Associate General Counsel, Commercial Real Estate

Position Summary

Hillwood Investment Properties (HIP) is seeking an experienced Associate General Counsel, Commercial Real Estate to join its legal team in Dallas, Texas.

Reporting directly to the Chief Legal Counsel HIP/Investments this attorney will serve as a trusted legal advisor and strategic business partner across the full lifecycle of industrial real estate projects, including acquisition, entitlement, development, financing, leasing, and disposition, as well as joint venture formations and other complex commercial real estate matters.

The successful candidate will independently manage high-value, complex industrial real estate matters while partnering closely with development, investments, finance, construction, property management, operations, and executive leadership. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who can operate with a high degree of independence, quickly understand complicated projects, identify legal and business issues, and develop practical solutions through rigorous independent analysis. This attorney must be willing and able to take full ownership of assigned responsibilities from inception through final resolution, follow through on every material detail, and not rely on colleagues or others to complete unfinished work or pick up slack. Exceptional legal judgment, outstanding negotiation and drafting skills, and a practical, business-oriented mindset are essential.

Demonstrated expertise in the practical use of artificial intelligence is required. The successful candidate must be substantially more than a casual or occasional user and should be able to use AI to accelerate learning, improve legal analysis and drafting, manage complex transactions, and increase productivity. This individual will also help advance the Legal Department's responsible adoption of AI and emerging legal technologies.

Responsibilities

Real Estate Transactions

• Draft, review, and negotiate purchase and sale agreements, joint venture agreements, operating agreements, leases, easements, licenses, restrictive covenants, development agreements, cost-sharing agreements, escrow agreements, boundary agreements, and other industrial and commercial real estate documents.
• Manage transactions from contract negotiation through closing, including due diligence, title and survey review, objection responses, closing documentation, and coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
• Structure transactions that appropriately balance legal risk with business objectives.
• Manage and coordinate outside counsel, title companies, consultants, and other third-party advisors to ensure efficient and accurate delivery.

Development & Business Partnership

• Serve as a legal advisor throughout the industrial development lifecycle, from site acquisition and entitlement through development, leasing, stabilization, and sale.
• Independently analyze complicated legal and business issues, identify risks and alternatives, and develop practical solutions that advance project and business objectives.
• Structure, negotiate, and advise business leaders on joint venture relationships, including governance, capital contributions, ownership structures, decision-making authority, development obligations, exit strategies, and partner rights and responsibilities.
• Assist with the negotiation of municipal utility district agreements, city development agreements, reimbursement agreements, and other governmental or public-private development agreements.
• Collaborate with project managers, engineers, consultants, lenders, title companies, and outside counsel to facilitate successful project execution.

Financing & Corporate Transactions

• Support debt and equity financing transactions, including reviewing, drafting, and negotiating loan documents and coordinating transaction closings.
• Review closing statements and oversee preparation of legal closing documents.
• Provide legal support on corporate transactions and other strategic initiatives as assigned.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Develop strong relationships across HIP, Hillwood's business units, and outside partners.
• Partner closely with internal stakeholders to deliver responsive, solution-oriented legal counsel.
• Manage outside counsel to ensure efficient, cost-effective legal representation.
• Identify opportunities to improve legal processes, documentation, and operational efficiency.
• Take full ownership of assigned matters from start to finish, proactively drive each workstream to completion, and remain accountable for all follow-through rather than relying on others to address gaps or complete unfinished work.

Artificial Intelligence & Innovation

• Promote the responsible and effective adoption of artificial intelligence across the Legal team.
• Collaborate with Information Technology and business leaders to implement AI-driven solutions across legal operations.
• Use, evaluate, and help improve AI tools and agents that support legal and business workflows.
• Leverage AI to support contract drafting and review, legal research, due diligence, title and survey analysis, transaction management, knowledge management, and document automation while maintaining sound legal judgment and confidentiality.
• Identify opportunities to streamline legal processes, automate routine tasks, improve contract lifecycle management, and enhance operational efficiency.
• Evaluate emerging legal technologies and AI platforms, recommending solutions that improve legal service delivery and support Hillwood's business objectives.
• Ensure all AI-assisted work complies with applicable legal, ethical, confidentiality, cybersecurity, and data governance requirements.
• Promote AI best practices and educate team members on the effective and responsible use of emerging technologies.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Extensive experience with industrial real estate transactions and projects, including acquisition, entitlement, development, leasing, and disposition.
• Exceptional drafting, analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to independently assess unfamiliar or complicated issues and formulate practical legal solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to balance legal risk with practical business objectives and provide strategic, business-oriented legal advice.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build strong relationships across all levels of the organization.
• Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple complex transactions simultaneously.
• Sound judgment, professionalism, integrity, and discretion.
• Self-starter with strong business acumen, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to work independently, assume full ownership and accountability for responsibilities from inception through completion, and drive matters to resolution with limited supervision. Must consistently follow through and may not rely on others to pick up slack, close gaps, or complete work for which this attorney is responsible.
• Collaborative team player with a client-service mindset and a commitment to delivering practical legal solutions.
• Demonstrated expertise in the practical application of artificial intelligence to legal work, including the ability to use AI to improve analysis, drafting, due diligence, transaction management, learning, and productivity. General familiarity or occasional use is insufficient.

Education and Experience

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school, with an active license to practice.
• Active license to practice law in Texas, or the ability to become licensed promptly.
• 5-10 years of experience representing clients in sophisticated industrial or commercial real estate transactions within a highly recognized law firm, corporate legal department, industrial real estate developer, REIT, or institutional investment organization.
• Demonstrated experience independently leading sophisticated industrial real estate matters across multiple stages of the project lifecycle.
• Substantial experience in the acquisition, entitlement, development, leasing, and sale of industrial real estate, including drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements, joint venture and operating agreements, development agreements, leases, financing documents, and related project agreements.
• Experience partnering directly with executive leadership and business teams to provide strategic legal counsel.
• Demonstrated experience using artificial intelligence and AI-enabled workflows to materially improve legal research, drafting, due diligence, transaction execution, knowledge management, and operational efficiency is required. AI should be used as a force multiplier that enables the attorney to learn quickly, exercise better judgment, and independently handle increasingly complex matters.