Senior Counsel

LIHTC Leaders; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement savings plan

Paid holidays and paid time off

Job summary

April Housing, a leading owner and operator of affordable housing, is seeking a Senior Counsel to join its in-house legal team in Los Angeles. This hybrid, full-time role supports asset management, investments, and operations at scale, with a strong emphasis on business counseling and risk assessment.

The Senior Counsel will advise across the portfolio, negotiate agreements, and manage entity formations while coordinating with outside counsel on litigation and regulatory matters.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• Approximately 5 to 7 years of legal experience in a law firm, real estate investment platform, REIT, developer, owner/operator, or financial institution.
• Strong real estate, commercial contracting, or business counseling experience.
• Ability to draft, review, and negotiate agreements with sound judgment and attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including explaining legal issues clearly to business teams.
• Strong organizational and project management skills across multiple concurrent matters.

Responsibilities

• Advise business teams on legal and operational issues across a national affordable housing portfolio.
• Partner with asset management, investments, capital markets, and senior leadership to evaluate risk and develop practical solutions.
• Manage entity formation, maintenance, and dissolution, and maintain organizational structure charts and entity records.
• Support acquisitions, dispositions, financings, refinancings, restructurings, and resyndications.
• Draft, review, and negotiate purchase and sale agreements, loan documents, easements, access agreements, leases, and settlement agreements.
• Advise on regulatory agreements, affordability restrictions, housing agency matters, and bond issuer requirements.
• Serve as a day-to-day legal resource for asset management on property operations and risk management.
• Review and negotiate property management agreements, vendor contracts, consulting agreements, and other operating agreements.
• Support pre-litigation disputes, claims, investigations, and litigation matters alongside outside counsel.
• Oversee the company's legal billing platform, conflicts approvals, and onboarding of outside counsel.

Skills

Contract drafting

Legal advisory

Real estate knowledge

Regulatory understanding

Project management

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Job description

About The Employer

April Housing is a leading owner and operator of high-quality affordable housing across the United States. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Los Angeles, it is a portfolio company of Blackstone Real Estate supporting the affordable housing and LIHTC portfolio. Its mission is to preserve critical affordable housing stock while delivering exceptional management and high-quality homes to the communities it serves.

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Employment Type: Full-time
Compensation: $175K-$195K
Requisition ID: JR104206

Role Summary

April Housing is seeking a Senior Counsel to join its in-house legal team. This is a broad, business-facing role for a lawyer who wants to be embedded in the day-to-day work of owning, operating, preserving, and investing in affordable housing at scale.

The Senior Counsel serves as a practical legal and business partner to asset management, investments, capital markets, and senior leadership. The role includes transaction support but is broader than a traditional execution role, emphasizing business counseling, commercial negotiation, operational problem solving, dispute management, and risk assessment. Familiarity with affordable housing or LIHTC is preferred but not required.

What You'll Do

• Advise business teams on legal and operational issues across a national affordable housing portfolio
• Partner with asset management, investments, capital markets, and senior leadership to evaluate risk and develop practical solutions
• Manage entity formation, maintenance, and dissolution, and maintain organizational structure charts and entity records
• Support acquisitions, dispositions, financings, refinancings, restructurings, and resyndications
• Draft, review, and negotiate purchase and sale agreements, loan documents, easements, access agreements, leases, and settlement agreements
• Advise on regulatory agreements, affordability restrictions, housing agency matters, and bond issuer requirements
• Serve as a day-to-day legal resource for asset management on property operations and risk management
• Review and negotiate property management agreements, vendor contracts, consulting agreements, and other operating agreements
• Support pre-litigation disputes, claims, investigations, and litigation matters alongside outside counsel
• Oversee the company's legal billing platform, conflicts approvals, and onboarding of outside counsel

Required Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school
• Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar
• Approximately 5 to 7 years of legal experience in a law firm, real estate investment platform, REIT, developer, owner/operator, or financial institution
• Strong real estate, commercial contracting, or business counseling experience
• Ability to draft, review, and negotiate agreements with sound judgment and attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including explaining legal issues clearly to business teams
• Strong organizational and project management skills across multiple concurrent matters

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with commercial or multifamily real estate transactions
• Familiarity with affordable housing, LIHTC, tax-exempt bond financings, HUD programs, or regulatory agreements
• Prior in-house experience or demonstrated interest in a business-facing in-house role
• Experience supporting institutional investors, private equity sponsors, owners, developers, or asset management platforms
• Experience with disputes, claims, operational risk, or compliance-sensitive matters

Benefits

The Company provides health insurance coverage, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays and paid time off.

This role is also eligible for discretionary bonus and incentive compensation on an annual basis.

Equal Opportunity Statement

April Housing is an equal opportunity employer.