Legal Counsel - Property - 6m FTC

### Job description
We make huge investment in everyone at evoke plc, offering great career development opportunities. Our people are at the heart of everything we do and we offer a fast-paced environment where we have fun, celebrate success and give you all the tools you’ll need to be your best self. It’s not just our colleagues we look after – we’ve got a responsibility to our customers too and we work hard on our ambition that nobody is harmed by gambling. This Group Legal Counsel role presents a rare opportunity to join the Legal function of a leading global betting and gaming company to cover a maternity leave. Reporting to the Group Legal Director - Property, you'll join a high visibility and highly effective legal team as our business embarks on an exciting new phase. In this role you will be working with the Retail teams on property legal issue arising within our UK portfolio of circa 1,000 shops operating under the William Hill brand plus liaising with external solicitors for matters relating to both our UK and global office portfolio. The role requires a commercially astute individual with the ability to handle a large and varied commercial property workload with little or no supervision, to promptly identify risks and implement practical solutions, provide commercial as well as legal advice, develop strong relationships with key stakeholders, and have the confidence to advise on issues that have significant business impact. What you will be doing
- Drafting and negotiating a high volume of commercial lease renewals both by agreement and within the framework of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954, lease variations, agreements for surrenders and deeds of surrender
- Handling applications to landlords for consent to alter, assign and sublet from application to completion
- Confidently advising our Estates team on ad hoc property legal matter that could arise within our portfolio of shops and outsourcing to external solicitors where appropriate
- Working with our appointed panel of external solicitors where required
- Maintaining and updating internal trackers, records and legal precedents related to the property portfolio. A basic knowledge of statutory landlord and tenant notices (e.g. section 26 requests/section 25 notices) including issuing court proceedings and subsequent compliance with court directions would be of interest but is not essential
Who we are looking for We are committed to responsible gambling, and we are looking for people who can support our ethos. To apply to this post, you will have:
- Experience as a qualified legal executive or solicitor managing commercial property matters from inception to completion, including high-volume lease renewals and property management within private practice or an in-house environment
- Excellent understanding of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 lease renewal process, with experience instructing and overseeing external property litigation solicitors
- Confidence communicating and building effective stakeholder relationships, you'll be able to explain complex legal issues to non-lawyers, and provide clear advice across all levels of the business
- Excellent attention to detail, be an highly organised team player with good written and verbal communication skills. You'll have the ability to manage a large, varied workload while maintaining accurate property and estate management records
What we offer Our roles offer more than just a job, you’ll become part of the evoke family! We have created an environment where our people can thrive.
Check out some of the fantastic benefits on offer:
- Family Support Industry-leading maternity and paternity leave and paid time off if you have caring responsibilities.
- Perks and discounts- Discounts at a range of high-street retailers
- Financial compensation, pension, and bonus schemes.
- Health & wellbeing Tools and services to help support your well-being, including support with mental health and financial education. You will also have access to gym discounts and our cycle to work scheme.
- Hybrid working- Our employees can work from home up 3 days with 2 days office time built in to ensure we get some face-to-face collaborative team time - and the chance for a coffee and a catch-up!
More about evoke We’re a business that embraces change and progress. The power behind big name brands William Hill, 888 and Mr Green, evoke is the new name for 888 Holdings. Marking a new sense of purpose, direction and ambition for the business, there couldn’t be a more exciting time to join us as we accelerate our journey to bring even greater delight to our customers with world-class betting and gaming experiences. That’s the future. That’s evoke. At evoke, you’ll benefit from flexibility and a culture built on trust. We’ll give you the space to be yourself and the tools you need to protect our customers while they play. We’ll invest in your future to help you develop your unique strengths and build a career that’s right for you. Apply At evoke, we prioritise diversity, equity, and inclusion for the benefit of our company, employees, and communities. We foster a welcoming and safe workplace that values all forms of diversity and provides opportunities for growth. Sound good? Then you belong at our place! The first step in the recruitment process is kickstarting your application, followed by an initial screening call and an interview.

Business evoke