Corporate Counsel

Independence-Realty-Trust-2; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 140,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Bonus opportunities

Stock awards

Paid holidays and PTO

Health insurance

401k with 4% match

Job summary

Independence Realty Trust, Inc. is seeking a Corporate Counsel to work with the General Counsel on real estate, finance and corporate matters affecting our multifamily portfolio. This role will review and negotiate contracts, oversee risk and compliance, and support leasing, litigation and contract administration.

Travel up to 10% and office presence at least 3 days per week. Candidates must have a JD and 7+ years of experience.

Qualifications

• JD degree and active license in good standing.
• At least 7 years of legal experience overall.
• Experience with risk management, real estate and/or multifamily operations.
• Knowledge of commercial real estate, finance law, landlord-tenant and related regulations.
• Strong written and verbal communication; well-organized and detail-oriented.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate purchase agreements and related real estate documents.
• Coordinate due diligence for real estate transactions and oversee financing matters.
• Manage insurance claims and incident-related matters with risk management.
• Review leases, ensure compliance with landlord-tenant laws, and handle contract administration.
• Oversee outside counsel and manage the company’s contract management system.
• Support corporate policies and supervise external legal resources as needed.

Skills

Communication skills

Organization

Detail oriented

Team player

Travel up to 10%

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Tools

Contract management platforms

Job description

Job Details:

Job Location: Philadelphia PA Corporate - Philadelphia, PA 19103, Position Type: Full Time, Education Level: Graduate Degree, Job Category: Legal, We're currently seeking a Corporate Counsel will work directly with the General Counsel and assist with a broad range of legal duties including overseeing real estate, finance and/or corporate transactional matters, reviewing and managing corporate contracts, providing legal support across the company's multifamily portfolio and identifying, evaluating and mitigating risk on the company's behalf. Corporate Counsel partners closely with the General Counsel, Operations, Asset Management, IT and Risk Management to protect the company from legal, financial, and operational exposure.

Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: IRT) is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates multifamily apartments. IRT currently manages over 36,000 apartment homes, 117 communities, in over 30 markets and 14 of the country’s most desirable states. We’re anticipating continued growth and opportunity over the next few years. IRT has a strong commitment to hiring the most talented industry professionals, which has resulted in record growth, making the Company one of the most respected and trusted within our industry.

Duties include but are not limited to:

Transactional:

• Draft, review, and negotiate purchase agreements and related documents in connection with the acquisition or disposition of multi-family assets.
• Plan and coordinate due diligence for real estate transactions.
• Assist with and/or oversee outside counsel in connection with the origination, assumption, payoff and/or defeasance of secured and unsecured corporate and/or property level financing.

Claims Management:

• Manage insurance claims and related pre-litigation matters.
• Assist Operations and Risk Management with claim-related and incident-related matters.

Multifamily Leasing, Compliance and Operations:

• Review and ensure ongoing compliance with state landlord tenant laws, draft and update form residential lease agreement and addenda.
• Manage resident requests for reasonable accommodations/modifications, domestic violence related requests and similar inquiries.

Litigation Management:

• Manage employment, landlord tenant, insurance and contract related litigation.

Contract Management:

• Review, negotiate and manage property level and/or corporate contracts including vendor service agreements, non-disclosure agreements, marketing agreements, SAAS agreements, and similar miscellaneous contracts.
• Oversee contract compliance including vendor service agreements, credit agreements, cable contracts, electric vehicle agreements and waste management agreements.
• Administer the company’s contract management system.

General/Corporate:

• Draft corporate policies and procedures and oversee compliance of those policies.
• Provide supervision to outside lawyers assisting the company and its subsidiaries with their specialized legal needs and many of the matters described above.
• Manage other real estate matters as needed, including easements, license agreements, zoning issues, condemnations and other issues related to IRT’s multifamily portfolio.

Qualifications: Requirements:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree and active license to practice law in good standing (state bar admission required)
• Possesses at least 7 years of legal experience overall.
• Experience in-house or in a law firm setting supporting risk management, real estate and/or multifamily property and/or operational matters; prior in-house experience is a plus.
• Working knowledge of commercial real estate and finance law, landlord-tenant law, the Fair Housing Act, SCRA, related resident-protection regulations and labor and employment law.
• Experience with litigation intake, insurance claims/litigation oversight and contract administration including a familiarity with contract management platforms.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong commitment to quality of service and quality of work is required.
• The ability to be a reliable and positive team player is a must.
• Must be highly organized, detail oriented, and able to work on multiple, competing tasks at a time.
• Must be willing to travel up to 10% and work in the office at least 3 days per week.

We Offer:

• Competitive Compensation Package
• Bonus Opportunities
• Stock Awards
• Paid Holidays and Paid Time Off
• BCBS PPO Health Insurance
• 401k with 4% match

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture. We consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, familial, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected classes.