Legal Counsel, Real Estate & Construction

Anduril • Costa Mesa, CA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Anduril is seeking a highly experienced Real Estate and Construction Attorney to join its Legal Real Estate team in Costa Mesa, California, or Washington, D.C. The team supports real estate, design, construction, and environmental functions on complex development projects, including manufacturing facilities, research and development spaces, secure environments, test sites, and office spaces. The position provides legal support from an owner, developer, or tenant perspective and helps ensure facilities are delivered on schedule and in compliance with applicable law.

The role covers real estate and construction contracts and transactions, permitting, land due diligence, energy procurement, and environmental matters. The attorney will advise project executives and operational teams, manage outside counsel on selected matters, and maintain contract templates and playbooks. The position is full-time and on-site; remote or hybrid work is not available. Travel to domestic and international development sites is required.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from a top-tier accredited law school.
• At least 7 years of experience practicing construction and real estate law, focused on representing owners, developers, or sophisticated tenants in commercial, industrial, or high-tech construction and leasing projects.
• Active membership in good standing with the bar in at least one U.S. state, with the ability to become authorized to practice in California through California Bar membership or California Registered In-House Counsel status.
• Demonstrated expertise drafting, negotiating, and interpreting common construction contract forms, including comprehensive knowledge of AIA document families such as A101, A201, B101, and C401, and ConsensusDocs.
• Strong understanding of construction project delivery methods, including Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, CM at Risk, and GMP.
• Ability to manage a large portfolio of concurrent matters in a fast-paced environment, identify issues proactively, and drive projects to completion with urgency and precision.
• Ability to provide clear, pragmatic, business-focused legal advice to executive leadership and project teams.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and meticulous attention to detail.
• Willingness and ability to work full-time in person in Costa Mesa, California, or Washington, D.C.; remote and hybrid work are not available.
• Willingness to travel to domestic and international development sites.
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Nice To Haves

• Prior in-house legal experience within a real estate development firm, a company with significant capital expenditures for facility build-outs, or a technology or manufacturing company with a large real estate portfolio.
• Experience with government construction contracting regulations and nuances.
• Knowledge of environmental laws, including NEPA, CEQA, or state equivalents, as well as zoning and land use regulations relating to large-scale construction and development.
• Experience establishing templates, playbooks, and processes from scratch in a rapidly scaling environment.
• Familiarity with prevailing wage requirements, Davis-Bacon Act compliance, or labor regulations applicable to construction projects.
• Experience with construction dispute resolution, including mediation, arbitration, or pre-litigation claims management.
• Undergraduate degree in engineering, construction management, architecture, or a related technical field.

Responsibilities

• Draft and negotiate contracts for development and construction projects, including construction contracts, master services agreements, design professional agreements, real estate purchase and lease agreements, and license and access agreements.
• Support all phases of transactions, including letters of intent, due diligence, title and survey review, zoning, and internal approvals.
• Provide day-to-day legal advice and support to real estate, design and construction, and environmental health and safety teams, including on land use and entitlement, air permitting strategy, energy procurement, and environmental review.
• Maintain and improve contract templates and playbooks to reflect current law, regulatory requirements, and market standards.
• Advise project executives and operational leaders on contract interpretation, change order management, schedule impacts, differing site conditions, force majeure events, acceleration claims, and contract notice requirements.
• Manage outside counsel on selected matters, including defining scope, approving budgets, reviewing work product, driving timely execution, and maintaining cost discipline.

Benefits

• Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full-time offers and are considered part of total compensation.
• Top-tier benefits for full-time employees, described as comprehensive and competitive and available at little to no cost to employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree