Legal Counsel Portugal

Street Smash Burgers; Lisboa; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Structured growth

Dynamic environment

Career development

Competitive compensation

Employee benefits

Job summary

Street Smash Burgers is seeking a Legal Counsel in Lisbon, Portugal to own legal standards across Portugal, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. You’ll manage leases, vendor contracts, and employment templates, coordinating with external counsel and internal teams to protect the brand and ensure compliance.

The role involves cross-country responsibilities, a fast-growing brand, and the opportunity to shape corporate governance and global contracting practices.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer in Portugal (Ordem dos Advogados) or Italy (Albo degli Avvocati).
• Experience drafting and negotiating leases for multi-site clients.
• Experience drafting employment contracts and handling labour disputes.
• Proven track record managing external law firms on budget.
• Proficient in English; Portuguese/Italian/Spanish advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Build and run lease playbook per CEO parameters within 90 days.
• Review and negotiate LOIs and leases from draft to signature.
• Negotiate contracts with delivery platforms, suppliers, construction contractors and partners.
• Protect brand: trademark portfolio, oppositions and cease-and-desist letters in four countries.
• Own employment contracts per country and approve non-standard clauses.
• Keep corporate housekeeping for PT, ES, IT and CH: minutes, powers of attorney and entity registers.
• Lead external advisors: one panel firm per country and monthly spend tracking.

Skills

Lease drafting

Lease negotiation

Employment contracts

External counsel mgmt

Multinational experience

Languages

Job description

Legal Counsel

Lisbon, Portugal

About Street

Street Smash Burgers was born in Lisbon in 2024 with a simple idea: going back to the roots of the burger with quality product and the smash technique. 100% beef, an open kitchen and a casual, authentic atmosphere. Today we’re growing across nearly 40 restaurants in 4 countries, and we’re looking for people with the drive to learn, energy and rhythm to grow with us.

The role

You’ll own Street’s legal standards and highest-risk documents across Portugal, Spain, Italy and Switzerland, deciding independently within a CEO-approved lease and contract playbook. Leases are the core of the job: around half your time, with 45 new leases expected in 2027, more than half of them in Italy.

What you’ll do

• Build and run our lease playbook from the CEO’s parameters, live within your first 90 days
• Review and negotiate LOIs and leases from first draft to signature: rent, key money, guarantees, break clauses, rent-free periods and licensing conditions
• Negotiate commercial contracts with delivery platforms, key suppliers, construction contractors and franchise or partnership partners
• Protect the Street Smash Burgers brand: trademark portfolio, oppositions and cease-and-desist letters in all four countries
• Own our employment contract templates per country and approve non-standard clauses and every senior or central-team contract
• Keep corporate housekeeping in order for our PT, ES, IT and CH entities: board minutes, powers of attorney and entity registers
• Lead our external advisors: one panel firm per country, labour advisors set up together with People, and specialists for everything else, owning the brief and tracking legal spend monthly

Who we’re looking for

Must-have

• Qualified lawyer in Portugal (Ordem dos Advogados) or Italy (Albo degli Avvocati), with 5+ years’ post-qualification experience
• Hands-on experience drafting, reviewing or negotiating commercial leases for multi-site clients
• Experience drafting employment contracts and supporting labour disputes
• A track record of managing external law firms on budget
• The drive to take on a much wider scope than in previous roles
• Professional working proficiency in English, in Portuguese or Italian, and in Spanish

Nice-to-have

• In-house experience in QSR, retail or a franchise network
• Trademark prosecution and opposition experience at EUIPO
• Exposure to Spanish or Swiss lease law

What we offer

• A structured, fast-growing company
• Dynamic, results-oriented environment
• Continuous training and real career growth
• Compensation package based on experience
• Company benefits