Legal Manager

Department: Legal, Compliance & Risk Governance

Location: Bhubaneswar (Head Office)

Reporting To: Managing Director / Chief Business Officer

Direct Stakeholders: CFO, Project Controllers, Procurement, Real Estate, HRBP, Finance, Admin, External Counsels

Business Coverage: EPC | Logistics | Fabrication | Real Estate | AI Ops | Future Ventures

1. Position Overview

The Legal Manager will lead, manage, and enforce Emphorias enterprise-wide legal and compliance frameworks.

The role demands a hands-on, proactive, and strategic leader responsible for litigation, arbitration, receivables recovery, contract governance, statutory compliance, cheque bounce cases, vendor disputes, employee grievances, and real estate-related legalities.

This role integrates risk governance with operational excellence while providing strategic advisory to management and robust legal support to cross-functional teams.

2. Key Roles & Responsibilities

A. Litigation, Arbitration & Cheque Bounce / Non-Payment Cases (Critical)

Lead end-to-end litigation management: EPC, logistics, fabrication, real estate, vendor claims, MSME arbitrations, cheque bounce, cheque stop, and Section 138 NI Act matters.

Draft and vet petitions, counter-affidavits, vakalatnamas, rejoinders, settlement deeds, and interim relief applications.

File and manage civil suits, recovery suits, MSME applications, injunctions, and arbitration filings.

Build a Litigation Control Framework:

Exposure matrix per case

Risk categorization: high, medium, low

Real-time status dashboards integrated into DEZY CommandNet

Drive aggressive receivable recoveries: court-driven, arbitration-driven, or via negotiated settlements.

B. Contract Vetting & Vendor Governance (No Gaps)

Draft, vet, and negotiate all contracts and agreements across Emphoria, including:

EPC work orders & subcontractor agreements

Logistics vendor contracts & fabrication MoUs

Vendor T&Cs, service-level agreements, and AMC/ARC contracts

Real estate JDAs, JTAs, buyer agreements, FAR/TDR agreements, and project consultancy agreements

NDAs, financing contracts, and escrow arrangements

Remove risky vendor T&Cs: payment overrides, open liability, termination traps, and hidden indemnities.

Standardize Master Agreement Templates with robust provisions for:

Indemnification & liability caps

LD clauses, liquidated damages & penalty frameworks

Termination triggers & buyback rights

Arbitration, mediation, and dispute resolution mechanisms

Implement a Contract Renewal & Obligation Calendar integrated with DEZY for automated alerts.

C. Real Estate Legal Governance (Expanded Scope)

Title & Ownership Due Diligence: Verify land ownership, relinquishment deeds, family settlements, and mutation/encumbrance checks.

Manage RERA registration, compliance filings, buyer dispute resolutions, and quarterly reporting.

Vet Joint Development Agreements (JDA), Joint Venture Agreements (JVA), and consortium structures for Patia high-rise and other real estate projects.

Oversee FAR/TDR purchase agreements, regulatory approvals, and transfer compliances.

Handle disputes with buyers, contractors, vendors, landowners, or regulatory authorities.

Liaise with statutory authorities for environmental, structural, occupancy, and fire safety clearances.

D. Receivables Recovery & Financial Dispute Management

Partner with Finance, Project Controllers, and Billing teams to aggressively pursue receivables.

Draft and issue demand notices, Section 138 NI Act notices, MSME claims, and pre-litigation settlements.

Build a Receivables Monitoring Dashboard tracking:

Aging buckets (30, 60, 90, 120+ days)

Legal escalations per case

Default probability per client

File suits, arbitration claims, and insolvency petitions against persistent non-payers.

Integrate receivables data into DEZY CommandNet for real-time visibility across EPC, logistics, and real estate portfolios.

E. Employee, Labour & Vendor Dispute Management

Employee Disputes: Handle terminations, F&F settlements, POSH Act cases, wrongful dismissal claims, and workplace grievance escalations.

Labour Compliance & Disputes:

Manage labour cases under CLRA, BOCW, ID Act, and Minimum Wages Act.

Handle site-level disputes, contractor claims, and statutory inspections.

Liaise with HRBP and statutory authorities for closure of notices.

Vendor Disputes:

Draft counter-claims, initiate arbitration, and negotiate settlements.

Manage MSME arbitrations effectively to minimize liabilities.

F. Statutory & Regulatory Compliance

Ensure full compliance across EPC, logistics, fabrication, and real estate operations:

CLRA, BOCW, EPF, ESI, ID Act, Payment of Wages Act

Companies Act, GST, MSME Act, RERA, Pollution Board clearances

Local municipal, RTO, and transport-related laws

Maintain a Regulatory Compliance Calendar for statutory renewals, tax filings, labour licenses, RERA submissions, and environmental approvals.

Prepare for all audits and inspections proactively to avoid penalties and litigations.

G. Enterprise-Wide Legal Governance (Critical for Emphoria)

Build a Legal Governance Framework integrating:

Litigation workflows

Contract approval hierarchies

Arbitration protocols

Escalation triggers per exposure level

DOA/DOP alignment for high-value approvals

Establish quarterly legal audits for EPC, logistics, fabrication, and real estate verticals.

Define legal KPIs for all departments and ensure cross-functional accountability.

Embed DEZY Command Net to automate:

Renewal reminders

Litigation exposure dashboards

Receivable escalations

Counsel billing approvals

H. Legal Documentation, MIS & Reporting

Maintain a centralized legal repository covering contracts, pleadings, approvals, and litigation history.

Develop monthly legal MIS dashboards capturing:

Open disputes by category (vendor, client, labour, employee, regulatory)

Recovery performance vs. aging

Upcoming contract renewals

Litigation risk scores

Present strategic insights to MD, CFO, and CBO on major exposures and financial impacts.

3. Required Qualifications & Experience

Education: LL.B. (mandatory); LL.M. preferred.

Experience: 8-12 years in EPC, logistics, fabrication, real estate, or infrastructure industries.

Proven expertise in:

Cheque bounce & non-payment disputes

Arbitration & recovery frameworks

RERA, FAR/TDR, JDAs, and real estate governance

Contract structuring, risk mitigation, and compliance audits

Multi-party litigations involving vendors, buyers, and regulators

4. Key Competencies

Litigation Mastery: Ability to handle cheque bounce, recovery, arbitration, and regulatory disputes end-to-end.

Commercial Acumen: Understands EPC cashflows, buyer disputes, and real estate dynamics.

Risk Anticipation: Identifies and mitigates contractual, statutory, and financial risks proactively.

Stakeholder Influence: Strong negotiation skills with clients, vendors, regulators, and counsels.

Digital-First Governance: Leverages DEZY CommandNet dashboards to monitor, automate, and control legal operations.

Role & responsibilities

Preferred candidate profile