Associate General Counsel - Real Estate TransactionsThis role is ideal for a real estate attorney with approximately 3-7 years of transactional experience who is interested in moving to the owner/developer side. Working closely with EYA's General Counsel and business teams, you will support sophisticated real estate development transactions throughout the DMV, including purchase and sale agreements, title and survey review, easements, declarations, development agreements, due diligence, and related project documentation.
The role offers the opportunity to take on increasing ownership of transactions over time, with the goal of independently managing matters from initial diligence through closing.
Responsibilities- Draft, review, and negotiate agreements supporting the acquisition, development, ownership, and disposition of real estate, including purchase and sale agreements, letters of intent, development agreements, easements, restrictive covenants, reciprocal easement agreements (REAs), declarations, deeds, and other development-related documents.
- Support real estate acquisitions, dispositions, and closings, with increasing responsibility for independently managing transactions.
- Conduct detailed title and survey review, identify issues and exceptions, and assist in preparing and resolving title and survey objections.
- Review due diligence materials and advise the General Counsel and acquisition and development teams on legal issues identified throughout the diligence process.
- Draft, review, and update homeowner association documents, homebuyer contracts, disclosures, amendments, and other community and sales documentation.
- Review, and negotiate loan documents for acquisition, development and construction loans, and handle all aspects of a loan closing.
- Draft, review, and negotiate vendor agreements, service agreements, and other general commercial contracts.
- Work closely with the General Counsel and internal teams, including Development, Acquisition, Finance, Construction, and Sales, to provide practical, business-oriented legal guidance.
- Coordinate with counterparties, title companies, outside counsel, and other transaction participants to move transactions and project matters forward.
- Take increasing ownership of legal matters as you develop a deeper understanding of EYA's business, with the opportunity to independently manage real estate transactions from diligence through closing.
Qualifications- Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school.
- Approximately 3-7 years of legal experience, preferably within a real estate practice group, real estate-focused law firm, or relevant in-house legal department.
- Meaningful experience practicing real estate transactional law.
- Experience representing or working directly with real estate developers, owners, or similar clients strongly preferred.
- Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating real estate transaction documents.
- Experience conducting title and survey review strongly preferred.
- Exposure to real estate acquisitions, development, due diligence, closings, easements, declarations, and/or development-related agreements.
- Experience across a variety of real estate matters is preferred
- Licensed and in good standing to practice law in at least one of either Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia; ability to practice effectively in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Professional Skills & Attributes- Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to producing high-quality legal work.
- Strong drafting, contract review, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Practical, business-oriented judgment and an ability to balance legal risk with business objectives.
- Intellectual curiosity and an interest in understanding the full lifecycle of real estate development.
- Ability and willingness to independently manage detailed legal work while collaborating closely with the General Counsel.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple transactions, projects, and deadlines.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Collaborative and comfortable working directly with executives and cross-functional business teams.
- Proactive, resourceful, and comfortable operating in a hands-on in-house environment.
- Unwavering integrity.
Schedule, Compensation and Benefits
This is a full-time role based out of EYA's main office in Bethesda, Maryland, with an expectation of working from the office five days per week.
We also offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes health insurance, retirement savings plans, paid time off, and other employee programs. For a detailed overview of our benefits, please visit our careers page: https://www.eya.com/careers-eya
