Legal Counsel - Construction in City of London

Dominus is a privately owned, trusted group of companies focused on the hotel and PBSA (student accommodation) sectors in Central London and across the United Kingdom. Founded in 2011, we have grown into a market-leading real estate platform with assets under management of more than £2 billion. We are an end-to-end business, with capabilities spanning acquisition, design, planning, development, and asset management.

Our differentiation stems from our ability to approach each project individually and identify the optimal strategy to maximise value. We combine a highly knowledgeable team with trusted partnerships, and in doing so have built a reputation for quality throughout the industry.

Working Environment: We work in an open plan trading floor style office with around sixty colleagues, which brings interaction and excitement. Our self-designed head office is on Dorset Street in Marylebone, easy to reach and close to all the amenities.

Legal Team: Working collaboratively with the two existing Senior Legal Counsel and guided by the Executive Director, Development Director, Projects Director and Senior Commercial Manager, you will join a small, collegiate Legal Team that provides support and advice to the Group’s investment and development activities in real estate, with a particular focus on construction and development delivery. The team works hand in hand with the Group’s other functions, dealing with transactions, contracts, property, construction, litigation, insurance and compliance.

Role Purpose: To provide pragmatic, commercially focused legal support on construction and development matters across the Dominus portfolio, helping to manage legal risk while enabling the business to deliver projects at pace. This is a hands-on role with responsibility for drafting and negotiating key construction and consultancy documentation, managing instructions to external legal advisers and supporting the wider business in resolving issues that arise during design, construction and handover.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support projects through the development lifecycle, with a particular focus on technical design, construction, handover and in-use stages.
• Assist the Senior Legal Counsel in reviewing initial project proposals to identify headline construction-related risks.
• Draft, review and negotiate professional appointments for design and other consultants, including scope of services, fee structures, limitation of liability, indemnities and intellectual property provisions.
• Prepare and negotiate collateral warranties and third-party rights in favour of funders, tenants and purchasers.
• Manage external counsel in the drafting, review and negotiation of construction contracts, sub-contracts and related project agreements.
• Provide day-to-day legal support on issues arising during construction, including variations, extensions of time, liquidated damages, payment issues and defects.
• Support the transition from construction to operation, including satisfaction of conditions precedent for funding drawdowns and disposals.
• Advise on day-to-day construction-related issues affecting operational assets, including defects, maintenance obligations and remedial works.
• Provide construction input into property sales and joint ventures, ensuring that construction risk is appropriately allocated.

Experience and Skills:

• Qualified solicitor in England & Wales (or equivalent common-law jurisdiction) with strong experience in construction law, gained in private practice and/or in-house.
• Comfortable working with standard form construction contracts (e.g. JCT, NEC) and negotiating commercial amendments.
• Experience drafting and negotiating professional appointments, collateral warranties, bonds, guarantees and associated project documentation.
• Familiarity with real estate development structures and the interaction between construction, funding and asset management is desirable.

Ways of Working: Ability to work collaboratively with the two existing Senior Legal Counsel, taking ownership of your matters while escalating issues appropriately. Able to manage your own workload, juggle competing priorities and work to tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Demonstrates sound judgment and a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach, balancing legal risk with commercial objectives.

Personal Attributes: Confident, professional and approachable with excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. Skilled at turning complicated legal issues into clear, concise guidance for non-lawyers. Strong attention to detail and commitment to high standards of drafting and execution. Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to manage relationships at all levels, internally and externally. Discreet and reliable, with the ability to handle sensitive information and work independently when required.