AI-Driven Product Underwriting Counsel Lead

First American; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 172,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401k

PTO / paid leave

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

First American in Santa Ana, CA is seeking a Product Underwriting Counsel to lead AI-enabled underwriting strategy and manage title insurance risk. You will collaborate with product, engineering, and data science teams to deploy innovative workflows and ensure regulatory compliance.

The role requires a JD, bar admission, and 3–10 years of related experience, with strong communication, real estate law knowledge, and adaptability to emerging technologies.

Qualifications

• Law Degree required.
• Admitted to law practice in manner appropriate for the position and location.
• 3-5 years of experience as product underwriting counsel; or 7-10 years of title underwriting or real estate law practice experience and demonstrated aptitude for the position.
• Understanding of AI-assisted workflows, generative AI tools, machine learning concepts, and automation technologies relevant to underwriting and real estate transactions.
• Ability to evaluate AI-generated outputs for accuracy, explainability, consistency, and underwriting applicability.
• Superior verbal and visual communication skills.
• Superior understanding of land titles, real estate law, and conveyancing process.
• Superior understanding of federal and state laws related to title insurance and settlement services.
• Demonstrated curiosity and adaptability regarding emerging technologies and digital transformation.
• Strong business acumen and strategic agility that influences outcomes and successfully negotiates for resources.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with keen ability to explain complex concepts across the organization and to large audiences.
• Successful track record of designing, developing, and executing complex projects.

Responsibilities

• Leads underwriting vision and strategy for a technology or AI-enabled product or product line.
• Identifies, evaluates, communicates, and manages title insurance, regulatory, operational, and model-related risk.
• Provides underwriting, title insurance, real estate conveyancing, and underwriting workflow subject matter expertise to product teams.
• Partners with product, engineering, and data science teams to design and deploy AI-assisted underwriting tools.
• Collaborates with legal, compliance, information security, and risk management stakeholders to support responsible use of AI technologies.
• Serves as a strategic liaison between transaction underwriters and technology teams to align products with underwriting practices.
• Holds a leadership role in product strategy discussions and clears roadblocks to product success.
• Translates complex title insurance and real estate concepts for non-experts to influence product strategy.
• Executes tasks on the product roadmap and drives evolution with the product manager.
• Mentors and trains junior counsel and advances underwriting principles across the enterprise.

Skills

Verbal communication

Visual communication

Interpersonal skills

Business acumen

Strategic agility

Adaptability

AI workflow knowledge

AI output evaluation

Title insurance knowledge

Leadership / mentoring

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Bar admission

Job description

First American in Santa Ana, CA is seeking a Product Underwriting Counsel to lead AI-enabled underwriting strategy and manage title insurance risk. You will collaborate with product, engineering, and data science teams to deploy innovative workflows and ensure regulatory compliance.

The role requires a JD, bar admission, and 3–10 years of related experience, with strong communication, real estate law knowledge, and adaptability to emerging technologies.