AVP- Legal

Godrej Ventures; Mumbai; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 9,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Godrej Ventures seeks a senior-level legal professional to lead complex M&A, private equity, and real estate transactions across the portfolio. You will structure deals, draft and negotiate SPAs, SHAs, JDAs, and co-investment agreements, and oversee comprehensive due diligence.

You will coordinate with external counsel and tax advisors, manage a lean but high-impact governance framework, and mentor a team of lawyers to scale with deal flow while advising leadership on strategic legal risk.

Qualifications

• 15 to 20 years post-qualification experience in M&A and private equity real estate.
• Experience at top-tier law firm or in-house at RE/PE platforms.
• Hands-on real estate title diligence and project-level structuring.
• Experience managing litigation/arbitration and guiding external counsel.
• Strong contract drafting and negotiation across commercial, vendor, and construction agreements.
• Familiarity with corporate governance for private companies and group structures.
• Ability to lead transactions independently and advise senior leadership.
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder management in lean environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead legal structuring, negotiation, and closing of M&A, joint ventures, and platform investments.
• Support LPA negotiation, side letters, and co-investment arrangements.
• Structure and execute real estate transactions including acquisitions and development agreements.
• Manage end-to-end legal diligence for investments and development projects.
• Draft and negotiate transaction documents: SPAs, SHAs, JDAs, term sheets, financing agreements.
• Advise on legal risk and regulatory implications; coordinate with external counsel and tax advisors.
• Oversee title diligence, land acquisition, and project-level agreements.
• Advise on regulatory approvals and liaise with local authorities on legal matters.
• Manage litigation/arbitration/regulatory proceedings; set litigation strategy with external counsel.
• Negotiate and draft vendor agreements, leases, licenses; build templates.
• Lead a team of legal professionals and manage relationships with external law firms.
• Advise leadership on legal risk.

Skills

M&A transactions

Private equity

Real estate

Litigation management

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Corporate governance

Team leadership

Education

LLB (LLM preferred)

Job description

Role & responsibilities

Transaction Execution

• Lead legal structuring, negotiation, and closing of M&A transactions, joint ventures, and platform investments
• Support LPA negotiation, side letters, and co-investment arrangements with respect to fund formation and fund structuring
• Structure and execute commercial real estate transactions acquisitions, development agreements, joint development arrangements, leasing, and exits
• Manage end-to-end legal diligence (corporate, title, regulatory) for investments and development projects
• Draft and negotiate transaction documents: SPAs, SHAs, JDAs, term sheets, and financing agreements

Deal Advisory & Structuring

• Advise on legal risk, deal structuring options, and regulatory implications for prospective transactions
• Coordinate with external counsel, tax advisors on complex deal structures

Real Estate & Project Legal

• Oversee title diligence, and land acquisition legal work
• Structure and negotiate joint development agreements, development management agreements, and project-level SPVs
• Advise on project-level regulatory approvals and liaise with local authorities as needed on legal matters

Litigation & Dispute Resolution

• Manage and oversee litigation, arbitration, and regulatory proceedings involving the firm and its portfolio entities
• Set litigation strategy in coordination with external counsel; manage litigation risk and exposure reporting to leadership
• Handle disputes arising from title, construction, tenancy, and commercial contracts

Contract Management & Commercial Agreements

• Own the drafting, review, and negotiation of commercial contracts vendor agreements, consultancy agreements, lease and license agreements, construction contracts
• Build standardized templates and playbooks to streamline contracting across the transaction and development pipeline
• Advise business teams on contractual risk in day-to-day commercial dealings

Team & Stakeholder Management

• Lead a team of legal professionals, allocating work across transactions, real estate, litigation, contracts, and governance based on team strengths and deal flow
• Build out processes, templates, and playbooks so the team scales efficiently as transaction volume grows
• Manage relationships with external law firms, optimizing for cost and quality across the transaction pipeline
• Act as a trusted advisor to the leadership team on legal risk in business decisions

Educational Qualification:

Experience and Skills:

• 15 to 20 years of post-qualification experience, with a strong track record in M&A and private equity transactions in real estate
• Prior experience at a top-tier law firm and/or in-house at a commercial RE player, PE fund, real estate fund, or investment platform
• Hands-on experience with real estate title diligence, land acquisition, and project-level structuring
• Experience managing litigation and arbitration, including instructing and directing external counsel
• Strong contract drafting and negotiation background across commercial, vendor, and construction agreements
• Familiarity with corporate governance requirements for private companies and group structures
• Demonstrated ability to lead transactions independently and advise senior leadership/Investment Committee directly
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills; comfortable operating in a lean, high-ownership environment
• LLB (LLM preferred)