Real Estate Corporate Counsel

OPPIDAN; Excelsior (MN); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Oppidan, a Minnesota-based real estate development firm, seeks an in-house attorney to support acquisition, sale, financing, and leasing across projects. You will provide practical legal and business counsel to internal teams and external partners for high-value transactions.

The role is primarily in-office (4 days/week) with one remote day allowed per company policy, and requires a JD with Minnesota Bar admission and at least 5 years of transactional real estate experience.

Qualifications

• Experience handling complex real estate deals and transactions.
• Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills.
• Solid due diligence and risk assessment capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Manage outside counsel on Oppidan matters and coordinate with lenders and title companies.
• Advise on acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, and financing strategies.
• Draft and negotiate purchase agreements, leases, and financing documents.
• Conduct due diligence and provide risk assessments for projects.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to close deals efficiently.
• Monitor deadlines, earnest money, contingency dates, and project milestones.
• Form project LLCs and register them in the appropriate state.

Skills

Real estate transactions

Negotiation

Due diligence

Contract drafting

Legal analysis

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

About Oppidan

Oppidan is a vertically integrated real estate development firm delivering high-quality projects across multiple asset classes. We partner closely with internal and external stakeholders to deliver projects that align with long-term business objectives and operational excellence.

About the Role

This position will be primarily responsible for supporting legal aspects of Oppidan's real estate development projects, including acquisition, sale, financing, and leasing between our internal team and external partners. This is an exciting opportunity for a candidate to utilize their legal expertise while offering practical business advice. Excellent credentials and client service capabilities are required.

This position is primarily in office (4 days per week), with one remote workday per week permitted in accordance with company policy.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage outside counsel on behalf of Oppidan on all matters related to current projects.
• Represent Oppidan in sales and purchases of properties and provide legal advice and support to the team as needed.
• Manage and close high-value transactions efficiently and with the highest level of professionalism.
• Ensure timely review of title and survey matters and coordinate with title companies, lenders, and third-party stakeholders as needed.
• Demonstrate a proven track record of running deals and supervising team members' involvement in deals as needed.
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex real estate transaction documents, including purchase agreements, leases and amendments; financing documents including complex loan documentation, joint venture agreements, and development agreements.
• Conduct due diligence and provide legal analysis and risk assessment for real estate transactions.
• Advise a variety of real estate matters, including acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, and financing.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to facilitate successful transactions and achieve client objectives.
• Establish and nurture relationships with lenders, title companies, outside counsel, tenants, contractors, and other vendors.
• Form individual project LLCs and register those LLCs in the correct state.
• Coordinate various stages of projects between developers, construction managers, and other internal team members.
• Track and coordinate earnest money deposits, contingency dates, termination dates, and other deadlines for projects in the development phase.

Qualifications & Experience

Required Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) and active Bar membership in the state of Minnesota.
• Minimum of 5 years of transactional real estate experience.
• Ability to handle multiple transactions simultaneously.
• Experience in due diligence and commercial real estate.
• Proven knowledge of real estate development.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Meticulous attention to detail.
• Strong negotiation and communication skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Preferred Qualifications

• Large legal firm experience preferred.

Core Competencies

• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to thrive in a small-company environment.
• Strategic thinker who can move seamlessly between high-level portfolio decisions and detailed asset-level analysis.
• Strong relationship builder with operators, investors, lenders, and internal teams.
• Self-starter who takes ownership and drives results.
• Collaborative team player willing to wear multiple hats.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary range of $170,000-$210,000, based on experience
• Comprehensive benefits package (medical, dental, vision, retirement, PTO, and holidays)