Legal Counsel UK in City of Westminster

Legal Counsel (UK) will play an important role across multiple functions of the business including operations, procurement, customer contracts, projects, land/site acquisition and co‑sec. The position requires an experienced real estate lawyer who has worked across the full spectrum of real estate, from landlord and tenant, to land acquisition and development, with a good working knowledge of planning and construction. The successful candidate will be an integral part of the VIRTUS legal team and work closely with external counsel in all aspects of our data centre projects and operations. The individual must be ready and willing to work in a dynamic and expanding business and take on multiple tasks.

Key Responsibilities

• Contract Drafting and Negotiation: Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, including customer contracts, procurement contracts, leases and land acquisition documents.
• Legal Advisory: Provide expert legal advice to internal stakeholders on the above matters.
• Dispute Resolution: Manage and resolve disputes related to construction projects, including litigation, arbitration, and mediation. Collaborate with external counsel as needed.
• Risk Management: Identify potential legal risks and develop strategies to mitigate them.
• Collaboration and Communication: Work closely with project managers, engineers, procurement teams, sales, and business development teams and other stakeholders to ensure legal considerations are integrated into all phases of a project.
• Document Management: Maintain organized records of all contracts, correspondence, and legal documents related to construction projects on the VIRTUS virtual data room platform.
• External Counsel: Work closely with external counsel across all jurisdictions on all of the above as required.
• Company Secretary: Supervise company secretary activities as they relate to company operations.
• Company Policies: Draft and review policies and processes pursuant to good governance and efficient management of the business.
• Trusted Adviser: Be a trusted legal adviser to the business, providing guidance and direction in legal matters to ensure adequate risk management.

Person Specification

• Initiative, organisational skills and motivation to manage a busy varied workload including prioritising to cope with changing business requirements.
• Excellent communication skills and comfortable with exposure to senior management and EXCO.
• Meticulous attention to detail and high ethical standards.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Willingness to learn, adapt, and work with change.
• Experience of Germany and Italy jurisdictions would be advantageous.
• Previous experience within the data centre industry would be advantageous.
• Previous in‑house experience would be advantageous.

Skills

• Strong knowledge of UK real estate law.
• Knowledge and experience of procurement contracts.
• Experience of site acquisition and due diligence.
• Experience in dispute resolution.
• Experience co‑sec experience.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Attention to detail and strong organisational and project management skills.

Qualifications

• Holds an SRA practising certificate with the right to practice as a solicitor and provide legal services to clients in England and Wales.
• Minimum of 4 years PQE.

In line with VIRTUS’ Vetting Policy, the successful applicant must be willing to undergo a BS7858 screening process.

Additional Information

• Hybrid role; 3 days in the central London office required.
• Equal Opportunity Employer: VIRTUS is an equal opportunity employer. As part of our commitment to fight for equality, we work to ensure a fair and consistent interview process. We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive work environment.