Job Abstract

• Job Title Chief Legal Officer
• Reports To Chief Executive Officer
  
  

The Team You Will Join:

The Lifestyle Communities’ (LC) Legal team is an integral part of the organization, working alongside key teams and stakeholders to position the company for future success. The Chief Legal Officer will lead a dynamic team committed to providing legal advice and support to all departments, including providing strategic advice and counsel regarding the companies capital raising activities and related structures; reviewing, drafting, and negotiating operational contracts and transactional documents; conducting legal research and preparing memoranda and reports; and managing and advising on risks and liabilities, among other responsibilities.

Who You Are:

As the Chief Legal Officer, you will be responsible for providing expert comprehensive legal advice, counsel, and strategic oversight of Lifestyle Communities’ business entities and the owners’ business and personal family office matters. You will handle matters relating to corporate transactions, financing, joint venture activity, litigation, and real estate development. You will act as a legal advisor relating to compliance, mitigating risks, and safeguarding the interests of our organization and the affairs of the personal family business on all real estate transactions and family matters.

The Difference You Will Make:

• Provide expert legal advice and strategic guidance relating to multifamily and single-family residential development matters, including joint ventures, debt transactions, acquisitions, and dispositions.
• Develop and implement legal strategies to protect the interests of the company and the personal family office business, ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
• Oversee the negotiation, drafting, and execution of complex agreements, including joint venture agreements, debt transactions, financing agreements, and other legal documents.
• Lead the structuring, negotiation, collaboration, and execution of joint ventures with equity capital providers, ensuring alignment with the company’s strategic objectives and risk management strategies.
• Work closely with the internal finance department, lenders, financial institutions, and other parties to secure financing and negotiate favorable terms for multifamily development projects.
• Serve as the primary legal advisor to the family business on personal and business matters, including estate planning, asset protection, and succession planning, and collaborate with tax advisors on ensuring optimal transaction structures.
• Conduct regular reviews and audits to assess legal risks and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Manage the internal Legal Department, including the structure, allocation of responsibilities, and activities of the team. Invest deeply in the growth and success of self and others through LC’s five leadership behaviors: Humility, Caring, Curiosity, Courage, and Grit
• Complete other projects as directed and assigned by the Executive Team.

What You’ll Bring:

• Strong knowledge and experience of real estate development, construction, operations, and financing, as well as experience in helping to formulate creative capital structures to achieve the company’s growth objectives.
• Proven experience in managing litigation, negotiating, and drafting complex contracts, and providing strategic legal advice.
• Extensive experience in real estate law, with a focus on joint venture structuring and debt transactions.
• Ability to recognize and weigh business and legal risks, think strategically, and advance legally sound, reasoned, and practical solutions in the context of business goals.
• Sound business acumen and the ability to align legal strategies with the Company’s overall goals.
• Demonstrated ability to engage and to complete transactions quickly and effectively, while balancing business expectations with legal and regulatory compliance objectives in an efficient and timely manner.
• Demonstrated ability and desire to act as a player-coach in coordinating the handling of the legal affairs of the company, including personally handling those that have the highest strategic priority.
• Ability to fulfill legal department initiatives, develop legal processes, forms, and tools, and successfully interface with senior level management.
• Understand the financial and non-financial performance drivers.
• Uncompromising integrity and ethics; must be highly trustworthy.
  Strong leadership qualities and previous experience managing a team of people with the ability to motivate, develop and coach team members.
• Proficient problem solver with results-driven mindset.
• Teamwork approachability to work effectively with other Lifestyle business units and affiliates.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft office and Excel necessary.
• High degree of organization, self-direction, and self-motivation.

Direct Reports and Reporting Relationship:

This position will report to the CEO of the company. All members of the legal department will report to this position in a structure designed to best achieve the objectives above.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Minimum of fifteen (15) years as a Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, or in a similar senior legal role within a privately held company or law firm specializing in real estate development.
• Experience representing high-net worth individuals or families is desired.