Lawyer

Job Description – Senior Real Estate Lawyer

Position: Senior Real Estate Lawyer / Head – Legal (Real Estate)

Location: Bengaluru

Experience: 10–15+ years

Employment Type: Full-time

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Real Estate Lawyer to lead legal matters relating to land acquisition, property development, commercial real estate and the management of our existing property portfolio.

The ideal candidate should have extensive hands-on experience in land due diligence, title verification, acquisitions, development documentation, regulatory approvals and real estate transactions in Karnataka.

This is a senior role requiring the ability to independently evaluate transactions, identify title and regulatory risks, structure acquisitions and work closely with promoters, management, external counsel, landowners, government authorities and business teams.

Key Responsibilities

Land Acquisition & Title Due Diligence

- Conduct and supervise comprehensive legal due diligence for acquisition of land and real estate assets.

- Examine title documents, RTCs, mutation records, survey records, conversion orders, grants, inheritance documents, court records and other revenue documents.

- Establish and verify clear, marketable and litigation-free title.

- Review historical title flow and identify title gaps, encumbrances, acquisition risks and potential claims.

- Examine agricultural land restrictions, granted lands, PTCL implications, tenancy issues and other Karnataka-specific land laws.

- Review family settlements, partitions, inheritance and succession issues affecting land ownership.

- Coordinate title searches, encumbrance verification and public notices.

- Provide clear written title opinions and risk assessments to management before acquisitions.

Transaction Structuring & Documentation

- Structure land and property acquisitions to minimise legal and commercial risk.

- Draft, review and negotiate:

- Agreements for Sale

- Sale Deeds

- Joint Development Agreements

- Development Agreements

- General and Special Powers of Attorney

- Lease Deeds and Leave & License Agreements

- Memoranda of Understanding

- Assignment and Relinquishment Deeds

- Settlement and Partition Deeds

- Construction and Development Agreements

- Commercial property acquisition documents

- Manage registration, stamp duty and closing documentation for transactions.

Real Estate Development & Regulatory

- Advise management on applicable real estate and land laws, including RERA and Karnataka land and revenue regulations.

- Review legal aspects of land conversion, amalgamation, subdivision and development approvals.

- Coordinate with planning, revenue and registration authorities where required.

- Advise project teams regarding legal requirements affecting development and sale of projects.

- Review agreements with contractors, consultants, architects and other project stakeholders.

Commercial Property Portfolio

- Handle legal matters relating to acquisition and ownership of income-generating commercial properties.

- Draft and negotiate commercial leases with tenants.

- Review lease renewals, escalation provisions, security deposits, lock-in periods, termination provisions and tenant obligations.

- Advise management regarding leasing disputes and enforcement of contractual rights.

- Support financing, mortgage and security documentation relating to real estate assets.

Litigation & Dispute Management

- Manage property-related litigation, title disputes, landowner disputes, tenant matters and regulatory proceedings.

- Develop litigation strategy together with external advocates and senior counsel.

- Review pleadings, notices, affidavits and other legal filings.

- Maintain oversight of all ongoing legal matters and provide periodic updates to management.

- Proactively identify potential disputes and recommend strategies to prevent litigation.

Government & External Counsel Coordination

- Coordinate with Sub-Registrar Offices, revenue authorities, survey departments, planning authorities and other government agencies.

- Manage relationships with external lawyers, title investigators, consultants and senior counsel.

- Ensure external legal work is completed efficiently and within agreed timelines.

Legal Risk & Governance

- Establish systems for maintaining complete legal documentation for every property.

- Maintain a central repository of title documents, approvals, agreements and litigation records.

- Develop standard templates and legal processes for acquisitions, leasing and development.

- Create legal due-diligence checklists and acquisition approval processes.

- Provide management with concise assessments categorising risks as acceptable, curable or transaction-critical.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate should have:

- LL.B. from a recognised university; LL.M. is an advantage.

- Approximately 10–15+ years of relevant legal experience, with substantial exposure to real estate.

- Strong experience in Karnataka land laws and Bengaluru real estate transactions.

- Extensive experience conducting land title due diligence independently.

- Strong understanding of revenue records, registration procedures, stamp duty and property documentation.

- Experience working with a reputed real estate developer, property company, family office or leading real estate law practice is preferred.

- Strong drafting and negotiation skills.

- Ability to distinguish between theoretical legal concerns and risks that genuinely affect the commercial viability of a transaction.

- Ability to independently manage complex transactions involving multiple landowners and title chains.

- Strong network and familiarity with experienced real estate counsel, title investigators and relevant authorities would be advantageous.

Key Attributes

We are looking for someone who is:

- Commercially minded and solution-oriented.

- Extremely thorough with documentation and title investigation.

- Capable of taking ownership of transactions from initial due diligence through registration and closing.

- Comfortable challenging a transaction where title or regulatory risks are unacceptable.

- Able to explain complicated legal issues to management in simple commercial terms.

- Highly discreet and capable of handling confidential property and transaction information.

Success in This Role

The Senior Real Estate Lawyer will ultimately be responsible for ensuring that no land or property acquisition proceeds without a clear understanding of its title, legal, regulatory and litigation risks, while helping the business structure and execute transactions efficiently.