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.

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• 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.
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• Conducting due diligence and title investigations, and advising on and managing acquisition and disposal transactions.
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• Advising on disputes, and drafting and reviewing pre-action correspondence and demand letters, working with external counsel on adjudication, arbitration and litigation matters.
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• Drafting board resolutions and ensuring relevant board and internal approvals are obtained before contracts are executed.
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• Advising business, control and support functions - including projects, cost control, marketing, HR and finance - on legal issues arising from the business.
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• Monitoring legal and regulatory developments relevant to the business and assisting with the review and updating of company policies.
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• Identifying legal risks and reporting them to senior management in a timely manner.
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• Representing the business in dealings with external parties, including regulators and government bodies.
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• Managing external law firms and controlling legal costs within approved budgets.
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• 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.
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• Assisting with ad-hoc matters and projects as required.
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Your profile

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• You hold a degree in law and are a solicitor qualified in England and Wales.
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• 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.
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• You have experience within the real estate or property sector, ideally combining time at a law firm with in-house experience.
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• You communicate clearly and can assimilate information quickly to identify legal risks.
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• You negotiate and draft contracts with attention to detail and commercial awareness.
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• You work well independently and as part of a small team.
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