Legal Associate (Corporate Counsel) - Real Estate

Harrison Street•New York, NY

1d•$200,000 - $300,000

About The Position

Harrison Street Asset Management (HSAM) is a global alternative investment management firm focused on real estate, infrastructure, and credit strategies. The Corporate Counsel will join the legal team and work closely with credit investment, asset management, finance, operations, and compliance teams on the origination, structuring, negotiation, closing, and ongoing management of commercial real estate and other private credit investments. The role carries substantial responsibility for loan documentation, intercreditor arrangements, co-lender and participation structures, amendments and workouts, and credit fund matters. The position involves leading and supporting legal execution of private credit transactions, negotiating financing and intercreditor documents, managing diligence and outside counsel, advising on post-closing matters, and maintaining forms and procedures for the credit platform. The Corporate Counsel will also serve as the primary legal contact for KYC, AML, sanctions, beneficial ownership, organizational, and related diligence and onboarding processes.

Requirements

J.D. from an accredited law school.
Admission in good standing to at least one state bar; California admission is preferred.
Approximately 4–7 years of relevant experience at a leading law firm and/or in-house with a private credit manager, real estate investment manager, bank, insurance company, or other institutional lender.
Meaningful experience representing lenders, private credit funds, real estate debt funds, banks, or other institutional capital providers in commercial lending transactions.
Substantive experience with loan origination and financing documentation, including loan agreements, guarantees, collateral documents, intercreditor agreements, co-lender arrangements, participations, and ancillary documents.
Ability to manage transactions from initial structuring through closing and coordinate effectively with investment professionals, borrowers and sponsors, counterparties, administrators, consultants, and outside counsel.
Strong communication, organization, and negotiation skills.
Comfort taking primary responsibility for transaction execution, identifying and escalating material legal and business issues, and providing practical advice in a collaborative, fast-moving environment.

Nice To Haves

Commercial real estate credit experience.
Experience with private credit fund formation, leverage facilities, workouts, or special situations.
California state bar admission.
Adaptability in an evolving legal landscape and ability to pivot to meet complex transaction demands.
A proactive mindset, including anticipating challenges and addressing potential issues.
Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

Lead and support legal execution of private credit investments from term sheet through closing, including senior mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments, note purchases, participations, and other structured credit transactions.
Draft, review, and negotiate loan agreements, promissory notes, guarantees, security instruments, cash management agreements, account control agreements, assignments, participation agreements, co-lender agreements, intercreditor agreements, credit facilities, and related financing documents.
Negotiate intercreditor arrangements and other agreements governing the rights and remedies of senior lenders, subordinate lenders, preferred equity providers, participants, co-lenders, and other capital providers.
Negotiate, structure, and document credit facilities and leverage arrangements supporting the platform, including warehouse facilities, repurchase facilities, note-on-note financings, subscription lines, and other fund-level or balance-sheet financing.
Coordinate transaction execution and legal due diligence, including review of organizational documents, authority, collateral, title, survey, zoning, environmental, insurance, leasing, and other property- and borrower-level matters.
Advise investment and asset management teams on transaction structuring, closing conditions, covenant compliance, consents, amendments, waivers, restructurings, workouts, enforcement matters, and other post-closing issues.
Manage and supervise outside counsel on loan originations, note purchases, amendments, workouts, fund matters, and ongoing portfolio matters, with attention to quality, responsiveness, and cost.
Develop and maintain forms, playbooks, closing procedures, and knowledge-management resources for the credit platform, and assist with policies, procedures, and best practices.
Serve as the primary legal contact for KYC, AML, sanctions, beneficial ownership, organizational, and related diligence and onboarding processes in connection with credit transactions, coordinating among relevant parties.