Commercial Property Solicitor (In-House)

Commercial Real Estate Lawyer

Location: Canary Wharf, London (4 days onsite / 1 day home office)

Type: Full-time

Qualifications: Qualified solicitor, 5+ years' PQE

Our client is a property developer and management company operating across commercial, residential and hotel real estate in London, Manchester and Liverpool. The legal team's focus is primarily on the ongoing management of the existing portfolio, including leasing, lease renewals and day-to-day landlord and tenant matters, alongside support on new contracts and occasional transactional work. The Commercial Real Estate Lawyer will join a small legal team and work closely with the wider business, including operations, finance and asset management colleagues.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the legal aspects of an existing portfolio of commercial leases, including renewals, rent reviews, assignments and variations.
• Draft, negotiate and review new commercial leases, ensuring the business's interests are protected and aligned with its commercial objectives.
• Handle day-to-day landlord and tenant matters as they arise.
• Draft and negotiate commercial and supplier contracts, safeguarding the business's interests and maintaining relationships with partners and vendors. A number of new contracts are currently in progress and will be a near-term priority for this role.
• Advise on commercial real estate transactions as they arise, including sales, acquisitions and property development projects.
• Advise on hotel-related real estate matters, where relevant to the wider portfolio.
• Liaise with external counsel on more complex or specialist matters, where required.
• Support the wider business with contract review and legal queries as they arise, across departments including operations and finance.
• Handle any real estate litigation that arises, such as landlord and tenant disputes, in a proactive and cost-effective manner. This is expected to be a minor part of the role.
• Provide ad hoc legal advice and support across the business as required.

Your Profile

• You are a qualified solicitor with 5+ years' PQE in commercial real estate.
• You have experience managing a portfolio of commercial leases, including renewals and rent reviews.
• You have experience negotiating and drafting commercial and supplier contracts.
• You have UK real estate market experience.
• Litigation experience is beneficial but not essential, as this will be a small part of the role.
• Hotel real estate experience is beneficial but not essential.
• You are comfortable working within a small legal team and managing a varied caseload.
• You are able to prioritise across multiple live matters and work to commercial timescales.
• You communicate clearly with both legal and non-legal colleagues.
• A commercial approach to legal work, with an understanding of the business context behind each matter.