Legal Counsel - Construction in Slough

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 (also a qualified solicitor), 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.

Working Relationships:

• Internal: All colleagues within the Group. Reporting to existing Senior Legal Counsel, Pearl Kumar and close working relationship with other Senior Legal Counsel, Junior Legal Counsel, Executive Director (Lee Saywack), Development Director (Anupriya Rajpal), Projects Director (Will Charlton), Senior Commercial Manager (Tom Cannon) and Investment Director (Sahil Khagram).
• External: Day-to-day contact for external legal counsel on construction and development matters. Regular interaction with opposite numbers at contractors, consultants, funders and partners.

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, whilst offering support from the two existing Senior Legal Counsel to expand your understanding of other practice areas to develop into a more rounded In-House Counsel.

Key Responsibilities: You will support projects through the development lifecycle, with a particular focus on technical design, construction, handover and in-use stages.

• Pre-Design and Concept (Stages 0–1) – Support Role: Assist the Senior Legal Counsel in reviewing initial project proposals to identify headline construction-related risks. Example documentation: Due Diligence Checklist.
• Developed and Technical Design (Stages 2–3): 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. Work with the Development and Commercial teams to ensure all appointments and warranties align with project and funding requirements. Example documentation: Professional Appointment, Collateral Warranty, Deed of Novation.
• Construction (Stage 4): Manage external counsel in the drafting, review and negotiation of construction contracts (for example JCT and bespoke amendments), sub-contracts and related project agreements. Review and support negotiation of bonds, guarantees, parent company guarantees and insurance arrangements. Ensure construction documentation is consistent across the contractual suite and reflects the agreed commercial and technical position. Provide day-to-day legal support on issues arising during construction, including variations, extensions of time, liquidated damages, payment issues and defects. Example documentation: Building Contract, Performance Bond, Parent Company Guarantee, Insurance Policies.
• Funding and Security: Support the Senior Legal Counsel and Investment team on construction aspects of development and investment funding arrangements. Ensure construction documentation and project structures comply with funder requirements, including step-in rights, direct agreements and reporting obligations. Example documentation: Construction-focused schedules to Loan Agreements, Direct Agreements, Security Documents.
• Handover and Close-Out (Stage 5): Support the transition from construction to operation, including satisfaction of conditions precedent for funding drawdowns and disposals. Example documentation: Handover Pack, Collateral Warranties, Guarantee Documents.
• In-Use / Operational Phase (Stage 6): Advise on day-to-day construction-related issues affecting operational assets, including defects, maintenance obligations and remedial works. Draft and review operational contracts with construction or technical elements (for example maintenance agreements, equipment hire, minor works contracts). Assisting with ongoing compliance, maintenance, regulatory issues and the supply of resources, goods and services. Example documentation: Property Management Agreement (construction aspects), Maintenance Agreement, Supply Agreement, Equipment Hire Agreement, Framework/Mini-Works Contracts.
• Disposals and Strategic Transactions: Provide construction input into property sales and joint ventures, ensuring that construction risk is appropriately allocated and that all necessary warranties, guarantees and reports are in place. Work with external counsel on sale agreements and due diligence, focusing on construction and development risk for potential buyers. Example documentation: Development Funding Agreement (Construction Sections).

Experience and Skills:

• Technical 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. Motivated to become a trusted adviser to the Development, Project, Commercial and Investment teams, being proactive in the provision of legal support.
• 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.