Principal Property Specialist (Law)
About The Position
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Law Department seeks an experienced property specialist for its Manhattan-based team of more than 100 people. The role serves as a corporate real estate specialist, bridging legal regulations and practical property operations. The specialist manages risks associated with large-scale assets and helps ensure transactions, leases, and land use align with the Port Authority’s property ownership, operations, and jurisdiction within the Port District. The role also assists in formulating legal opinions on title and other property matters and participates in depositions and testimony on behalf of the Port Authority. The position reports to the Supervising Property Specialist. It combines legal property research and documentation with CAD drafting, geospatial analysis, digital records management, and technical support for property mapping equipment and systems. The position permits remote work up to one day per week; in-person collaboration and regular in-office or team collaboration days may be required based on business needs.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, or at least fifteen years of relevant experience.
- At least ten years of progressively responsible experience within the legal field involving real estate and property-related matters.
- Educational major or concentrated studies in Surveying, Engineering, Architecture, or a related discipline, along with knowledge of producing surveys, mapping, lease exhibits, and plotting/printing production using CAD and Adobe Acrobat.
- Ability to work collectively and ethically while considering multiple stakeholder viewpoints and client interests.
- Ability to engage colleagues, internal clients, and external contacts in a collegial and business-friendly manner.
- Must meet all performance and attendance standards and have completed all probationary periods.
Nice To Haves
- Detail-oriented, with strong analytical and CAD drafting skills and outstanding communication skills.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle information with discretion and professionalism.
- Thorough knowledge of legal documents and their function.
- Ability to complete assignments with minimal supervision, handle conflicting priorities, work under pressure, and meet tight deadlines.
- Strong interpersonal, oral, and communication skills.
- Solid working knowledge of legal terms and databases, and ability to follow guidelines when delivering workload assignments.
- Self-motivated, takes initiative, and can prioritize.
- Ability to handle multiple assignments concurrently within tight deadlines.
- Ability to work independently and analyze situations to make responsible decisions in novel or complex legal matters.
- Knowledge of case/matter management systems, document management systems, Microsoft Office 365 Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Lexis-Nexis or Westlaw, and AutoCAD.
- Understanding of how governmental agencies work and willingness to adapt to changing circumstances and needs.
Responsibilities
- Assist the Supervising Property Specialist in advising the Law Department, client departments, and external consultants on real property title matters and legal property documentation.
- Prepare and revise Record Property Maps and legal exhibits for facility-related property matters using AutoCAD Civil 3D and Adobe Acrobat Pro.
- Review agreements to determine the Port Authority’s property interests in connection with litigated matters.
- Calculate and produce technical data for legal descriptions supporting property acquisitions and dispositions in compliance with Administrative Policy AP25.
- Verify deed boundary closures, acreage, square footage, and property boundaries using mapping and geospatial tools, including AutoCAD, Google Maps, and Nearmap.
- Serve as CAD Manager, overseeing CAD software operations, related equipment, and technical support for the Supervising Property Specialist.
- Manage the centralized digital property records archive by scanning, organizing, and maintaining electronic files and large-format documents using standardized naming conventions.
- Conduct in-house property title and deed research to support line departments, appraisal reviews, and real estate transactions.
- Retrieve and analyze tax maps, deeds, and property information using online databases and internal records systems.
- Maintain and support specialized hardware and software, including plotters, printers, scanners, and mapping systems, to produce property maps, reports, and legal exhibits.
- Testify in legal proceedings when property ownership, operation, and/or control are at issue.
- Participate in depositions and provide testimony on behalf of the Port Authority as required.
Benefits
- Competitive benefits package
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
