Real Estate Legal Counsel

Senior Legal Counsel / Legal Counsel - Real Estate
Battersea, London (full-time in-office)

Our client is the UK arm of an international property development and investment company, which is itself part of a larger global conglomerate with interests spanning infrastructure, energy, retail, telecommunications and ports across Asia and Europe. The UK business is an active residential and mixed-use developer, with a number of large-scale schemes underway in London.

The UK legal function is now looking to appoint a Senior Legal Counsel or Legal Counsel to act as sole counsel in its Battersea office, supported by a senior paralegal.

Your role
The position covers sales and leasing, property management, planning, development and construction, dispute resolution, corporate compliance and general commercial matters across the UK business, with a particular emphasis on residential development work.

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial leases, sale and purchase agreements, construction and consultancy agreements, planning and section 106 agreements, property management agreements, guarantees, collateral warranties and other commercial documents.
• Conducting due diligence and title investigations, and advising on and managing acquisition and disposal transactions.
• Advising on disputes, and drafting and reviewing pre-action correspondence and demand letters, working with external counsel on adjudication, arbitration and litigation matters.
• Drafting board resolutions and ensuring relevant board and internal approvals are obtained before contracts are executed.
• Advising business, control and support functions - including projects, cost control, marketing, HR and finance - on legal issues arising from the business.
• Monitoring legal and regulatory developments relevant to the business and assisting with the review and updating of company policies.
• Identifying legal risks and reporting them to senior management in a timely manner.
• Representing the business in dealings with external parties, including regulators and government bodies.
• Managing external law firms and controlling legal costs within approved budgets.
• Reporting functionally to the Group General Counsel overseas, and to the Director & General Manager of the UK office, on legal, company secretarial, insurance, corporate governance and risk management matters.
• Assisting with ad-hoc matters and projects as required.

Your profile

• You hold a degree in law and are a solicitor qualified in England and Wales.
• You have at least seven years' post-qualification experience handling residential and mixed-use property development matters, including sale and purchase of residential properties, and can handle commercial lease documents independently.
• You have experience within the real estate or property sector, ideally combining time at a law firm with in-house experience.
• You communicate clearly and can assimilate information quickly to identify legal risks.
• You negotiate and draft contracts with attention to detail and commercial awareness.
• You work well independently and as part of a small team.
• Construction law experience or previous experience working for a UK property developer is advantageous.