Associate General Counsel – Real Estate & Land Use

Virginia Passenger Rail Authority•Richmond, VA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) is seeking an Associate General Counsel to provide legal advice and representation regarding real property transactions, right-of-way acquisitions for capital projects, and land use issues. This role supports VPRA's mission to promote, sustain, and expand passenger and commuter rail services in the Commonwealth, including involvement in the multi-billion-dollar Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative. The Associate General Counsel will work under the direction of the General Counsel and may also handle discrete legal matters unrelated to real property as needed. This full-time position is based in Richmond, Virginia.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited law school.
Admission to the Virginia bar is required.
At least three (3) years of practicing law in support of real property transactions.
Ability to conduct complex legal research and analyze existing laws and regulations.
Ability to create, compose, and edit legal opinions, contracts, and other legal written materials.
Ability to represent VPRA before courts or in other legal matters.
Ability to liaise with outside legal counsel on complex legal issues or large projects.

Nice To Haves

Five (5) years of relevant experience.
Expertise with Virginia state agencies or other public sector real property transactions is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Support VPRA's team throughout commercial negotiations relating to real property transactions.
Draft, edit, and negotiate real property instruments such as purchase and sale agreements, leases, deeds, easements, and similar agreements.
Support transactional work streams such as: assisting project teams to determine acquisition needs, including review of project design plans, plat generation, appraisal coordination, overseeing and reviewing title examinations, plats, and appraisals, obtaining title insurance, managing settlement and recordation of real property instruments, and similar efforts.
Manage the acquisition process for parcels acquired in support of project development, both from private entities (subject to the federal Uniform Relocation Act (URA)) and public entities (not subject to the URA).
Provide essential real-property-related advice in support of VPRA's over $5 billion capital project program, including regarding obtaining land use permits and eminent domain proceedings.
Advise concerning pre-acquisition environmental due diligence efforts.
Advise the client team on risks associated with real property transactions and establish and maintain relationships with outside counsel to support VPRA's real property legal needs.
Maintain and update VPRA's right-of-way acquisition management plan (RAMP).
Support maintaining VPRA's real property document control system.
Interact with state and federal agencies during the right-of-way acquisition process, including the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Federal Railroad Administration.
Support grant funding and project permitting by ensuring compliance with the law.