Zonal Legal Head-South For a Law Firm

Zonal Legal Head

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Role Overview

As the Zonal Legal Head for South India, you will lead legal operations across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala. Embedded within a law firm environment, your core mandate will be to manage title due diligence, legal documentation for mortgage and lending, and provide expert legal guidance tailored to financial institutions and banks. You will serve as the regional legal authority, ensuring quality, compliance, and strategic alignment in property-related lending transactions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Title Search & Property Due Diligence

• Conduct thorough

  title searches

  , tracing the chain of title, identifying encumbrances, liens, or disputes, and ensuring the property has a clear, marketable title, drawing from best practices in real estate law.
• Vet and verify all relevant property documentssale deeds, gift deeds, wills, mother deeds, encumbrance certificates, mutation records, and approvals from sub-registrar or revenue departments.
  
• Carry out

  regulatory compliance checks

  , including RERA, zoning, building byelaws, environmental and municipal approvals, and any litigation history

• Determine whether a

  full search

  (30-year title history) or a

  limited search

  is appropriate based on the nature of the transaction .

2. Document Vetting & Legal Opinion

• Review, draft, and negotiate key legal documents such as mortgage agreements (simple and equitable), declarations, undertakings, loan documents, and conveyance/sale deeds.
  
• Provide detailed

  legal opinions

  on title and collateral suitability for banks/NBFCs, ensuring risk mitigation.

3. Coordination with Government Bodies

• Interact with

  Sub-Registrar Offices, Revenue / Land Records Departments

  , and municipal/local authorities to obtain certified documents, ECs, and validate approvals .
• Stay updated on compliance with local regulations, stamp duty, land-use norms, and property-related authorizations.
  

4. Engagement with Banks & NBFCs

• Serve as the legal counsel to banks and NBFCs on matters of

  security creation

  , mortgage registration, discharge, and ensuring enforceability of security documents.
• Coordinate due diligence reports and legal opinions for financial institutions, ensuring they have assured legal coverage.
  

5. Team Management & Stakeholder Coordination

• Lead and mentor a regional legal team, ensuring consistent quality and adherence to SOPs.
  
• Liaise with cross-functional stakeholdersunderwriting, risk, operations—and external counsel to streamline legal processes and resolve issues.
  

6. Risk Mitigation & Litigation Support

• Identify potential legal risks (title defects, encumbrances, regulatory non-compliance) and recommend mitigation strategies.
  
• Support litigation or recovery efforts when required, coordinating with external advocates and preparing necessary documentation.

For further assistance contact/whatsapp: 9354909510 or write to sameeksha@gist.org.in