Senior In-House Real Estate & Corporate Counsel (New York)

Ocean Block Capital | New York, NY | Hybrid / Semi-Remote

Ocean Block Capital is a privately held real estate investment firm focused on the acquisition, ownership, leasing and disposition of commercial real estate throughout the United States.

We are looking for an experienced Senior In-House Real Estate & Corporate Counsel with a strong background in national retail leasing, commercial real estate transactions and general business contracts .

This is an opportunity for an experienced attorney—potentially someone currently practicing at a law firm—who is looking to move in-house, work directly with ownership, and have greater flexibility while remaining involved in sophisticated real estate and business matters.

Responsibilities

The attorney will serve as a key legal resource for Ocean Block Capital and work directly with the principals and internal team.

Responsibilities will include:

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating retail and commercial leases , amendments, renewals, assignments, SNDAs and related documents
• Negotiating directly with national and regional tenants and their counsel
• Handling property sales and dispositions , including LOIs, purchase and sale agreements, amendments and closing documents
• Handling acquisitions , including LOIs, PSAs, due diligence and closings
• Reviewing and negotiating brokerage agreements, listing agreements and commission agreements
• Working directly with buyers, sellers, brokers, lenders and attorneys to move transactions toward closing
• Reviewing title, survey, environmental and other real estate due diligence
• Assisting with financing documents and coordinating with lenders and outside counsel
• Advising ownership on lease interpretation, tenant defaults, landlord/tenant matters and other property-level issues

Corporate & Business Legal Matters

In addition to real estate transactions, this person will serve as an internal legal resource for the broader business, including:

• Structuring, drafting and reviewing legal documents and agreements for Ocean Block Capital and its affiliated entities
• Reviewing and negotiating vendor agreements, service contracts, consulting agreements, management agreements, confidentiality agreements and other business contracts
• Reviewing contracts and identifying key business, financial and legal risks before execution
• Assisting with entity-level documents, LLC agreements, resolutions, consents and other corporate matters
• Helping ownership structure agreements and transactions to appropriately protect the company
• Reviewing indemnification, insurance, limitation-of-liability, termination and other material contractual provisions
• Creating and maintaining standardized forms, agreements and legal processes
• Coordinating with outside counsel when specialized expertise or local counsel is required
• Serving as a practical legal resource to ownership and the internal team on day-to-day business matters

Ideal Background

We are particularly interested in candidates who:

• Have 7+ years of commercial real estate and transactional legal experience
• Have significant experience with national retail leasing
• Have meaningful experience with commercial real estate acquisitions and dispositions
• Understand the sales process from LOI through PSA negotiation and closing
• Have experience drafting and negotiating general corporate and commercial contracts
• Have worked at a respected law firm, real estate company, REIT, developer, retailer or institutional real estate owner
• Understand transactions from the owner / landlord perspective
• Are comfortable dealing directly with principals, brokers, tenants, buyers, sellers, lenders and opposing counsel
• Are commercially minded and can provide a recommendation rather than simply identifying legal issues
• Are strong negotiators who understand how to protect the company while still getting transactions completed
• Can independently manage a high volume of matters across multiple states
• Are admitted to practice law in New York or another U.S. jurisdiction

Experience representing national retailers, shopping center owners, net-lease investors, developers or other institutional commercial real estate owners would be particularly valuable.

Position Structure

This is an in-house position with meaningful flexibility. We are open to a hybrid / semi-remote arrangement for the right candidate, with regular interaction with the principals and real estate team.

We are particularly interested in experienced attorneys currently at law firms who may be looking for greater flexibility, less emphasis on billable hours and a more entrepreneurial environment , while continuing to work on sophisticated transactions.

About Ocean Block Capital

Ocean Block Capital is an active privately held real estate investment firm with a national commercial real estate portfolio. We acquire, own, lease and sell commercial properties throughout the United States and regularly transact with national tenants, buyers, sellers, lenders and brokers.

This is a hands-on position. The attorney will work directly with the principals and be involved in leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, corporate agreements and day-to-day legal matters affecting the business.