieve that document to refer to as an example. I prepare the draft tenancy at will and send the document to an associate who is available to check my draft. Once this draft has been checked, I forward this to the client for their approval and will post the tenancy at will upon receiving their instructions.

3.30pm: I am attending a court hearing with a partner tomorrow and have been tasked with assisting in the preparation of the bundle of documents. As I compile this hard copy bundle, I review each document to ensure that I have a comprehensive understanding of the matter. This preparation allows me to be thoroughly familiar with all the materials, some of which I have assisted on drafting. During this hearing, I will take detailed notes and support the partner where needed, so it is important that I am familiar with where everything is located and its relevance to the matter.

5.45pm: I go through the emails in my inbox and ensure that everything has been filed in the correct place. Maples is hosting social drinks with a client this evening, so I head off to the venue to join the gathering. It is great to reconnect with familiar faces from our last event and meet those in person that I have only met virtually. We all enjoy some food and drinks and have the opportunity to catch up on topics.

About the firm

The firm: Maples Teesdale covers the entire spectrum of real estate law services, from construction to property finance. Some of the issues its clients face are seen time and time again. But there are always surprises. So, the firm brings fresh thinking and innovative solutions to both old and new challenges.

The clients: abrdn; Columbia Threadneedle Investments; CBRE Investment Management; City of London Corporation; Firethorn Trust; FremantleMedia; Legal & General Investment Management; Mileway; Patrizia, Stanhope plc; Yoo Capital.

Managing partner: Paul Burke

Who we are: Maples Teesdale are the UK’s leading commercial real estate specialists, providing innovative, full-service and truly partner-led services.

What we do: The core property practice is complemented by strong construction, planning, property litigation, finance and corporate teams. Our clients include large institutional investors, property developers and companies, construction companies, multinationals, banks, high-net-worth individuals and family offices, sole property traders and occupiers.

What we’re looking for: We welcome applications from both law and non-law students. Among other things, we look for candidates with a strong academic background (minimum ABB at A Level (excluding General Studies) and a 2(1) at degree level). When reviewing your application, we also consider work experience (both legal and non-legal), sporting achievements and any positions of responsibility held. We also like to find out a little bit about you and your personality, and what has inspired you into a career in the law.

What you’ll do: Our trainees are the future of our business. You will receive the best training possible in a friendly and supportive environment. At the same time, we will ensure that your training contract is stimulating and rewarding.

Our largest department is our commercial real estate department. This is supported by five other departments: construction, corporate, finance, real estate litigation and planning. Our trainees have the opportunity to gain experience, skills and knowledge across these different departments in four six-month seats and there may also be an opportunity to spend time on secondment with clients.

Perks: 25 days’ annual leave, contributory pension scheme, cycle loan scheme, interest-free season ticket loans, life assurance, private medical insurance, subsidised gym membership, childcare vouchers, employee introduction bonus, volunteering day, discretionary performance-related bonus scheme, bring your dog to work days, employee assistance programme, discretionary Christmas bonus and an additional day off over Christmas.

Seat options

Commercial real estate; construction; corporate; planning/strategic land; real estate finance; real estate litigation; client secondment opportunities.

Tips from the recruiter

1. The firm specialises in real estate, and so our solicitors have a passion for property – we want to see that in our trainees, so applicants with relevant experience related to property stand out to us as much as people who have some legal experience.
2. Don’t just repeat what our website says, as that makes your application look like AI has generated it. Instead use our website to understand what the firm does, and then link that with what you have done and/or aspire to do in your career.
3. Being a solicitor requires attention to detail – don’t spoil your application by letting typos slip through, or submitting your application before you have included everything you want to say to us.