Counsel / Senior Counsel

Dinerstein Companies; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

The Dinerstein Companies seeks a Counsel or Senior Counsel to join our in-house legal team in Houston. This role focuses on sophisticated real estate transactions, including acquisitions, financings, developments, and related agreements.

The ideal candidate has 2–6 years of transactional experience, strong drafting and negotiation skills, and a Texas license. Prior real estate or corporate transaction work at a law firm is highly regarded.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• Active Texas license to practice law.
• 2–6 years of transactional experience.
• Experience in commercial real estate transactions or real estate finance preferred.
• Strong drafting, review, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple transactions in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Review, draft, revise, and negotiate a wide variety of transactional and real estate agreements, including purchase and sale agreements and loan documents.
• Support acquisitions, dispositions, development transactions, debt and equity financings, and joint ventures from structuring to closing.
• Assist with due diligence including title, survey, and organizational documents review.
• Collaborate with internal teams to align transaction objectives with business needs.
• Coordinate with and manage outside counsel throughout transactions.
• Review and advise on financing structures with banks and institutional lenders.
• Assist with the formation and operation of real estate investment vehicles and joint ventures.
• Anticipate legal and transactional risks and provide practical advice to leadership.
• Partner with cross-functional teams on legal matters affecting operations and transactions.

Skills

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Analytical skills

Communication

Education

J.D.

Texas bar license

Job description

Counsel / Senior Counsel – Real Estate Transactions

Location: Houston, TX
Company: The Dinerstein Companies

Position Overview

The Dinerstein Companies is seeking a Counsel or Senior Counsel to join our in-house legal team in Houston. This is an opportunity for a transactional attorney to work directly alongside business leaders on sophisticated real estate investments, developments, financings, and other transactions across the company’s national portfolio.

The ideal candidate will have 2–6 years of transactional legal experience, preferably involving commercial real estate, real estate finance, corporate transactions, or other complex deal work. Prior real estate experience is strongly preferred but not required. We are open to attorneys with strong law firm training in corporate, finance, M&A, or other transactional practices who are interested in developing deep expertise in real estate.

This role will work closely with TDC’s legal team, development and construction teams, investment professionals, and executive leadership, as well as outside counsel, lenders, institutional investors, joint venture partners, and other counterparties.

The position offers significant exposure to both the legal and business sides of transactions and an opportunity to grow into a trusted advisor within a sophisticated, vertically integrated real estate organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Review, draft, revise, and negotiate a wide variety of transactional and real estate agreements, including purchase and sale agreements, loan documents, joint venture agreements, development-related agreements, and other transaction documents.
• Support real estate acquisitions, dispositions, development transactions, debt and equity financings, and joint ventures from initial structuring through closing.
• Assist with transaction due diligence, including review of title, survey, organizational documents, contracts, and other property and transaction materials.
• Work closely with internal business teams to understand transaction objectives, identify potential legal and business issues, and develop practical solutions.
• Coordinate with and manage outside counsel throughout transactions while maintaining direct involvement in key legal and business decisions.
• Review and advise on financing structures and documentation involving banks, institutional lenders, private equity partners, and other capital providers.
• Assist with the formation, structuring, and operation of real estate investment vehicles, partnerships, and joint ventures.
• Anticipate legal and transactional risks and provide practical, business-oriented advice to leadership regarding potential solutions and risk mitigation.
• Partner with development, construction, investments, asset management, property management, accounting, and other teams on legal matters affecting company operations and transactions.
• Support other corporate, transactional, and real estate matters as needed.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Active license in Texas required.
• Approximately 2–6 years of transactional legal experience.
• Experience at a law firm handling sophisticated transactions is strongly preferred.
• Experience in commercial real estate transactions, real estate finance, corporate transactions, M&A, banking/finance, or another transactional practice area will be considered.
• Strong contract drafting, review, negotiation, and analytical skills.
• Ability to manage multiple transactions and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong business judgment and the ability to translate complex legal issues into practical recommendations.
• Collaborative communication style and ability to work effectively with attorneys, executives, business leaders, outside counsel, and external partners.

Why TDC

This role provides an opportunity to move beyond advising clients from the outside and become directly involved in the business decisions behind real estate transactions. The attorney will have exposure to the full lifecycle of investments and developments while working closely with experienced professionals across development, construction, investments, finance, asset management, property management, and executive leadership.

For a law firm attorney looking to transition in-house, this position offers the opportunity to build broader business expertise, develop long-term relationships with internal clients, and play a meaningful role in the growth of a privately held real estate company.