Legal Counsel (Real Estate) ( {{city}})

Fort Partners is seeking a highly skilled and commercially minded Legal Counsel (Real Estate) to lead and manage complex real estate transactions across our growing portfolio. The ideal candidate possesses a strong foundation in real estate law, with a particular focus on acquisitions, dispositions, due diligence, financing, and structuring. This individual will be expected to own high-value transactional workstreams from start to finish, provide sound legal and strategic guidance, and operate in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. This individual will report directly to the General Counsel.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead Legal Execution of Real Estate Transactions : Manage and coordinate all legal aspects of acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, and financings, including drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements, loan documents, development agreements, and operating agreements.
• Due Diligence Oversight : Direct the due diligence process for complex asset and entity-level transactions, including title, survey, zoning, environmental, and other third-party diligence.
• Financing Strategy and Execution : Structure and negotiate debt and equity arrangements, including construction loans, bridge loans, mezzanine financings, and preferred equity.
• Interdisciplinary Coordination : Collaborate closely with internal teams (investment, development, asset management, tax, accounting) and external counsel to drive transactions forward efficiently and thoughtfully.
• Risk Management : Identify and address legal risks while balancing commercial objectives; provide clear, concise, and actionable advice to stakeholders.
• Legal Drafting and Review : Draft and review a wide variety of legal documents with exceptional attention to detail, ensuring accuracy, alignment with business goals, and minimization of exposure.
• Process and Documentation Leadership : Create and manage internal processes to support efficient legal and transactional execution; maintain organized, audit-ready deal files.

Qualifications:

• J.D. from a top-tier law school; member in good standing of at least one U.S. state bar.
• Minimum 4 years of real estate transactional experience, including at least 2 years at a nationally recognized law firm.
• Deep understanding of real estate transaction structures, financing instruments, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills must be able to distill complex concepts clearly and persuasively.
• Strong project management abilities; proven capacity to manage multiple active deals under tight timelines.
• High degree of ownership, discretion, and attention to detail; thrives in a lean and dynamic environment.
• Comfortable engaging with senior management, lenders, institutional partners, and counterparties.

Preferred Qualities:

• Prior in-house experience at a real estate investment firm, REIT, or developer a plus.
• Familiarity with land use and entitlement matters, particularly in urban markets, is helpful but not required.
• Humble, team-oriented, and solutions-driven mindset.