Legal Counsel (Real Estate Funds) in London

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments

Working at Columbia Threadneedle Investments you'll find growth and career opportunities across all of our businesses. Our reach is expansive with a global team of 2,300 people working together. Our capability is diverse with more than 550 investment professionals sharing global perspectives across all major asset classes and markets. Our clients have access to a broad array of investment strategies, and we have the capability to create bespoke solutions matched to clients' specific requirements.

Job Description

EMEA Real Estate is a strategic growth priority for the Columbia Threadneedle Alternatives business. The business continues to expand in what is a very challenging market environment. This is a great opportunity to join as a Legal Counsel (2-5 PQE) within the Alternatives & Responsible Investment legal team, providing legal support and advice to the Real Estate businesses in EMEA. The role will report to the EMEA Real Estate Senior Counsel.

Note that the legal support model for EMEA Real Estate is a hybrid model, given the needs of the business versus available capacity within the legal function. This means that:

• Legal are involved in fund structuring and internal governance matters working with external counsel directly.
• The business lead on a BAU basis on all asset level transactions working with external counsel and without the involvement of the legal function unless an escalation is required.

How you'll spend your time…

• Supporting the legal/regulatory aspects of the structuring and launch of new products, or restructuring of existing products, working with senior counsel as a key point of contact to progress any initiative with external counsel and assisting with drafting and negotiation of all associated documentation.
• Working with other business functions including portfolio managers, tax, finance, company secretarial and real estate operations, to deliver new products or business critical projects.
• Negotiating various legal documents and related contracts for funds and mandates including contracts with service providers (e.g. valuers, brokers, property managers) and letters of intent.
• Keeping up to date with key developments and issues arising in relation to all relevant areas of law and regulation relating to real estate funds and real estate itself as an asset class in the UK and Europe.
• Supporting the effective governance and oversight of the real estate business.
• Assisting with supervising a trainee on secondment from external counsel.
• Providing legal support and advice as needed on other products/services supported by the Team.
• Actively contributing to Columbia Threadneedle’s General Counsel’s Organisation’s culture and aligning with its use of technology, such as AI, in a responsible and considered way.

To be successful in this role you will have…

• Must be 2-5 years PQE with real estate funds or other alternative funds experience and/or experience as a corporate lawyer, whether acting on real estate or other private asset transactions, gained either in-house at an investment management firm or in private practice.

• Ability to act with a clear sense of ownership of tasks following through on commitments around delivery of work product to business stakeholders, whilst keeping them informed on progress as required.
• Ability to proactively build new relationships, to deal with a range of personalities and, where needed, to confidently raise effective challenge.
• Strong collaborative skills are a must.
• A growth, flexible, and resilient mindset and the willingness to tackle new issues and areas of work is essential given that the current legal support model for the EMEA real estate business is relatively recent and continues to evolve.
• Ability to evaluate pros, cons and implications of different courses of action and to frame them in a way that can be easily understood by the business and is aligned with the enterprise risk appetite.
• Ability to work easily within a team both within Legal and with other support functions, in particular Compliance and Tax.
• Willingness to pitch in to “go the extra mile” to hit key deadlines.
• Ability to take a commercial and pragmatic approach is key to success in this role.

In-Office Collaboration

We are a client‑centric, relationship‑based business. Working together, in‑person, is foundational to how we achieve results. By fostering a culture of face‑to‑face collaboration, idea sharing, productivity and personal connection, we deliver for our stakeholders — clients, advisors, employees and shareholders. Our employees work in the office at least four (4) days per week, with flexibility to work from home one (1) day per week. Some roles may require additional in‑office time or different in‑office expectations, and specific requirements will be discussed during the hiring process.

Full‑Time/Part‑Time: Full time

Worker Sub Type: Permanent

Job Family Group: Legal Affairs

Columbia Threadneedle is a people business, and we recognise that our success is due to our talented people, who bring diversity of thought, complementary skills and capabilities. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and performance‑based culture where everyone can belong, grow, contribute and realise their potential. We appreciate that work‑life balance is an important factor for many when considering their next move so please discuss any flexible working requirements directly with your recruiter.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to racial or ethnic background, religion or belief, sex or gender, nationality, genetic information, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, marital status, pregnancy or maternity or any other basis prohibited by law. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to aid your participation in the application or interview process, speak to your recruiter to discuss how we can support you.