American Realty Advisors, LLC (ARA) is one of the largest privately held private equity institutional real estate investment managers in the United States, with over $13 billion in assets under management. ARA invests on behalf of institutional investors through core and value-add real estate funds and separate accounts, targeting industrial, office, multi-family, and retail assets nationwide through direct equity, hybrid debt, mezzanine, and preferred equity structures.

The Role

The Counsel, Real Estate will be responsible for advising members of the Asset Management team and senior management on all manner of operational real estate issues stemming from the ownership of a nationwide portfolio of commercial real estate assets. This role drafts and negotiates sundry real estate transactional documents on behalf of ARA's commingled investment funds and tailored investment portfolios.

Based in ARA's Los Angeles office, this position will work closely with the Associate General Counsel, Real Estate, the Managing Director, Asset Management, and ARA's outside counsel on a routine basis. Litigation support and the reporting thereof to these team members and Senior Management are a part of this role.

Daily, you will interact closely with sophisticated internal and external partners in the real estate private equity space, aiming to achieve a superior risk-adjusted result in every transaction with which you are involved, thus fulfilling your fiduciary duty to ARA's clients and investors. As in-house legal positions are for seasoned attorneys, your broad base of prior real estate experience (whether in the acquisition, disposition, financing, construction, land use, or joint venture space, etc.) will be utilized and will come into play when advising your business clients on the asset management matters that arise for a real estate investment manager such as ARA.

Essential Functions

• Draft and negotiate office, industrial, mixed-use, and retail leases, subleases, amendments, assignments, letters of intent, and other related leasing documents.
  • For example, lease amendments, consents to assignments, consents to subleases, license agreements, etc., in addition to confidentiality agreements, letters of intent, property management agreements, license service agreements, vendor agreements
• Draft and negotiate contracts relating to property management, leasing services, design, construction, licenses, easements, and other service agreements.
• Strategically guide landlord and tenant legal issues, tenant default matters, including tenant bankruptcies and other miscellaneous legal matters.
• Provide guidance and advice on legal aspects of leasing and other general real estate matters, including land use and title issues.
• As needed, provide support concerning eviction proceedings and alternatives such as direct negotiations with tenants to obtain possession and monetary judgments. Outline and assess the available options to pursue and direct the strategic approach from a cost and benefit (i.e., recovery) view.
• Support the Associate General Counsel, Real Estate in other real estate legal matters as requested, including litigation support.

Candidate Qualifications

Essential Business Experience and Technical Skills

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school.
• A member (in good standing) of the California State Bar (or willing and able to become a Registered In-House Counsel with the California State Bar).
• Six plus years’ experience as a real estate attorney, preferably in Big Law. Some prior in-house experience is desirable.

Competencies

The ideal candidate for this role will exhibit competency in the areas listed below. At ARA, we see possessing these traits as vital to the success of the position:

• Creative Thinking – An innovative thinker who translates thoughts into actionable items.
• Works Collaboratively – A team player with a commitment to achieving objectives through collective action and communication.
• High Energy – Thrives in a dynamic environment with a positive, solutions-based mindset.
• Models Our Values – Conducts daily business and interactions with mindfulness that reflects ARA's culture and promotes its values and standards.
• Results Driven – Outperforms expectations and promotes the firm's competitive advantage through an analytical and context-driven approach to problem-solving.

Job Specifications

• Expected work hours: 8:30 to 5:30, Monday through Friday, with occasional weekends.
• Travel: Occasionally may need to drive a personal vehicle for business.
• Work environment and physical demands: General office environment at ARA's downtown Los Angeles corporate offices.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

American Realty Advisors is committed to equal employment opportunity. We do not discriminate based on an individual's race and associated traits, sex, gender, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, registered domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, genetic information, military, and veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law state or federal law. This policy governs all aspects of employment at American Realty Advisors, including hiring, assignments, training, promotion, compensation, employee benefits, employee discipline and discharge, and all other terms and employment conditions.

ARA considers for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance No. 184652.