Lead legal strategy and advise on complex commercial real estate transactions for a premier global financial institution

Job Summary

As an Attorney supporting Commercial Real Estate (CRE) within CB  Legal, you will provide strategic, transactional, and regulatory legal counsel across a broad range of commercial real estate financing activities. You will advise business partners on complex lending transactions, portfolio management matters, risk issues, and new business initiatives while serving as a key legal advisor to senior stakeholders. This role offers the opportunity to work on industry-leading transactions, influence business strategy, and contribute to the continued growth and success of one of the world's premier financial institutions.

Job responsibilities:   

• Advise bankers on structuring, originating, servicing, and documenting a variety of commercial real estate financing transactions (e.g., bilateral and syndicated term loans, construction loans, and lines of credit), nationally;
• Lead the Real Estate Banking (REB) Legal team and collaborating across the CRE and CB Legal teams;
• Advise the business on client related issues – including reputational, Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering issues – and support other risk identification and mitigation matters (legal and other);
• Advise credit and special credit teams on workouts and Other Real Estate Owned matters;
• Provide legal interpretations of regulations and state and federal laws, and guidance on their applicability to the CRE businesses;
• Support the business on Payments solutions offered by REB to its clients;
• Participate in team projects on regulatory and other matters, as well as new products and services management;
• Prepare and update standard forms and procedures;
• Manage external counsel relationships;
• Provide training for bankers and other functional partners; and
• Escalate issues within the legal department as appropriate and partner with risk, controls, compliance and other functions across the Firm on risk and control, and other operational, matters.

Required qualifications, capabilities, and skills: 

• 7 plus years of commercial real estate finance legal experience aligned with many of the job responsibilities described above, at a law firm and/or in-house legal department;
• Knowledge of the legal and regulatory requirements related to commercial real estate finance, with transferrable skills/knowledge;
• Ability to prioritize work in a fast-moving environment, manage a large number of issues at one time, and interact with senior and executive management;
• Ability to understand business needs and develop/leverage collaborative relationships with internal partners across the supported businesses, the broader legal department and external stakeholders;
• Ability to maintain a collaborative team culture;
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills; and
• Licensed to practice law and a member in good standing in NY, IL or TX, or otherwise in compliance with the in-house counsel registration rules in such state.

Preferred qualifications, capabilities, and skills:

• 10 plus years of commercial real estate finance legal experience aligned with most or all of the job responsibilities described above, at a law firm and/or in-house legal department;
• Demonstrated strategic problem solving and project management skills, excellent judgment, and strong character;
• Prior experience participating in team initiatives and strategies that promote growth and continuous learning; and
• Prior experience directly advising senior business executives.