Legal Counsel - Property Developments

Yorkshire Pie Company; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading national homebuilder in the United Kingdom seeks a Legal Counsel to provide legal advice on land acquisition and development agreements and manage relationships with external stakeholders. The ideal candidate will be a qualified solicitor with experience in affordable housing and development law. The role offers competitive salary and benefits, including a company car or allowance, ensuring significant career progression within a dynamic environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Company car or car allowance

Bonus scheme

Contributory pension

Health care

Life cover

Wellbeing support

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in legal counsel, particularly in development.
• Familiarity with planning, infrastructure, and development law.
• Experience managing relationships with external legal providers.

Responsibilities

• Advise on land acquisition and development agreements.
• Draft, review, and negotiate legal agreements related to developments.
• Conduct property due diligence and risk assessment.
• Manage relationships with external stakeholders and regional divisions.

Skills

Experience in affordable housing sales

Property due diligence

Title reporting

Strong communication skills

Commercial mindset

Education

Qualified solicitor or equivalent legal executive

Job description

As Legal Counsel in developments, you'll advise on land, site set-ups, and infrastructure across a major home‑building group. You'll be entrusted with significant responsibility, liaising across divisions to deliver complex legal solutions in an in‑house setting.

Client Details

This is a national homebuilder with a strong regional presence and a track record of delivering high-quality, award‑winning residential developments. They combine scale and stability with local autonomy, operating across multiple regional offices and employing a large, diverse workforce. The business invests heavily in people, career progression, training and diversity, and has a reputation for high customer satisfaction and industry standing. Working here means joining a business where legal plays a key strategic role and your work has real impact across land and development operations.

Description

The Legal Counsel will be:

• Advising on land acquisition, disposal and development agreements
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating infrastructure, planning and Section 106/106A agreements
• Conducting property due diligence, title reporting and risk assessment
• Supporting regional divisions and liaising with external stakeholders, including local authorities and funders
• Managing relationships with external legal providers where needed
• Assisting with planning, infrastructure and related consents as required
• Ensuring compliance with property, planning and development legislation and internal governance
• Occasional travel to divisional offices to support regional projects

Profile

The Legal Counsel should be:

• A solicitor (or equivalent qualified legal executive) with demonstrated experience
• Experienced in affordable housing sales, section 106 and infrastructure agreements
• Skilled in property due diligence, title reporting and risk analysis
• Familiar with planning, infrastructure, development law and real estate contracts
• Advantageous: prior exposure to housebuilders, housing associations, or development pro‑projects
• Commercial mindset, strong communication skills and confident stakeholder engagement
• Technically capable, organised, and able to manage multiple files in a dynamic environment

Job Offer

You'll receive a competitive salary, plus a company car or car allowance (cash equivalent), bonus scheme, and contributory pension.

Health care, life cover and excellent employee benefits (discounts, wellbeing support, etc.) are included.

The role offers significant responsibility, exposure to strategic projects across the group, and clear routes for professional growth.

If you're an experienced Legal Counsel with development experience, apply now or contact Michael Bailey for more information.