Property Management Counsel

Overview Reporting to the EVP General Counsel HMC, the Property Management Counsel will serve as the single legal point of contact for our property management operations teams. This is a high-volume, reactive, operational role, 100% dedicated to handling legal escalations from the field, supporting day-to-day property management, and ensuring compliance with the statutory and regulatory requirements that govern military family housing. This position is best suited for an "operator with a JD", a pragmatic, business-oriented lawyer who thrives at operational tempo, is comfortable making real-time judgment calls, and enjoys partnering closely with property management, community management, maintenance, and government relations teams. The Property Management Counsel works alongside the Contracts & Compliance Counsel and paralegal team. What You Will Do Serves as the single point of contact for all site-level legal escalations from property management operations teams. Handles resident matters, including leasing disputes, lease enforcement, evictions, high-risk maintenance and work order issues, and resident complaints. Manages government interactions and data calls at the installation level, including responses to Military Housing Offices and service branch inquiries. Provides real-time legal advice to operations, HR, community management, maintenance, and customer service teams on day-to-day property management legal issues. Ensures compliance with the MHPI Tenant Bill of Rights, the formal dispute resolution process, and related statutory and regulatory requirements. Coordinates with Military Housing Offices (MHOs) and installation-level government partners on resident, maintenance, and compliance matters. Tracks and manages legal matters through the legal intake process and the Legal Open Tracker (LOT); ensure consistent documentation and follow-through. Supports litigation hold implementation, document preservation, and records requests as needed. Escalates complex, novel, or high-visibility matters to the General Counsel with clear analysis and recommended paths forward. Partners with Contracts & Compliance Counsel on overlapping issues, including NDAA implementation, ADA, and privacy matters. Contributes to the development of playbooks, templates, and standard operating procedures that enable operations teams to handle routine issues consistently. Qualifications Juris Doctor Degree Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited U.S. law school. Required Active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (any state); willingness and ability to obtain additional state admissions or in-house counsel registration as required. Required 4–8 years of relevant legal experience, ideally in-house at a property management company, REIT, multifamily operator, or similar operating environment. Required Direct property management legal experience is strongly preferred over traditional law firm experience. Required Demonstrated familiarity with landlord-tenant law, fair housing, habitability standards, and maintenance/premises liability. Required Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage a high-volume caseload independently and with minimal supervision. Required Comfort operating at an operational tempo with fast turnaround times and frequent context-switching. Required Excellent judgment on when to handle a matter directly, when to loop in specialists or outside counsel, and when to elevate to the General Counsel. Required Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and build trust with organization employees, management, and third parties. Detail-oriented, analytical thinker able to make practical judgments in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Excellent organizational skills; ability to manage multiple and diverse projects at once, must follow-through and meet deadlines. Ability to work autonomously, yet collaboratively, and be responsive. Demonstrated experience in analytical, critical thinking, negotiation and research techniques, including that which may be, at least initially, new or unfamiliar. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and knowledge of Adobe and PDF files. Requires a self-motivated, team player who pays close attention to detail and must be able to adapt to a fast-paced environment and effectively manage a high-volume and diverse workload spanning various substantive legal areas, but mostly focusing on legal contracts and/or real estate transactions. A proactive self-starter with the ability to work independently but also thrive in a dynamic and team-oriented environment. Strong and sophisticated drafting and negotiating experience. Results-oriented with strong project management and execution skills. Strong interpersonal, communication and customer service skills with ability to sustain strong relationships across internal and external stakeholders. Ability to interact with multiple levels within the organization and across multiple jurisdictions. The ability to think critically while balancing business goals with prudent risk management. Compensation We are committed to offering competitive and equitable compensation. The hiring range for this position is generally between $143,000 - $185,600, exclusive of fringe benefits or potential bonuses. This position is also eligible for a performance bonus. Final salaries will be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, licenses, certifications, and/or experience. In addition to these factors – we believe in the importance of pay equity. Please keep in mind that the range mentioned above is the general Hiring Range for the role. Hiring at the top of the range is reserved for exceptionally qualified candidates. We consider internal and external factors as a part of every final offer. We also offer a generous total compensation and benefits package. Benefits A competitive salary is only one part of your total rewards. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, medical, dental, life and disability insurance, HSA/FSA accounts, retirement, rewards programs, and so much more! EEO/ADA The Company and its affiliates provides equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. #J-18808-Ljbffr