Associate General Counsel

The Associate General Counsel is a hybrid legal and operational role responsible for handling various legal matters (with a focus on real estate and related financing transactions) and the day-to-day management of how the Legal Department runs.

Legal matters to be handled by the Associate General Counsel include real estate transactions (e.g., triple net leases and opportunity zone projects), corporate matters, private funds (e.g., offering memoranda), vendor contract negotiation, and client engagement agreements. In addition, the Associate General Counsel will manage external counsel.

For the operational side, the Associate Geneal Counsel will own visibility into what has happened, what is happening, and what needs to happen across matters, contracts, and projects — and translate that visibility into organized systems, clear communication, and reliable follow-through for firm leadership in order to inform decisions and drive action.

While a law degree and law firm experience are required to understand legal work, spot issues, and credibly partner with attorneys and business stakeholders, the position is built around operational ownership: tracking, organizing, prioritizing, and executing — including handling a meaningful share of non-legal administrative and project work. Strong organizational skills, clear written and verbal communication, intellectual curiosity and a desire to learn are the most critical traits for success.

The Results This Seat Owns

A live, accurate picture of every matter, contract, and deadline — and reliable follow-through across the department.

What You Will Own

Legal Work:

• Legal Tasks — handle legal work directly, including managing real estate transactions, reviewing and drafting routine contracts and NDAs, conducting legal research, and supporting compliance processes.
• Escalation Judgment — elevate highercomplexity matters to inhouse and external attorneys, applying the judgment to know what to keep and what to route.

Operational Ownership & Visibility

• Operational Hub — serve as the operational hub of the Legal Department; maintain a live view of all matters, contracts, deadlines, and projects and proactively flag what needs attention.
• Trackers & Dashboards — build and maintain trackers, dashboards, playbooks, and intake processes so leadership always has an accurate, current picture of departmental status.
• CrossUnit Coordination — act as the primary point of coordination between the Legal Department and other business units, ensuring requests are routed, tracked, and closed out.

Budget, Vendors & Technology:

• Budget & Spend — manage the department’s budget, invoicing, and outside counsel spend.
• Vendor Management — track vendor performance and negotiate routine vendor/service agreements.
• Legal Technology & Process Improvement — identify inefficiencies in legal workflows and implement improvements, including evaluating existing legal technology (contract lifecycle management and matter management tools) and championing the deployment of new technologies (including the use of AI).

Projects & Administration:

• Leadership Materials — prepare leadershipready materials and reporting on departmental status and priorities.
• Meetings & Tools — coordinate meetings and calendars and manage department tools and technology, taking on nonlegal project and administrative work as needed.

What We Are Looking For

Required:

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school
• Bar admission in good standing (Alabama admission, or the ability to obtain it, preferred given the Birmingham location)
• 4 7 years practicing at a law firm with an emphasis on real estate and real estaterelated financing
• Experience managing other attorneys and/or nonattorneys (such as paralegals)
• Demonstrated ability to organize complex, multiworkstream information and keep it current and accessible
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable communicating status and priorities to senior stakeholders
• Comfortable moving fluidly between substantive legal tasks and operational/administrative work — this role is deliberately not a pure legaladvisory position

Preferred:

• Inhouse legal exposure, including managing external legal counsel
• Experience with legal technology and process improvement (including the use of AI)