Corporate Counsel

We're currently seeking a Corporate Counsel will work directly with the General Counsel and assist with a broad range of legal duties including overseeing real estate, finance and/or corporate transactional matters, reviewing and managing corporate contracts, providing legal support across the company's multifamily portfolio and identifying, evaluating and mitigating risk on the company's behalf.  Corporate Counsel partners closely with the General Counsel, Operations, Asset Management, IT and Risk Management to protect the company from legal, financial, and operational exposure. 

Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: IRT) is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates multifamily apartments. IRT currently manages over 36,000 apartment homes, 117 communities, in over 30 markets and 14 of the country’s most desirable states. We’re anticipating continued growth and opportunity over the next few years. IRT has a strong commitment to hiring the most talented industry professionals, which has resulted in record growth, making the Company one of the most respected and trusted within our industry.

Duties include but are not limited to: 

• Draft, review, and negotiate purchase agreements and related documents in connection with the acquisition or disposition of multi-family assets.
• Plan and coordinate due diligence for real estate transactions.
• Assist with and/or oversee outside counsel in connection with the origination, assumption, payoff and/or defeasance of secured and unsecured corporate and/or property level financing.

• Manage insurance claims and related pre-litigation matters.
• Assist Operations and Risk Management with claim-related and incident-related matters.
• Multifamily Leasing, Compliance and Operations:
• Review and ensure ongoing compliance with state landlord tenant laws, draft and update form residential lease agreement and addenda.
• Manage resident requests for reasonable accommodations/modifications, domestic violence related requests and similar inquiries.

• Manage employment, landlord tenant, insurance and contract related litigation.  

• Review, negotiate and manage property level and/or corporate contracts including vendor service agreements, non-disclosure agreements, marketing agreements, SAAS agreements, and similar miscellaneous contracts.
• Oversee contract compliance including vendor service agreements, credit agreements, cable contracts, electric vehicle agreements and waste management agreements.
• Administer the company’s contract management system.

• Draft corporate policies and procedures and oversee compliance of those policies.
• Provide supervision to outside lawyers assisting the company and its subsidiaries with their specialized legal needs and many of the matters described above.
• Manage other real estate matters as needed, including easements, license agreements, zoning issues, condemnations and other issues related to IRT’s multifamily portfolio.

Requirements:  

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school and active license to practice law in good standing (state bar admission required)
• Possesses at least 7 years of legal experience overall.
• Experience in-house or in a law firm setting supporting risk management, real estate and/or multifamily property and/or operational matters; prior in-house experience is a plus.
• Working knowledge of commercial real estate and finance law, landlord-tenant law, the Fair Housing Act, SCRA, related resident-protection regulations and labor and employment law.  
• Experience with litigation intake, insurance claims/litigation oversight and contract administration including a familiarity with contract management platforms.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong commitment to quality of service and quality of work is required.
• The ability to be a reliable and positive team player is a must.
• Must be highly organized, detail oriented, and able to work on multiple, competing tasks at a time.
• Must be willing to travel up to 10% and work in the office at least 3 days per week.

We Offer:

• Competitive Compensation Package
• Bonus Opportunities
• Stock Awards
• Paid Holidays and Paid Time Off
• BCBS PPO Health Insurance
• 401k with 4% match

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture. We consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, familial, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected classes.