Senior Transaction Counsel

Shineassociatesllc; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 260,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Shine Associates, LLC seeks a Senior Transaction Counsel in Boston, MA to lead transactional real estate matters. You will work closely with the General Counsel and internal teams on due diligence, structuring, and closing of acquisitions, dispositions, and recapitalizations, drafting and negotiating a broad range of agreements.

The role requires a JD with 5+ years of transactional CRE experience, strong business acumen, and excellent communication.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to practice in the U.S. (Massachusetts bar in-house eligibility)
• Minimum of 5 years of extensive transactional commercial real estate experience
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial real estate contracts (PSAs, joint ventures, loan documents, leases)
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent transactions independently and under tight deadlines

Responsibilities

• Assist with deal origination, due diligence, structuring, and closing of acquisitions, dispositions, and recapitalizations
• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial contracts and transaction documents
• Oversee and coordinate with outside counsel and internal teams on titles, surveys, and financing matters
• Manage joint ventures, coinvestments, and entity governance matters as needed
• Provide business-focused legal guidance to senior leadership and asset management teams

Skills

Strong business acumen

Excellent communication

Project management

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Job description

POSITION SPECIFICATION

Shine Associates, LLC has been retained to search, identify and recruit a Senior Transaction Counsel on behalf of our client (‘Company’). This position will be based in Boston, MA

CONFIDENTIALITY

Shine Associates, LLC has been exclusively retained on this assignment. Information contained in this position specification as well as any other information concerning the Company provided or verbally discussed is confidential. All materials and discussions are to be utilized for the sole purpose of a candidate’s personal review of the career opportunity.

CLIENT DESCRIPTION

Our client is a vertically integrated commercial real estate investment firm focused on acquiring, developing, and managing light industrial and research & development assets across primary and select secondary markets. The firm’s in-house legal team plays a central role in every stage of the investment lifecycle — from deal origination through disposition — and partners closely with its acquisitions, asset management, affiliated property management, accounting, and capital markets teams to execute complex transactions efficiently and at scale.

SENIOR TRANSACTION COUNSEL

Our client is seeking a highly skilled and commercially minded Senior Transaction Counsel to join their legal team. This role is ideal for a transactional real estate attorney with deep experience in commercial property acquisitions, dispositions, financing, leasing, operations, and joint ventures who is eager to apply that expertise in a dynamic, in-house environment. Reporting to the General Counsel, the Senior Transaction Counsel will serve as a trusted legal advisor across the firm's real estate investment activities with, among a range of other duties, responsibility for drafting, reviewing, revising, and negotiating a broad range of commercial contracts and transaction documents.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Transactional Real Estate

• Work closely with the General Counsel, the Company’s internal business team, and outside counsel on legal due diligence, structuring, and closing of commercial real estate acquisitions, dispositions, and recapitalizations, and a broad range of matters incidental thereto.
• Review and negotiate purchase and sale agreements
• Draft, review and, if applicable, negotiate transaction documents and other agreements incidental to the ownership and operation of commercial real estate properties.
• Work with the General Counsel, internal business team, and outside team on joint venture and coinvest formations and negotiations.
• Draft LLC operating agreements and property management agreements, oversee the formation of new entities, and related organizational and structural matters.
• Oversee the legal aspects of real estate financing transactions, including senior debt, mezzanine financing, and construction loans — coordinating with lenders' counsel, external counsel, and internal teams.
• Work closely with external transaction counsel on title and survey matters and resolving title objections.
• Work closely with the Company’s accounting and investment teams on matters related to deposits due under purchase and sale agreements, closing settlement statements, and similar matters related to the flow of funds.

Contract Negotiation & Drafting

• Draft and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts including property management agreements, leases and lease amendments, construction contracts, development agreements, and vendor/service agreements.
• Serve as primary in-house legal point of contact for commercial tenant leasing matters.
• Review and negotiate brokerage agreements, listing agreements, and consulting contracts.
• Develop and maintain standard form agreements, templates, and contract playbooks to improve transaction efficiency across the firm.

Legal Operations & Advisory

• Provide practical, business-focused legal guidance to senior leadership, acquisitions, and asset management teams on a broad range of real estate and, occasionally, corporate matters.
• Manage, supervise, and coordinate with outside counsel on a broad range of matters, including, without limitation, transactional, real estate, contract, and corporate matters.
• Assist with fund-level and entity governance matters as needed, including maintenance of legal entities across the firm's portfolio.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• J.D. from an accredited law school; admission to practice in any U.S. state with the requirement per the Massachusetts Bar to register as in-house counsel (if not admitted to practice in Massachusetts).
• Minimum of 5 years of extensive transactional commercial real estate experience at a reputable law firm and/or in-house real estate department.
• Extensive experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial real estate contracts, including PSAs, joint venture agreements, loan documents, and commercial leases.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple, concurrent transactions independently and efficiently under tight deadlines.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to understand and advance the firm's commercial objectives while managing legal risk appropriately.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with the ability to convey complex legal concepts clearly to non-legal stakeholders.

Preferred

• Prior in-house experience at a real estate investment firm, private equity real estate fund, REIT, or developer.
• Experience managing outside counsel relationships.

COMPENSATION

The annual compensation for this role is estimated to be approximately $275,000. Actual base salary and bonus will be determined by several components, including but not limited to: relevant experience, skills and qualifications, base salary of internal peers, and geographic location.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Shine Associates, LLC

45 School Street, Suite 301

Boston, MA 02108

www.shineassociatesllc.com

Kelsey Shine, Director Hillary Shine, Principal

[phone] [phone]

[e-mail] [e-mail]

Chandlee Gustafson, Associate

[phone]

[e-mail]