Legal Counsel

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Legal Counsel to join our team in France to support the increase in our real‑estate portfolio. As a Legal Counsel you will provide legal security for the company’s real‑estate activities, support its development strategy, and act as a trusted legal business partner enabling commercially sound decision‑making and sustainable business growth.

Commercial Lease & Real Estate Management

• Draft, review, and negotiate leases, renewals, amendments, terminations, and ancillary documentation, ensuring consistency with legal and business standards.
• Structure and secure leasing transactions (renewals, terminations, assignments, subleases).
• Provide guidance and practical solutions to the teams, balancing risk mitigation with commercial priorities.
• Foster constructive communication and problem‑solving between internal teams and external parties (tenants, contractors, advisors).
• Proactively identify legal and operational risks and provide pragmatic, business‑oriented solutions in complex and time‑sensitive situations.

Litigation & Pre‑Litigation Management

• Define litigation strategies in coordination with external counsel.
• Manage disputes (leasing, construction, co‑ownership, debt recovery, etc.).
• Supervise judicial expert proceedings.
• Monitor legal risks and propose amicable solutions where appropriate.
• Take ownership of dispute resolution strategy and risk management, ensuring alignment with business objectives and risk appetite.

Development Projects & Transactional Advisory

• Provide legal input and support throughout capital deployment (development / investment) and disposal transactions.
• Lead legal support across development, investment, and disposal transactions, ensuring effective legal risk management and alignment with commercial objectives.
• Draft, review, and negotiate preliminary transactional documents (LOIs, NDAs, offer letters, etc.).
• Draft, negotiate, and manage lease, construction, design, consultancy, and service agreements.
• Coordinate and perform real‑estate legal due diligence, managing external counsel and reporting key findings.
• Coordinate external counsel in real‑estate due diligence and summarize findings clearly and accurately.
• Collaborate with internal teams to align legal input with business objectives and project timelines.
• Influence and align stakeholders across functions to facilitate efficient and legally sound project execution.

Corporate Legal & Transaction Structuring

• Oversee corporate legal matters (company creation, restructuring, governance, annual general meetings) and capital transactions (capital increases/decreases, share transfers, mergers).
• Responsible for the French Real‑Estate License (carte professionnelle pour Gestion et Transaction Immobilière): annual renewal, sending necessary documents to the CCI, ensuring compliance with legal requirements, training follow‑up, and registry maintenance.
• Responsible for all InterCo agreements (asset management, development, recharge, accounting, leasing, etc.).
• Participate in the legal structuring of acquisitions and asset disposals.
• Maintain accurate legal records and document management systems in line with internal policies and compliance requirements.

Strategic Advisory & Compliance

• Implement and monitor compliance policies (compliance, GDPR, etc.).
• Maintain active legal monitoring in real‑estate and corporate law.
• Drive compliance and governance initiatives, ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements, internal policies, and best practices.
• Provide strategic legal insight to management on regulatory developments, legal risks, and business implications.

What You Need to Shine in This Role

Education

• Master’s degree in Real Estate Law, Business Law, or DJCE.
• CAPA qualification is a plus.

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of experience, ideally gained within a real‑estate investment company, law firm, or real‑estate group.
• Strong expertise in real‑estate transactions, commercial leases, real‑estate litigation, and corporate law.
• Demonstrated autonomy, judgment, and ability to work on multiple projects and provide pragmatic, business‑oriented legal advice across complex and time‑sensitive matters.

Key Skills

• Excellent knowledge of real‑estate and corporate law.
• Team player with excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Strategic and operational mindset.
• Strong analytical and pragmatic approach.
• Fluent in French and English.
• Commercially driven mindset with the ability to balance legal risk and business priorities.

Personal Attributes

• Rigorous with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritize and manage complex matters.
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Business partner mindset.
• Strong ability to influence stakeholders and operate as a strategic partner to the business.

Benefits We Offer

• Stability of an international company (one of the leading industrial real‑estate developers on the European market).
• Dynamic collaborative working environment with a passionate team of colleagues across 11 countries.
• Attractive annual bonus.
• Generous budget for trainings and continuous development opportunities.
• Individual language courses.
• Employee assistance programme (individual coaching/mentoring opportunities in wellbeing area).
• Flexible/hybrid working policy.
• Extra paid days off (vacation, sick days – based on local legislation).
• Meal allowance.
• Company events, team buildings and networking opportunities supported by various charity causes.
• Delicious coffee, refreshments and healthy snacks at workplace.
• Attractive employee referral bonus in case you make a successful referral for any of the job roles we have open.