Description:

Key Responsibilities:

Legal Operations & Team Leadership:

- Lead, mentor, and manage a pan-India legal operations team comprising regional legal managers, in-house counsels, and external advocates.

- Define team structure, workload distribution, SLAs, and performance metrics.

- Drive productivity, quality, and turnaround time for property document validation cases.

- Conduct regular training sessions on evolving property laws and documentation standards.

Property Document Validation & Due Diligence:

- Oversee end-to-end legal due diligence of property documents, including:

- Title deeds (Sale Deed, Conveyance Deed, Gift Deed, Partition Deed)

- Chain of title verification (30+ years)

- Encumbrance Certificates (EC)

- Approved building plans and occupancy/completion certificates

- Land use approvals, NA permissions, zoning compliances

- Development agreements, GPA, POA documents

- Ensure identification of legal risks related to ownership, title defects, litigations, encroachments, or regulatory non-compliance.

- Approve and sign off on legal opinions, title clearance reports, and risk assessment notes.

Pan-India Legal Compliance & Regulatory Oversight:

- Ensure compliance with state-specific property laws, including:

- Registration Act, Transfer of Property Act, Stamp Acts

- RERA (state-wise applicability)

- Local land revenue codes and municipal regulations

- Track and interpret amendments in property, land, and real estate laws across states.

- Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) and validation checklists customized by state.

Stakeholder & Business Collaboration:

- Act as the primary legal advisor to senior management, business heads, credit/risk teams, and operations.

- Support business expansion by enabling legally sound property onboarding.

- Handle escalations, complex cases, and high-risk property validations.

- Coordinate with external law firms, title search agencies, and government authorities.

Risk Management & Quality Assurance:

- Identify systemic legal risks and implement preventive controls.

- Establish internal audits, peer reviews, and quality checks for legal reports.

- Maintain legal MIS, dashboards, and periodic compliance reporting.

- Minimize legal exposure through proactive issue identification and resolution.

Process Improvement & Digitization:

- Drive process standardization and automation in legal document validation.

- Collaborate with technology teams to implement legal tech tools, DMS, and workflow platforms.

- Improve turnaround time and accuracy through digitized records and centralized repositories.

Litigation & Dispute Management (as applicable):

- Oversee property-related disputes, notices, and litigation in coordination with external counsels.

- Review pleadings, legal strategies, and settlement proposals.

- Ensure timely closure and reporting of legal cases impacting property assets.

Key Skills & Competencies:

Technical / Legal Skills:

- Strong expertise in Indian Property Laws & Real Estate Documentation

- Hands-on experience in title due diligence and legal opinion drafting

- In-depth understanding of state-wise land laws and registration processes

- Knowledge of RERA, Stamp Duty, and municipal regulations

Managerial & Behavioral Skills:

- Strong people leadership and cross-functional coordination

- High attention to detail with strong risk-assessment capabilities

- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

- Ability to handle high-volume operations with accuracy and consistency