Transactional)

Kaplan Kirsch LLP•Washington, DC

just now•$172,000 - $194,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking highly motivated, creative, and collaborative attorneys to join our airports practice, an engaging area of law at the intersection of transportation, public policy, infrastructure, business, and community impact. This role offers a dynamic legal practice with real-world significance, working on matters that shape how people and goods move, how regions grow, and how communities stay connected. The work is sophisticated, varied, and rarely routine, spanning regulatory, transactional, litigation, environmental, and finance issues across airports of every size. Airports are essential public assets, and the legal work surrounding them affects millions of travelers, businesses, and communities daily. Our collegial and collaborative firm operates outside the traditional "Big Law" model, offering associates the opportunity to take on meaningful responsibility early, build strong client relationships, and grow professionally through challenging and impactful work. We are a fast-growing national specialized law firm devoted exclusively to helping clients solve problems involving complex and high-profile projects in airports, real estate, land use, infrastructure, project financing, rail, transit, renewable energy, environmental, conservation, and tribal law. While the Firm is loosely organized into primary practice areas, we pride ourselves on complex, collaborative work that does not always respect boundaries of traditional legal disciplines, and associates will regularly work with colleagues across all of our practice areas. Over half of our practice groups and a number of partners and associates received recognition from Chambers & Partners in their USA rankings, reflecting our Firm’s outsized achievements and national recognition. The work we do is rewarding, and we are tremendously proud of the superior services our team is able to provide to our clients. Founded in 2003, our Firm’s focus remains on our colleagues as well as our clients. We believe that when you enjoy working with a great team, know that your contributions make a difference, and are able to pursue a challenging career without hindering personal life responsibilities and choices, your professional life can and should be more enjoyable and rewarding. We are proud to be recognized for both the quality of our work and the opportunities for our associates to learn and grow. Our associates are uniquely positioned to have a significant impact for clients from day one, while also gaining valuable experience and training. We believe that as an associate, you should have a path toward partnership, and our collective mentoring approach has resulted in a number of internally promoted partners.

Requirements

3 to 5 years of legal experience in regulatory, litigation, and/or transactional work; candidates with more extensive experience are also encouraged to apply.
Demonstrated interest in public sector legal work.
Exceptional writing, legal drafting, analytical, negotiating, and advocacy skills, and an ability to interact professionally with clients and colleagues.
Ability to adapt quickly in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment to successfully multi-task and manage deadlines and proactively address client matters.
Ability to think through complex legal and business issues and work collaboratively to advise our clients on creative means of achieving their objectives.
High comfort level in working both independently and in a team environment.
Action-oriented, immediately responsible for and responsive to your client, delegating intelligently, and seeking opportunities for personal improvement.
Achieved a law degree from an accredited law school.
Admitted to practice in a U.S. jurisdiction (CO, NY, DC, or CA, preferred).

Nice To Haves

Experience with the federal regulatory framework in which airports operate, or with other transportation regulations and/or federal transportation agencies (e.g., U.S. DOT, FAA, FRA, FTA, FHWA, STB and Build America Bureau).
Experience with airport operations, airport law, and/or other aspects of aviation.
Demonstrated interest (professional or personal) in public infrastructure, aviation, transportation, public policy, and/or related matters.
Experience drafting or working with construction documents and project delivery methods.
An entrepreneurial mindset with a collegial, team-focused approach to legal practice.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and attentively listen, actively engage, and effectively communicate complex matters.
Excited by the prospect of a highly creative practice of law, where developing solutions to client matters is difficult, nuanced, and rarely routine.

Responsibilities

Serve as a key member of our nationwide airports practice, while also supporting our other practice areas (e.g., environmental, rail/transit, and project delivery).
Work directly with clients and partners on navigating complex federal regulatory and funding schemes in connection with airport operations, airport development, airport finance, construction, procurement, and environmental matters, ranging from the largest airports in the world to small general aviation facilities.
Have opportunities for periodic travel to attend client meetings and industry conferences.