In-house Barrister

Job Title: In-House Barrister

Location: Battersea, London SW11

Contract Type: Full-time, permanent

Working Hours: 9:00am – 6:30pm, Monday to Friday

Salary: £150,000 per annum

About the Role

We are currently seeking a skilled, experienced and commercially minded Barrister to join our in-house legal team, on a permanent basis.

The successful candidate will provide high-quality legal advice and strategic support across the business, with a particular focus on property-related disputes, contentious property matters and complex commercial issues, working closely with the in-house property lawyers.

The role requires an individual who can combine excellent legal analysis and advocacy skills with strong commercial judgement and an understanding of the practical and financial objectives of a business.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic, commercially focused legal advice to the business and senior management.
• Take primary responsibility for property-related disputes and contentious property matters.
• Advise on landlord and tenant disputes, lease disputes, possession matters, breaches of covenant, dilapidations, service charge disputes and other property-related claims.
• Advise on disputes arising from property acquisitions, disposals, misrepresentation and property management where appropriate.
• Assess potential claims, liabilities and exposure and develop appropriate litigation and dispute-resolution strategies.
• Draft and review pleadings, legal opinions, witness statements, submissions, settlement agreements, contractual documentation and legal correspondence.
• Conduct negotiations and settlement discussions and represent the organisation at mediations, hearings and other dispute-resolution processes where appropriate.
• Manage relationships with external solicitors, counsel, experts, surveyors and other professional advisers.
• Instruct and supervise external legal advisers where specialist advice or representation is required.
• Provide clear advice to the business on litigation risk, settlement options and potential financial exposure.
• Support the wider legal team on commercial, contractual and property matters as required.
• Ensure that legal advice is practical, proportionate and aligned with the organisation's wider commercial objectives.
• Keep abreast of developments in property law, litigation, civil procedure and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Maintain the highest standards of professional conduct, confidentiality, legal compliance and integrity.

Essential Requirements

• Called to the Bar of England and Wales.
• Current and appropriate authorisation to practise.
• Significant post-qualification experience as a barrister.
• Strong and demonstrable experience in property and corporate related disputes and contentious property work.
• Experience managing complex litigation and dispute-resolution matters.
• Excellent advocacy, drafting, legal research and analytical skills.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to provide practical, business-focused legal advice.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple complex matters and competing deadlines.
• High degree of professional integrity, discretion and confidentiality.

Desirable Experience

• Previous experience working within an in-house legal team.
• Experience advising property owners, investors or organisations with significant property portfolios.
• Experience of landlord and tenant disputes.
• Experience of lease, dilapidations and service charge disputes.
• Experience of contractual disputes relating to property transactions.
• Experience of mediation and alternative dispute resolution.
• Experience managing external solicitors and counsel.
• Experience managing legal budgets and external legal spend.
• Experience advising boards, directors or senior leadership teams.

What We Are Looking For

• We are looking for a barrister who is not simply an advocate, but a trusted in-house legal adviser and strategic business partner.
• The successful candidate will be comfortable operating in a fast-paced commercial environment, identifying legal issues before they become disputes, providing pragmatic solutions and taking ownership of complex matters from initial instruction through to resolution.
• The ability to balance legal risk against commercial objectives will be particularly important.
• The successful candidate should be confident dealing directly with senior stakeholders and should be able to explain complex legal issues clearly to non-lawyers.