Director of Legal Affairs
- Position Title:
Director of Legal Affairs - Reports To: Chief Legal Officer (CLO) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
- Classification: Full-Time, Exempt
Position Overview
The Director of Legal Affairs provides essential legal guidance, risk management resources, and regulatory compliance support to approximately 30,000 South Carolina REALTORS® statewide. This position balances technical legal research with public education, interpreting state real estate laws, managing professional standards hearings, and developing comprehensive fair housing and contract training initiatives.
Core Operational Areas
- Hotline & Real-Time Risk Management: Providing direct legal guidance on agency, license law, contracts, and emerging industry trends.
- Professional Standards Adjudication: Serving as staff counsel for ethics and arbitration proceedings in compliance with NAR policies.
- Legal Education & Content Production: Developing continuing education curricula, hosting webinars, and authoring legal publications.
- Fair Housing & Committee Compliance: Spearheading equal housing initiatives, managing diversity partnerships, and acting as staff liaison to volunteer leadership committees.
Essential Functions & Responsibilities
- Provides real-time legal guidance and risk management advice to members via telephone consultations and written correspondence.
- Conducts in-depth legal research on South Carolina real estate law, contract disputes, license law, and fair housing matters.
- Monitors state legislative updates, regulatory shifts, and case law developments to identify emerging industry trends and create proactive member resources.
- Serves as staff counsel for professional standards proceedings, coordinating ethics and arbitration hearings and preparing all necessary case materials.
- Advises volunteer hearing panels on proper procedural requirements to ensure absolute compliance with the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Code of Ethics.
- Develops, updates, and instructs continuing education (CE) courses, technical webinars, and legal training programs for brokers, licensees, and local boards.
- Provides authoritative, statewide instruction regarding the mechanics of SCR standardized forms and contract revisions.
- Appears as an on-camera presenter and author, creating legal videos, publications, articles, and accessible legal FAQ databases.
- Assists in the drafting, formatting, and structural review of SCR's standardized legal contracts and transaction documents.
- Designs and implements statewide fair housing compliance training, coordinating programming with external multicultural partners (NAHREP, NAREB, etc.)
- Acts as the primary staff liaison providing legal and procedural blueprints to the Grievance, Professional Standards, and Diversity Committees.
- Represents the association at statewide meetings, industry functions, and regulatory conferences to advance legal compliance objectives.
Qualifications & Requirements
- Education: Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school required. Must be an active member in good standing of the South Carolina Bar.
- Experience: 2-3+ years of progressive experience interpreting and applying South Carolina real estate law, corporate compliance frameworks, or regulatory board mandates. Proven experience coordinating formal hearings, structural committees, and volunteer leadership pools preferred.
- Competencies: Strong legal research, analytical, and brief-writing skills ; exceptional public speaking and presentational abilities with a track record of translating complex legal statutes into practical, understandable terms ; high proficiency using legal research platforms, case management software, and collaborative CRM databases.
What We Offer
- SCR offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, a robust benefits package (including health, dental, and vision insurance), a retirement savings plan with employer match, generous paid time off, and professional development support (including CLE and bar dues).
