Legal Counsel - Real Estate

The role of Legal Counsel, Real Estate, is based at Tatu City Limited, a signature project of Rendeavour, Africa’s largest urban land developer. Rendeavour operates visionary projects across over 30,000 acres in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, aiming to create vital infrastructure—living and working spaces, communities, schools, and hospitals—to sustain and accelerate Africa’s economic growth. This role is pivotal in managing all legal aspects related to the company's real estate transactions and operations in Kenya. This involves drafting, negotiating, and reviewing complex real estate agreements, overseeing land registration and conveyancing processes, and ensuring strict compliance with all relevant regulatory frameworks. The counsel will also provide strategic legal advice to management and manage relationships with external stakeholders and legal counsel.

Specific Responsibilities

Real Estate Transactions

• Draft, review, and negotiate agreements for sales, leases, transfers, and other real estate contracts.
• Oversee land registration processes and ensure timely completion of conveyancing formalities.
• Provide strategic legal input on structuring real estate transactions to mitigate risks and optimize value.
• Advise on compliance with land, property, planning, and related regulatory frameworks in Kenya.

Contract & Documentation Management

• Develop, standardize, and maintain real estate contract templates and precedents.
• Ensure proper record-keeping of transaction documents and correspondence on the document management system.
• Streamline and align real estate documentation practices across the Group.

Advisory & Risk Management

• Provide day-to-day legal advice on issues arising from real estate transactions.
• Identify and mitigate potential legal risks in property dealings.
• Prepare legal opinions, memoranda, and reports for management on real estate matters.

Stakeholder & Counsel Management

• Liaise with external legal counsel on complex real estate transactions, managing quality and costs.
• Coordinate with internal teams (e.g sales, registration, utilities) to ensure smooth transition and compliance post-transaction.
• Build relationships with regulators, land registries, and other external stakeholders relevant to real estate operations.

Requirements

Candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Bachelors degree in Law or a relevant field.
• Over 5 years’ post qualification experience as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
• Strong technical ability in Real Estate and property law.
• Track record of working on complex Real Estate transactions.
• Compliant and in possession of the current practising certificate.
• Very strong drafting skills.
• Previous exposure to emerging or frontier markets.