Legal Counsel, Real Estate Development

Job Description

Job Description

Crusoe is on a mission to accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence . As the only vertically integrated AI infrastructure company built from the ground up, we own and operate each layer of the stack — from electrons to tokens — to power the world's most ambitious AI workloads. When you join Crusoe, you join a team that is building the future, faster.

We're in the midst of the greatest industrial revolution of our time. The demand for AI compute is boundless, and power is a bottleneck. We're solving that — with an energy-first approach that makes AI infrastructure better for the world and faster for the people innovating with AI.

We're looking for problem-solving, opportunity-finding teammates with a sense of urgency, who believe in the scale of our ambition and thrive on a path not fully paved — people who want to grow their careers alongside a team of experts across energy, manufacturing, data center construction, and cloud services.

If you want to do the most meaningful work of your career, help our customers and partners advance their AI strategies, and be part of a high-performing team that believes in each other, come build with us at Crusoe.

About This Role:

The Legal Counsel, Real Estate Development will play a key role in supporting the company’s large-scale real estate developments and project financings. Reporting directly to the General Counsel, Real Estate, you will lead contract drafting, negotiation, and execution for real estate acquisitions, power matters, and project finance transactions.

In this high-impact position, you will work closely with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure timely and strategic legal support across all of Crusoe’s data center development projects. This role is ideal for a candidate who can navigate the complexities of site selection and synthetic leases while maintaining a sharp focus on risk mitigation. This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires being in-office 5 days/week.

What You’ll Be Working On:

• Transaction Lifecycle Management: Review, negotiate, and execute real estate agreements from inception to closing, including site selection, Letters of Intent (LOIs), Purchase and Sale Agreements (PSAs), options, and easements.

• Leasing & Ground Agreements: Lead the legal structuring and execution of synthetic/ground leases, customer leases, and specialized data center service agreements.

• Legal Due Diligence: Conduct comprehensive reviews of title, survey, environmental assessments (Phase I/II), geotechnical reports, and zoning/land use matters to identify and mitigate development risks.

• Property Rights & Disputes: Proactively address title matters, property rights, and boundary disputes to ensure unencumbered project progression.

• Cross-Functional Advisory: Collaborate with internal departments—including Power Engineering, Construction, Finance, and Tax—to support broader legal and business objectives.

• Legal Operations: Develop and maintain a suite of standardized legal documents, templates, and contract clauses to streamline negotiations and ensure portfolio-wide consistency.

• Stakeholder Communication: Present complex legal concepts clearly and effectively to non-legal stakeholders both in writing and during strategic meetings.

• Process Improvement: Work closely with the real estate and power business teams to continuously improve contracting processes and operational best practices.

What You’ll Bring to the Team:

• Education: Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school.

• Licensure: Active bar admission in any state.

• Experience: 5–7 years of experience working on complex real estate acquisitions and power procurement.

• Technical Knowledge: Deep understanding of construction financing and loan due diligence processes.

• Negotiation Skills: Excellent drafting and negotiation abilities with the capacity to manage high-stakes business environments.

• Problem-Solving: Strong judgment and analytical abilities with a "self-starter" mentality.

• Sector Expertise: Experience with data centers or large-scale industrial development projects is strongly preferred.

Bonus Points:

• Experience with ALTA surveys and complex title insurance endorsements.

• Familiarity with the legal nuances of digital infrastructure and AI cloud scaling.

• Previous in-house experience at a high-growth technology or infrastructure company.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation and equity packages

• Restricted Stock Units

• Paid time off, paid holidays & leave of absence programs

• Comprehensive health, dental & vision insurance

• Employer contributions to HSA account

• Paid parental leave

• Paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability

• Professional development & tuition reimbursement

• Mental health & wellness support

• Commuter benefits (parking & transit)

• Cell phone stipenda

• 401(k) Retirement plan with company match up to 4% of salary

• Volunteer time off

• Global travel insurance & emergency assistance

• Daily meals allowance

• Additional perks & programs specific to location

Compensation Range

Compensation will be paid in the range of up to $218,000 -$273,000 + Bonus. Restricted Stock Units are included in all offers. Compensation to be determined by the applicants knowledge, education, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Crusoe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, citizenship, marital status, sex/gender, sexual preference/ orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, national origin, or any other status protected by law or regulation.