Position: Head - Legal

Function: Legal

Industry: Real Estate (Residential)

Location: Bangalore

Experience Required: 18+ Years (Residential Real Estate)

ROLE SUMMARY:

The Head of Legal will lead the legal function for a residential real estate organization, providing strategic and operational legal counsel across land acquisition, project approvals, sales, leasing, litigation, and regulatory compliance (including RERA). The role requires strong command of Kannada, given the need to liaise with local revenue authorities, sub-registrar offices, government departments, and regional stakeholders in Karnataka.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Conduct/oversee due diligence on land title, encumbrances, and chain of ownership for acquisitions and joint developments.

- Draft, vet, and negotiate JDA (Joint Development Agreements), sale deeds, GPAs, and land-related contracts.

- Liaise with revenue departments, sub-registrar offices, and local authorities on title, mutation, and conversion matters.

- Ensure compliance with RERA, Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, KMC/BBMP/BDA/BMRDA regulations, and other applicable state and central laws.

- Manage project registrations, approvals, and renewals with statutory authorities; track regulatory changes and advise leadership on impact.

- Draft and review agreements for sale, construction, allotment, leave & license, vendor and contractor agreements.

- Support sales and CRM teams on buyer-related documentation and customer disputes.

- Manage litigation before consumer courts, RERA authorities, civil courts, and arbitration proceedings; coordinate with external counsel on case strategy and budgets.

- Advise on corporate structuring, JV agreements, and transaction structuring in coordination with the finance team.

- Support secretarial and statutory compliance in coordination with the Company Secretary function.

- Build and lead an in-house legal team; manage a panel of external law firms/advocates.

- Act as a key advisor to the President - Finance and senior leadership on legal risk.

- Liaise fluently in Kannada with government officials, local landowners, and regional stakeholders.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

- LL.B. / LL.M. from a recognized university;

- 18+ years of relevant experience in residential real estate legal practice, with a significant portion in a leadership role.

- Strong working knowledge of RERA, land laws, and Karnataka-specific real estate regulations.

- Proficiency in Kannada (spoken and written) is mandatory, along with fluency in English; Hindi is a plus.

- Prior experience dealing with BBMP, BDA, BMRDA, KIADB, or similar Karnataka authorities preferred.

- Strong negotiation and drafting skills.

- Proven litigation management and risk mitigation capability.

- Strong stakeholder and regulatory liaison skills.

- Team leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

- High attention to detail with commercial pragmatism.

INTERFACES:

Key interfaces: Finance, Sales, Projects/Construction, Company Secretary, External Legal Counsel, Government Authorities