For more than 70 years, Heatherwood has been in the business of developing, redeveloping, and managing quality apartment communities in the New York region. Heatherwood is one of New York’s leading development companies in luxury residential communities, commercial properties, and luxury urban spaces with a portfolio that spans from Brooklyn and Queens to the east end of Long Island. Heatherwood currently owns and operates thousands of apartments and employs approximately 250 associates.

We are currently looking for a Corporate Counsel to join our Legal team. Job Summary

The Corporate Counsel will be responsible for overseeing and managing the legal aspects of real estate transactions for our organization. Responsibilities include reviewing and negotiating contracts, preparing legal documents, researching real estate laws and regulations, and providing legal advice to the company. The Corporate Counsel should have excellent communication skills, great attention to detail, and the ability to work collaboratively with other personnel in the company.

This position is a key component of Heatherwood’s growth strategy, managing, advising, and leading on all elements of legal support for Heatherwood’s Legal Team. In addition, this position will be involved in collaborating with the Risk Management Team and individual lines of business to establish processes and procedures that mitigate risk and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements applicable to the company.

Job Description

• Collaborate across legal, development, construction, operations, compliance, accounting, risk, and technology functions to develop systems and process solutions to govern, report on, and ensure robust operation of the company’s legal entity management and governance processes.
• Support acquisition initiatives and other strategic transactions by acting as primary Heatherwood legal representation and support on corporate acquisitions, financing-related agreements and reporting, compliance, and corporate communications. 
• Assist with general corporate matters, including corporate governance and preparation of materials for the Leadership Team.
• Act as the primary reviewer of corporate contractual agreements, including but not limited to office leases, vendor service contracts, professional consultant agreements, and construction contracts.
• Keep current on developments in law and regulations regarding real estate, construction, corporate governance, New York landlord-tenant rental laws, and other issues.
• Address different reporting requirements which require legal input in collaboration with business unit leads and provide strategic legal guidance to internal teams on litigation reporting and disclosures.
• Work closely with broad networks of stakeholders, including colleagues in the Operations, Development, Construction, and Information Technology teams, as well as the other departments, to drive and support company and legal initiatives, including ongoing evolution of business strategy, commercial practices, contractual processes, and protocol to improve and streamline the legal experience for internal associates.
• Support the Senior Leadership Team to ensure stakeholders are aligned with corporate legal processes and procedures.
• Identify regulatory risks to the firm, report those to the General Counsel and formulate an effective response to those risks.
• Manage and meet aggressive internal delivery timelines and help adjust priorities in a fast-moving environment.
• Promote consistency, fairness, and open dialogue; maintain an open-door policy.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• A minimum of 3 years of relevant transactional and commercial real estate experience with a law firm and/or corporation (multifamily real estate experience and NY residential landlord-tenant rental laws a plus).
• Experience working with company clients on real estate transactions, finance obligations, contract drafting and negotiation, and corporate governance.
• Highly disciplined, able to make independent decisions and work with limited supervision while excelling in a fast-paced, dynamic, and demanding environment.
• Inquisitive, engaged, and proactive in identifying legal issues and risks and proposing creative and effective solutions with a commercial mindset; ability to deal with complexity and ambiguity simultaneously and translate complex business and legal issues into clear and simple guidance for a variety of associates and stakeholders.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present sophisticated issues in a clear and persuasive manner, make presentations to team members, executives and senior managers and others, and to develop policies, procedures, memos and other documents used for communicating, training or implementing planned projects and initiatives.
• Excellent project management skills and evidenced ability to take initiative in the area(s) of focus in order to develop and execute a project plan from conception through implementation and evaluation.
• Ability to effectively manage outside counsel, provide clear direction, evaluate services and communicate feedback as needed to achieve optimal results.
• Strong corporate experience, particularly with corporate governance, contracts, financing, and reporting; excellent legal drafting skills, exhibiting a keen attention to detail.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Required Licenses or Certifications:

• JD from a well-regarded law school. Top-tier law firm training is strongly preferred. Admitted to practice and in good standing with the New York State Bar.

Benefits:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life
• 401(k) with Company Match (eligibility required)
• Generous Paid Time Off: Time off benefits include vacation, holidays, personal days, sick time, and parental leave.