In-House Legal Counsel - Property Litigation & Disputes

Our client is a residential property investment and development group operating an extensive portfolio of several hundred residential units alongside a completed student accommodation facility. Known for their lean, fast-paced, and entrepreneurial approach.

They are seeking an In-House Legal Counsel to join their team in North London on a full-time, permanent basis. Working directly alongside the business principals, this is a high-impact, standalone role where you will act as the primary internal legal expert, taking end-to-end ownership across property litigation, contentious tenant matters, portfolio legal operations, and general commercial contracts. (Note: While the role includes basic transactional oversight and minor conveyancing support, the primary focus is heavily on dispute resolution, debt recovery, and tenancy litigation).

Responsibilities

• Litigation & Dispute Management: Act as the lead in-house litigator handling County Court disputes, small claims up to £30,000, and breach of covenant claims from initial instruction through to trial or resolution

• Pre-Litigation & Arrears Recovery: Drive the pre-litigation pipeline by aggressively managing rent and service charge arrears, issuing Section 8 and Section 21 notices, and serving formal demands for immediate recovery

• Tribunals & Complex Disputes: Manage First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) matters and housing disputes independently, while acting as primary liaison with external solicitors on complex legacy or construction claims

• Tenancy & Portfolio Operations: Draft and review operational tenancy agreements, licences, commercial contracts, and extensions to ensure all portfolio operations align strictly with residential housing legislation

• Transactional Support: Provide light legal oversight on residential acquisitions, disposals, or re-financings, liaising with and assisting external conveyancing solicitors when transactional activity arises

• Financial Oversight & Ledgers: Oversee internal loan account ledgers, issue monthly statements, execute late payment recovery strategies, and reconcile arrears ledgers in coordination with finance

• Operational Legal Support: Handle day-to-day legal correspondence and liaise directly with external managing agents, surveyors, local authorities, estate agents, utility providers, and debt collection partners

Your Profile

• Core Background: Qualified Solicitor, Legal Executive (CILEx), or experienced practitioner with a solid background in property litigation, landlord and tenant law, or general civil dispute resolution

• Standalone Capability: Confident, self-sufficient, and comfortable operating as a standalone in-house advisor without traditional firm support structures or billable hour targets

• Commercial Approach: Practical, robust, and commercially minded with strong resilience when managing contentious tenant relations and enforcement actions

• Technical & Numerical Proficiency: Highly proficient across standard office IT suites (MS Excel, Word, Outlook) with excellent numerical accuracy for managing arrears ledgers and recovery calculations