Associate General Counsel – Real Estate & Land Use

Virginia Passenger Rail Authority; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) is seeking an Associate General Counsel to provide legal advice on real property transactions, right-of-way acquisitions, and land-use matters. The role is based in Richmond or Alexandria, VA, with responsibilities spanning negotiations, drafting instruments, and coordination with agencies and outside counsel.

The ideal candidate has a law degree, Virginia bar admission, and at least three years handling real property matters, with strong research,

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited law school.
• Admission to the Virginia bar is required.
• At least three (3) years of practicing law in support of real property transactions.
• Ability to conduct complex legal research and analyze existing laws and regulations.
• Ability to create, compose, and edit legal opinions, contracts, and other legal written materials.
• Ability to represent VPRA before courts or in other legal matters.
• Ability to liaise with outside legal counsel on complex legal issues or large projects.

Responsibilities

• Support VPRA's team throughout commercial negotiations relating to real property transactions.
• Draft, edit, and negotiate real property instruments such as purchase and sale agreements, leases, deeds, easements, and similar agreements.
• Support transactional work streams such as review of project design plans, plat generation, appraisal coordination, title examinations, plats, appraisals, title insurance, settlement and recordation of real property instruments.
• Manage the acquisition process for parcels acquired in support of project development (private and public entities).
• Provide essential real-property-related advice in support of VPRA's $5+ billion capital project program, including land-use permits and eminent domain proceedings.
• Advise on pre-acquisition environmental due diligence; liaise with outside counsel; maintain RAMP and document control systems.
• Interact with state and federal agencies during the right-of-way acquisition process; support grant funding and project permitting by ensuring compliance with the law.

Skills

Legal research

Contract drafting

Real property transactions

Negotiation

Regulatory/compliance

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) is a political subdivision established by Chapter 1230 of the 2020 Acts of Assembly. VPRA is responsible for promoting, sustaining, and expanding the availability of passenger and commuter rail services in the Commonwealth, including all administrative and fiduciary responsibilities for Virginia's state-supported passenger rail services. VPRA also is a funding partner on many Virginia Railway Express (VRE) initiatives and administers capital expansion projects, infrastructure, and land acquisitions related to the multi-billion-dollar Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative, which will double Amtrak and VRE service in Virginia over the next decade. The VPRA acts as a "responsible public entity" for the acquisition, construction, improvement, maintenance, or operation, or any combination thereof, of a "qualifying transportation facility" under the Public Private Partnership Act of 1995.

Are you a skilled attorney ready to apply your property and land use expertise to major rail infrastructure projects?If so, VPRA is looking for you! Under the direction of the General Counsel, the Associate General Counsel will provide legal advice and representation to VPRA regarding VPRA real property transactions, right-of-way acquisitions for VPRA capital projects, and a wide range of land use issues. The Associate General Counsel may also provide legal advice and representation to VPRA decision-makers on discrete legal matters unrelated to real property as needed. This position will be based in Richmond or Alexandria, Virginia.

This full-time position will be based in VPRA's office in Richmond, Virginia.

Responsibilities:

• Support VPRA's team throughout commercial negotiations relating to real property transactions.
• Draft, edit, and negotiate real property instruments such as purchase and sale agreements, leases, deeds, easements, and similar agreements.
• Support transactional work streams such as:
  • assisting project teams to determine acquisition needs, including review of project design plans,
  • plat generation,
  • appraisal coordination,
  • overseeing and reviewing title examinations, plats, and appraisals,
  • obtaining title insurance,
  • managing settlement and recordation of real property instruments, and
  • similar efforts.
• Manage the acquisition process for parcels acquired in support of project development, both from private entities (subject to the federal Uniform Relocation Act (URA)) and public entities (not subject to the URA).
• Provide essential real-property-related advice in support of VPRA's over $5 billion capital project program, including regarding obtaining land use permits and eminent domain proceedings.
• Advise concerning pre-acquisition environmental due diligence efforts.
• Advise the client team on risks associated with real property transactions and establish and maintain relationships with outside counsel to support VPRA's real property legal needs.
• Maintain and update VPRA's right-of-way acquisition management plan (RAMP).
• Support maintaining VPRA's real property document control system.
• Interact with state and federal agencies during the right-of-way acquisition process, including the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Federal Railroad Administration.
• Support grant funding and project permitting by ensuring compliance with the law.

Required Education:

• Graduation from an accredited law school.
• Admission to the Virginia bar is required.

Required Experience:

• At least three (3) years of practicing law in support of real property transactions.
• Ability to conduct complex legal research and analyze existing laws and regulations.
• Ability to create, compose, and edit legal opinions, contracts, and other legal written materials.
• Ability to represent VPRA before courts or in other legal matters.
• Ability to liaise with outside legal counsel on complex legal issues or large projects.

Preferred Experience:

• Five (5) years of relevant experience.
• Expertise with Virginia state agencies or other public sector real property transactions is strongly preferred.

Applicants must fully and accurately represent their qualifications and work history on the application or resume. The decision to interview an applicant is based on the information in the application, resume, or other relevant documents; therefore, applicants must supply detailed information. Submitting an incomplete application/resume or an application/resume lacking in detail may impact your interview eligibility. This website will confirm receipt when the application is submitted successfully. Reasonable accommodations are available to individuals with disabilities during the application and interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. VETERANS, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, AMERICORPS, PEACE CORPS, AND OTHER NATIONAL SERVICE ALUMNI ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. Equal Opportunity Employer