Counsel, Real Estate Debt

Ares Management; City Of London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services firm is seeking a Legal Counsel for its Real Estate Group in London. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in CRE lending and a solid background in transaction structuring and negotiation. Responsibilities include providing legal advice, managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. This role offers a dynamic work environment with opportunities for professional growth.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as a banking/real estate finance lawyer, preferably in a top tier law firm or as in-house counsel.
• Knowledge of structuring and executing back leverage facilities is a plus.
• Experience negotiating CRE loan documentation.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support for Real Estate Debt & Opportunistic Credit transactions.
• Oversee negotiation and execution of legal documents.
• Assist with regulatory compliance and risk management.

Skills

CRE loan structuring

Negotiation skills

Organisational skills

Time management skills

Integrity

Education

BA or Master’s Degree in Law

Job description

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Summary: We are currently seeking a candidate for the position of Legal Counsel (Real Estate Debt) within our Real Estate Group. The candidate will need to demonstrate a strong background in providing legal advice and transaction support in the commercial real estate lending market including all aspects of structuring and executing CRE credit transactions across Europe.

Primary Functions and Essential Responsibilities

• Overall responsibility for internal legal support for Real Estate Debt & Opportunistic Credit transactions: Supporting deal teams with internal review of term sheets and advising on any legal escalations by outside counsel; assisting with negotiation of legal aspects of term sheets; advising on deal structuring (including with respect to security arrangements and enforcement) together with internal and external tax advisors and outside counsel; supervision of legal aspects of deal execution, management and oversight of outside counsel, internal review of, and advice on, issues lists and long form key transaction documents (including engagement letters, facility agreements, equity commitment letters, and indemnity letters).
• Back Leverage (i.e., repo and loan on loan arrangements): Internal legal review of issues lists; management and oversight of outside counsel for each back leverage arrangement, and advising on any legal escalations by outside counsel relating thereto; review of key legal documents, including back leverage loan agreement provisions, confirmation statement, Exceptions Report and DDQs when adding assets to a line; assisting with legal negotiation and closing of back leverage arrangements.
• Asset Management: Organising loan summaries at time of closing with outside counsel including all key terms as well as consent mechanics with back leverage providers; advising deal teams on the above in the case of changes needing to be made to loans and assist with documentation process.
• Other: Supporting Legal & Compliance colleagues on the identification, management and resolution of areas of house risk, including potential conflict issues, compliance and other regulatory considerations; supporting Legal colleagues on fund / account structuring matters and working with Luxembourg governance colleagues on operational and company secretarial requirements related to investment and fund structures; supporting deal teams on the legal elements / overviews in IC and screening memos particularly in respect of bespoke risks or structuring points, where applicable; interacting with investors and other internal and external stakeholders on general queries relating to existing transactions and portfolios of the Real Estate Debt Group.

Education

• BA or Master’s Degree and Legal Qualification

Experience Required

• 5+ years of experience as a banking / real estate finance lawyer either in a top tier law firm or as in house counsel
• Prior experience in CRE lending is required, with a focus on negotiating transaction documents as well as coordinating closing processes
• Knowledge of structuring and executing back leverage (i.e., repo or loan on loan) facilities is a plus

General Requirements

• High level of expertise in CRE loan structuring with cross jurisdictional, preferably pan-European experience
• Experience negotiating all documentation pertaining to CRE lending including loan agreements, security documentation and all ancillary documents
• Strong organisational and time management skills
• Confidence to challenge and test outside counsel legal advice, including taking into account internal legal and compliance considerations and house risks / positions
• Engage with and collaborate on internal knowledge building and internal legal process and deal execution initiatives
• Demonstrated track record in successfully managing execution processes under time pressure with a focus on delivering within strict deadlines
• Must possess strong integrity and professionalism
• Must be a self-starter who can function independently

Reporting Relationships

Head of European Real Estate Debt

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.