Senior Counsel, Debt and Structured Finance

CBRE; Jackson (MS); Remote; USD 160,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent real estate services firm is looking for a Senior Counsel to support its Debt and Structured Finance division. Responsibilities include overseeing legal matters, ensuring compliance, and providing guidance on corporate governance. The ideal candidate will have a J.D. from a top law school and extensive experience in commercial lending. This role offers a salary range of $160,000 to $225,000, along with comprehensive benefits and a dynamic work environment.

Benefits

401(K)

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

Vision insurance

Qualifications

• At least 7-10 years of private law firm practice and/or in-house transactional experience.
• Broad experience in corporate and commercial transactions, especially commercial mortgage lending.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee legal matters for CBRE DSF, advising on corporate governance and compliance.
• Support the mortgage loan brokerage business in negotiating client engagement letters.
• Ensure compliance with laws and regulations for all subsidiaries.

Skills

Excellent writing and oral presentation skills

Highly developed professional judgment

Ability to manage multiple tasks

Education

J.D. from a top-tier ABA accredited law school

Membership in applicable State Bar in good standing

Job description

Senior Counsel, Debt and Structured Finance

Job ID

229853

Posted

04-Sep-2025

Service line

Advisory Segment

Role type

Full-time

Areas of Interest

Legal

Location(s)

Remote - US - Remote - US - United States of America

About the Role

We are looking for a dynamic, innovative, creative and commercially minded lawyer to support our Debt and Structured Finance (DSF) business, a division of CBRE’s Capital Markets business segment. As the premier provider of commercial and multifamily financing, CBRE Capital Markets, Inc., combines robust lender relationships, industry-leading deal volume and a proprietary technology platform to deliver innovative options for financing and servicing commercial mortgage loans. More information is available at http://www.cbre.us/real-estate-services/investor/debt-and-structured-finance.

As a Senior Counsel on the Advisory team of CBRE’s Legal Department, you will partner closely with DSF leadership and its mortgage brokerage, commercial lending and commercial loan servicing operations to provide legal counsel while assessing and mitigating risk proactively, creatively and strategically. You’ll also play a key role in the Legal Department by collaborating with colleagues on industry-leading legal risk mitigation strategies in response to market changes and conditions impacting CBRE’s business.

What You'll Do

• Oversee legal matters for CBRE DSF, including advising on corporate governance, compliance, employment, litigation, and risk management matters and supervising outside counsel.
• Support CBRE DSF’s mortgage loan brokerage business in connection with negotiation of client engagement letters and review and negotiation of ancillary documents; work directly with CBRE DSF brokerage professionals to opine on legal issues that arise in connection with client engagements.
• Support DSF’s Commercial Agency Group (CAG) in connection with commercial lending activities, primarily for government agencies Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and FHA/HUD; provide advice on specific issues that arise in the loan origination business; review and consult with executive management on contractual relationships with the agencies; advise on client issues that arise in the course of loan origination services for private lenders; review documentation relating to correspondent relationships and any closing duties of the CAG team.
• Work with outside counsel to document, monitor, and maintain CBRE DSF’s mortgage warehouse lines of credit.
• Support CBRE DSF’s commercial loan servicing subsidiary, CBRE Loan Services, Inc., in all aspects of its business, including: General commercial business contracts; Commercial mortgage loan servicing agreements; Servicer Acknowledgements; Escrow Agreements; Financing/repo documents; Cost plus and secondment employment arrangements; State licensing issues related to commercial mortgage loan servicing; GSE (Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae) multifamily seller/servicer guide changes; Familiarity with Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and HUD/FHA multifamily lending and servicing programs; Familiarity with securitized lending products (CMBS, Freddie CME, etc.); Work with specialized outside counsel monitoring and providing legal advice for CBRE DSF’s CMBS business, both as to agency and private securitizations.
• Work with the Company’s procurement and technology teams and draft, negotiate, and provide advice for vendor agreements for all segments of the CBRE DSF business.
• Ensure compliance with laws and regulations; monitor required licensing requirements and activity for all 50 states to the extent required for all subsidiaries.
• Assist in the drafting and implementation of policies for CBRE DSF; participate in internal audit committees for both commercial loan servicing and CBRE CAG lending business units; work with management to identify areas where additional policies may be required.
• Work with compliance specialists within the Company to establish, maintain and monitor compliance issues, with special attention to BSA, AML, KYC, and privacy issues.
• Assist in audits performed by independent auditors, government agencies, licensing authorities in various states, and commercial lenders.
• Work directly with the Company’s corporate legal department to maintain proper legal existence for all CBRE DSF subsidiaries.
• Work directly with the senior management and leaders of the CBRE DSF team to provide advice on the implementation of strategic and tactical business plans and objectives.
• Collaborate with other internal functional areas (e.g., Finance, People, Tax, Digital & Technology, Ethics & Compliance) to thoroughly identify, assess and thoughtfully mitigate risk exposure.
• Develop and implement best practices and process improvements, including production and maintenance of form documents for the DSF business lines.
• Develop and conduct legal training sessions for business colleagues and Legal Department members.

What You'll Need

To perform this job successfully, an individual will need to perform each crucial duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• J.D. from a top-tier ABA accredited law school.
• Membership in applicable State Bar in good standing.
• At least 7-10 years of private law firm practice and/or in-house transactional experience with an emphasis on commercial lending.
• Broad, general real corporate and commercial transactions experience, preferably including debt and equity brokerage, commercial mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage servicing. Experience with mortgage banking finance (warehouse lending) documentation is preferred.
• Excellent writing and oral presentation skills and ability to effectively communicate with both executive management and line business providers and to build strong personal relationships with management.
• Highly developed professional judgment with a “can-do” attitude of a practical business attorney.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment, manage multiple tasks, work short deadlines when required and set appropriate priorities with excellent follow-up skills and organization.
• Ability to work flexibly in and out of a formal office environment.

Why CBRE

When you join CBRE, you become part of the global leader in commercial real estate services and investment that helps businesses and people thrive. We are dynamic problem solvers and forward-thinking professionals who create significant impact. Our collaborative culture is built on our shared values — respect, integrity, service and excellence — and we value the diverse perspectives, backgrounds and skillsets of our people. At CBRE, you have the opportunity to realize your full potential.

Our Values in Hiring

At CBRE, we are committed to fostering a culture where everyone feels they belong. We value diverse perspectives and experiences, and we welcome all applications.

Disclaimers

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

About CBRE Group, Inc.

CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2024 revenue). The company has more than 140,000 employees (including Turner & Townsend employees) serving clients in more than 100 countries. CBRE serves clients through four business segments: Advisory (leasing, sales, debt origination, mortgage serving, valuations); Building Operations & Experience (facilities management, property management, flex space & experience); Project Management (program management, project management, cost consulting); Real Estate Investments (investment management, development). Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.

CBRE carefully considers multiple factors to determine compensation, including a candidate’s education, training, and experience. The minimum salary for the Sr Counsel position is $160,000 annually and the maximum salary for the Sr Counsel position is $225,000 annually. The compensation offered to a successful candidate will depend on their skills, qualifications, and experience. Successful candidates will also be eligible for a discretionary bonus based on CBRE’s applicable benefit program. This role will provide the following benefits: 401(K), Dental insurance, Health insurance, Life insurance, and Vision insurance.

Equal Employment Opportunity: CBRE has a long-standing commitment to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, political belief, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

Candidate Accommodations: CBRE values the differences of all current and prospective employees and recognizes how every employee contributes to our company’s success. CBRE provides reasonable accommodations in job application procedures for individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request via email at [e-mail] or via telephone at [phone] (U.S.) and [phone] (Canada).

CBRE, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer (Women/Minorities/Persons with Disabilities/US Veterans)