Legal Counsel - Construction - Dominus in 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.

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, Development Director, Projects Director, Senior Commercial Manager and Investment Director. 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.

Key Responsibilities:

• 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.
• 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.
• Construction (Stage 4): Manage external counsel in the drafting, review and negotiation of construction contracts, sub-contracts and related project agreements.
• Funding and Security: Support the Senior Legal Counsel and Investment team on construction aspects of development and investment funding arrangements.
• Handover and Close-Out (Stage 5): Support the transition from construction to operation, including satisfaction of conditions precedent for funding drawdowns and disposals.
• In-Use / Operational Phase (Stage 6): Advise on day-to-day construction-related issues affecting operational assets, including defects, maintenance obligations and remedial works.
• Disposals and Strategic Transactions: 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.
• 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.