General Counsel

JohnHart Real Estate; California; On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

JohnHart Real Estate seeks a General Counsel to act as chief legal officer and strategic partner to leadership, owning the legal function end to end in California.

You will drive growth initiatives, oversee technology launches, and manage regulatory readiness, while translating risk into practical business guidance and coordinating with outside counsel when needed.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Active license to practice law in California and in good standing.
• 5+ years of legal experience, with meaningful time advising businesses on growth, transactions, and regulatory compliance.
• In-house experience, or a demonstrated ability to operate as a business partner rather than an outside advisor.
• Demonstrated ability to advise executives on strategy — not just to answer legal questions, but to help make business decisions.
• Working knowledge of real estate law and brokerage operations, or the ability to come up to speed quickly.
• Familiarity with data privacy, consumer protection, and technology and commercial contracting.
• Strong business acumen, sound judgment, and comfort making decisions with incomplete information.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex requirements clearly to non-lawyers.
• Highly organized, self-directed, and able to manage competing priorities across multiple departments.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary legal advisor to ownership and the executive team on company strategy, growth, and structure.
• Partner with leadership on new business lines, market expansion, partnerships, joint ventures, brokerage acquisitions, and other corporate transactions.
• Advise on entity structure, governance, ownership arrangements, and commission and compensation models.
• Translate legal and regulatory considerations into clear, actionable recommendations that support business objectives.
• Act as the legal partner to product, marketing, and technology teams from the earliest stages of new tools, platforms, and initiatives.
• Advise on the legal and regulatory requirements applicable to new technology launches, including data privacy, consumer protection, marketing and outbound communications, electronic signatures and records, and AI-related rules.
• Build practical review processes, playbooks, and guardrails for speed with clear rules of the road.
• Monitor developments in real estate regulation and technology law and brief leadership on changes.
• Oversee vendor, SaaS, licensing, and data-sharing agreements, including privacy, security, and IP terms.
• Manage the company's trademark and brand protection strategy.
• Draft, review, and negotiate the full range of company agreements and standardize templates.
• Own the company's compliance program, including policies and recordkeeping.
• Identify and mitigate enterprise risk; advise on insurance, indemnification, and escalation protocols.
• Oversee disputes, claims, and regulatory inquiries, and participate in settlement strategy.
• Design and deliver training for agents, staff, and leadership on compliance and risk topics.
• Build and manage the legal function, including outside counsel relationships, budgets, and future hires.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Business partner

Strong communication

Regulatory compliance

Contract negotiation

Project management

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Active California license

Job description

JohnHart Real Estate is a prominent and forward-thinking company in the real estate industry, known for pairing exceptional client service with a willingness to build and adopt new technology ahead of the market. As we expand our platform, launch new products and initiatives, and grow into new lines of business, we are seeking a General Counsel to serve as the company's chief legal officer and a true strategic partner to leadership.

This is not a litigation seat. We are looking for a business-minded lawyer who will sit at the table for growth decisions, help us move quickly and responsibly on new technology and initiatives, and make sure leadership understands the regulatory landscape before we launch, not after. You will own the legal function end to end, manage outside counsel where specialized or contested work arises, and translate legal risk into practical business guidance.

What You'll Do

Strategic & Business Growth

• Serve as the primary legal advisor to ownership and the executive team on company strategy, growth, and structure
• Partner with leadership on new business lines, market expansion, partnerships, joint ventures, brokerage acquisitions, and other corporate transactions
• Advise on entity structure, governance, ownership arrangements, and commission and compensation models
• Translate legal and regulatory considerations into clear, actionable recommendations that support, rather than stall, business objectives

Technology, Innovation & Regulatory Readiness

• Act as the legal partner to product, marketing, and technology teams from the earliest stages of new tools, platforms, and initiatives
• Advise on the legal and regulatory requirements applicable to new technology launches, including data privacy (CCPA/CPRA), consumer protection, marketing and outbound communications (TCPA, CAN-SPAM, Do Not Call), electronic signatures and records, and emerging AI-related disclosure and usage rules
• Build practical review processes, playbooks, and guardrails so teams can innovate at speed with clear rules of the road
• Monitor developments in real estate regulation and technology law — including DRE licensing requirements, fair housing and advertising rules, MLS and association policies, commission and buyer-representation rules, RESPA, and worker classification — and proactively brief leadership on what changes for us
• Oversee vendor, SaaS, licensing, and data-sharing agreements, including privacy, security, and IP terms
• Manage the company's trademark and brand protection strategy

Commercial & Transactional

• Draft, review, and negotiate the full range of company agreements: purchase and sale contracts, leases, listing and brokerage agreements, independent contractor and employment agreements, vendor and technology contracts, NDAs, and partnership documents
• Standardize and continuously improve contract templates and approval workflows

Risk, Compliance & Dispute Oversight

• Own the company's compliance program, including policies, internal controls, and recordkeeping
• Identify and mitigate enterprise risk; advise on insurance, indemnification, and escalation protocols
• Oversee disputes, claims, and regulatory inquiries, working through and directing outside counsel; participate directly in settlement strategy and negotiation
• Design and deliver training for agents, staff, and leadership on compliance, advertising, privacy, and risk topics

Leadership

• Build and manage the legal function, including outside counsel relationships, budgets, and any future internal hires
• Collaborate closely with department heads to support their objectives and remove obstacles

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school
• Active license to practice law in California and in good standing
• 5+ years of legal experience, with meaningful time advising businesses on growth, transactions, and regulatory compliance
• In-house experience, or a demonstrated ability to operate as a business partner rather than an outside advisor
• Demonstrated ability to advise executives on strategy — not just to answer legal questions, but to help make business decisions
• Working knowledge of real estate law and brokerage operations, or the ability to come up to speed quickly
• Familiarity with data privacy, consumer protection, and technology and commercial contracting
• Strong business acumen, sound judgment, and comfort making decisions with incomplete information
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex requirements clearly to non-lawyers
• Highly organized, self-directed, and able to manage competing priorities across multiple departments

Preferred

• Prior experience as a sole or lead counsel
• Experience supporting product or technology launches in a regulated industry
• Background in real estate, proptech, financial services, or a similarly regulated consumer-facing business
• Experience managing outside counsel and legal budgets