Associate: Real Estate

White & Case LLP; New York (NY); On-site; USD 225,000 - 390,000; Full time

Job summary

White & Case LLP is seeking a junior to mid-level real estate associate to join our New York and Chicago offices. Candidates should have JD, 3+ years’ experience, and strong drafting and due diligence skills in a high-volume real estate practice.

Excellent communication, time management, and client service are essential. The role involves drafting, negotiating complex real estate documents, and coordinating across practice groups to deliver top-tier advisory and transactional work.

Qualifications

• JD degree from an accredited law school required.
• Minimum of 3 years of general real estate experience in a large firm.
• Experience representing borrowers and lenders in financing transactions across asset classes.
• Experience conducting due diligence, including lease review, title and survey review.
• Outstanding communication skills.
• Strong time management skills under pressure with multiple projects.
• Excellent drafting skills.
• Driven by professional growth.
• Strong professional presence.
• Client service focus.
• Team player.
• Sound judgment.
• Calm in the face of pressure.
• Proactive, resourceful, takes initiative.
• Fluency in English.
• Admitted to the bar in the city of applying.

Responsibilities

• Represent domestic and international investors, owners, developers, operators, lenders and institutions in various real estate transactions.
• Draft and negotiate documentation for purchase/sale agreements, joint venture agreements, leases, development and finance documents.
• Advise on real estate-related acquisition, disposition, leasing, joint venture, development and financing matters.
• Conduct and coordinate due diligence for real estate transactions.
• Support M&A, private equity, fund formation, debt finance and other practice groups with real estate matters.
• Ensure clients’ interests are properly represented and protected.
• Conduct legal research.
• Salary range: $225,000 - $390,000.

Skills

Communication skills

Time management

Drafting skills

Client service

Team player

Judgment

Calm under pressure

Proactive

Fluency in English

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) degree

Bar admission (city of application)

Job description

Our Real Estate Practice provides market-leading advice on transactions and disputes with real estate at the core. We assist developers, owners, private and institutional investors, corporates, lenders, and underwriters around the world in understanding industry trends and their impact on business. Our expertise extends to advising borrowers, lenders, and servicers across all types of domestic and international real estate financings. Clients trust us to manage the intricacies of their transactions and disputes, synthesising legal and commercial knowledge to provide counsel that translates into successful outcomes. By leveraging our deep understanding of real estate and legal frameworks, we help clients achieve their goals in a dynamic and evolving market.

Position Summary

We are currently looking for a junior to mid-level real estate associate to join our New York and Chicago offices.

In addition to strong academic credentials, you should possess excellent technical skills and a solid base of knowledge and experience across the real property sector. Bright and adaptable, you should be willing to work across a broad range of real estate matters and asset classes, including work that may fall outside a traditional real estate practice.

Strong oral and written communication skills will be significant assets, enabling you to explain complex legal concepts to non-lawyers. Working on a relatively high volume of matters at any one time, you will need to be highly organized, adept at managing multiple workstreams and producing outstanding results within the short deadlines often demanded by our clients’ projects.

Collaborative and cooperative, you should enjoy working as part of a team but also demonstrate an independence of thought and action, proactively anticipating clients’ needs and exceeding their expectations by developing creative and original solutions to their problems.

Duties And Accountabilities

• Represent domestic and international investors, owners, developers, operators, lenders and institutions in various types of transactions with respect to all classes of real estate
• Draft and negotiate documentation for a wide range of real estate transactions, including purchase and sale agreements, joint venture agreements, leases, development agreements and real estate finance documents, as well as ancillary documents such as certificates, resolutions and consents
• Advise on real estate-related acquisition, disposition, leasing, joint venture, development and financing matters
• Conduct and coordinate due diligence for real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, financings and joint ventures
• Support M&A, private equity, fund formation, debt finance and other practice groups with respect to real estate matters
• Ensure that our clients’ interests are properly represented and protected at all times
• Conduct legal research
• Salary range: $225,000 - $390,000

Qualifications

• A Juris Doctor (JD) degree (LLM or foreign equivalent) from an accredited law school required
• Minimum of 3 years of general real estate experience in a large firm setting
• Experience should include representing borrowers and lenders in financing transactions with respect to various asset classes, including commercial, industrial, mixed use, multi-family residential, data centers, hospitality, and other asset types
• Experience conducting due diligence, including lease review, title and survey review and drafting due diligence reports
• Outstanding communication skills
• Strong time management skills, ability to stay calm under pressure when juggling multiple projects
• Excellent drafting skills
• Driven by professional growth
• Strong professional presence
• Client service focus
• Team player
• Sound judgment
• Calm in the face of pressure
• Proactive, resourceful, takes initiative and a self-starter
• Fluency in English
• Admitted to the bar in the city where you are applying

This role reports to

Partner

Equal Opportunities

White & Case is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and is committed to creating a fair workplace. It is our Firm’s policy to recruit, employ, train, compensate and promote without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law.

Applicants who are interested in applying for a position and require an accommodation during the process should contact [e-mail].

Benefits At White & Case

White & Case LLP offers a comprehensive suite of benefit programs to all eligible employees, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, 401(k) retirement savings, vacation time, and leave programs (including parental leave). Exempt roles are also performance bonus eligible.

The Firm may modify and amend any job description at any time in its sole discretion. Nothing herein creates a contract of employment or otherwise modifies the at-will nature of employment.

The above is only a general description of the essential duties associated with this position and does not represent an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all duties.

Note to Recruitment Agencies

Our internal Recruitment team manages all aspects of lateral hiring. All agencies must have signed terms of business—specific to the relevant office—before submitting any candidates. CVs or applications sent directly to White & Case partners or employees will also not be considered formal introductions. If you have questions, please contact the relevant Recruitment team. We work with our preferred suppliers when engaging agencies.