Senior Counsel

Job Title: Senior Counsel Location: Onsite (Chevy Chase, MD) Salary: $200,000-$250,000 Skills: enclosed mall, shopping center, retail, commercial, leasing, leases, reciprocal easement agreements, REAs, development agreements, acquisitions, dispositions, real estate About the Opportunity: Join a publicly traded commercial real estate company and become part of a collaborative legal team supporting a portfolio of enclosed mall and retail properties. This role is ideal for an attorney with direct in-house experience supporting an enclosed mall owner, operator, or developer. You will play a key role in advising business leaders and negotiating complex retail real estate matters, including leasing, development, reciprocal easement agreements, acquisitions, dispositions, and other strategic real estate transactions. Responsibilities: Draft, review, and negotiate legal documents related to enclosed mall and retail real estate matters. Advise business leaders on complex or high-exposure legal matters, balancing legal risk with business objectives. Lead negotiations for complex, strategic, or sensitive retail real estate transactions. Provide practical legal advice on shopping center leasing, development, redevelopment, property dispositions, and related commercial real estate matters. Analyze complex legal issues and develop thoughtful, business-oriented solutions. Partner closely with leasing, development, asset management, acquisitions, dispositions, and other business teams. Advise on matters involving reciprocal easement agreements, operating agreements, development agreements, easements, and other property-level agreements. Deliver clear, practical counsel to business leaders, including in complex or contentious situations. Establish and leverage strong relationships across the legal and business organization. Mentor and train less experienced attorneys or paralegals on legal procedures and best practices. Coordinate and lead cross-functional projects involving multiple business lines. Must-Have Skills: Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school and active bar license. 10+ years of experience practicing transactional real estate law, with significant experience in commercial retail real estate. Current or prior in-house legal experience with an enclosed mall owner, operator, or developer is required. Direct experience supporting an enclosed mall or regional mall platform, including complex retail leasing matters. In-depth knowledge of shopping center leasing, reciprocal easement agreements (REAs), operating agreements, development agreements, and property acquisitions and dispositions. Demonstrated experience handling complex commercial real estate transactions in a fast-paced business environment. Experience advising on the redevelopment, repositioning, or transformation of enclosed mall and retail properties. Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to advise business leaders at all levels. Proven ability to independently manage and lead negotiations involving high-value or high-stakes real estate transactions. Strong business judgment and the ability to provide practical, commercially focused legal advice. Nice-to-Have Skills: Experience with team coaching, development, and cross-functional leadership. Experience supporting a large or geographically diverse enclosed mall portfolio. Experience with complex mall redevelopment, anchor tenant matters, major tenant leasing, or property repositioning. Business acumen and understanding of key commercial real estate goals and priorities. Experience working closely with leasing, development, asset management, acquisitions, dispositions, and other real estate business teams. Experience with publicly traded REITs or other large commercial real estate platforms.