Senior Real Estate Counsel

The Quest Organization; Cleveland (OH); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Quest Organization is seeking a seasoned Real Estate Counsel to support a dynamic pipeline of commercial real estate activity in a hybrid role that blends transactional work with legal operations. Approximately 50% of time is spent on real estate transactions and 50% on matter management, budgeting, and overseeing external partners.

This is an ideal position for a business-minded attorney who wants to drive efficiency, scale processes, and stay close to deals within a growing organization.

Qualifications

• J.D. required and active bar in Ohio or willing to admit.
• 7+ years in transactional real estate experience.
• Strong drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills.
• Experience managing outside counsel.
• Familiarity with tax credits or incentive-based real estate structures is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead real estate transactions including acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, financing, and property management.
• Support diligence with title, survey, zoning, and environmental review.
• Structure and document transactions involving historic tax credits and Opportunity Zones.
• Provide business-oriented legal guidance throughout deal lifecycle.
• Manage outside counsel relationships, budgets, and deliverables.
• Improve legal workflows and monitor spend.
• Collaborate with Acquisitions, Development, Asset Management, Accounting, and Operations.

Skills

Drafting

Negotiation

Analytical

Communication

Legal tech

Outside counsel

Real estate transactions

Education

J.D. from accredited U.S. law school

Bar admission (Ohio preferred)

Tools

Legal tech platforms

Job description

Real Estate Counsel

We are seeking a seasoned Real Estate Counsel to support a dynamic pipeline of commercial real estate activity while driving efficiency across legal workflows. This is a high-impact, hybrid role blending hands-on transactional work with legal operations and outside counsel management. Roughly 50% of the role is dedicated to executing real estate transactions, with the remaining 50% focused on matter management, prioritization, budgeting, and oversight of external legal partners. This is an ideal opportunity for a business-minded attorney who enjoys staying close to deals while also building structure and scalability within a growing organization.

Responsibilities

• Real Estate Transactions
• Draft, review, and negotiate agreements across acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, construction (AIA), financing, and property management
• Support diligence efforts including title, survey, zoning, and environmental review
• Structure and document transactions involving historic tax credits, Opportunity Zones, and other incentive-based programs
• Provide practical, business-oriented legal guidance throughout the deal lifecycle
• Partner cross-functionally with Acquisitions, Development, Asset Management, Accounting, and Operations
• Legal Operations & Matter Management
• Serve as primary liaison to outside counsel; manage performance, budgets, and deliverables
• Triage legal requests, allocate internal vs. external resources, and oversee matters through resolution
• Implement and refine legal workflows, tracking systems, and intake processes
• Monitor legal spend and ensure cost-effective execution

Additional Responsibilities

• Support adoption of AI and legal tech to improve efficiency and consistency
• Develop templates, playbooks, and internal documentation
• Provide guidance on corporate governance, compliance, and regulatory matters

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school; active bar membership (Ohio preferred)
• 7+ years of transactional experience (law firm or in-house)
• Strong background in commercial real estate transactions
• Experience managing outside counsel and complex legal matters preferred
• Exposure to tax credit or incentive-based real estate structures is a plus
• Strong drafting, negotiation, and analytical capabilities
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Business-oriented mindset with sound judgment
• Comfortable leveraging legal technology and AI tools
• Effective communicator across legal and non-legal stakeholders