TRANSACTIONAL ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY - Real Estate, Projects, or Airports Practice Area

Kaplan Kirsch LLP•Denver, CO

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a motivated, creative, and collaborative mid-level associate attorney to join our transactional practices. This role is ideal for a lawyer who enjoys sophisticated deal work and wants to apply transactional skills across a broad range of projects involving airports, real estate and mixed-use development, transportation systems, infrastructure, construction, energy, rail and transit, public finance, public procurement and project delivery, and land development. The ideal candidate possesses strong commercial instincts, excellent judgment, and a desire to take ownership of complex matters. The work is sophisticated, varied, collaborative, and rarely routine. This position is designed for a general transactional associate who will initially develop a strong foundation across the Firm’s deal-oriented practices rather than being confined to a single narrow lane. Depending on expertise, this mid-level associate would be placed in our Real Estate, Projects, or Airports Practice Area and would be based in Denver. The associate will have the opportunity to work on a range of project development, real estate, infrastructure, procurement, construction, financing, and commercial matters, gaining exposure to different client types, transaction structures, regulatory issues, and industry contexts. Over time, and in collaboration with Firm leadership, the associate will be expected to transition toward a more defined industry or practice-area focus based on demonstrated strengths, client needs, and professional interests. Our collegial and collaborative firm, operating outside the “Big Law” model, offers 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 the nation’s most 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 practices areas, we pride ourselves on complex, collaborative work that engages us beyond the boundaries of traditional legal disciplines, and associates will regularly work with colleagues across all our practice areas. Founded in 2003 to provide an alternative to the “business of law as usual,” we are recognized for both the quality of our work and the opportunities we provide associates to learn, develop meaningful expertise, and build long-term careers. Our associates receive substantial responsibility, direct client contact, and a clear path toward partnership.

Requirements

Approximately 3 to 5 years of transactional legal experience; candidates with more extensive experience are also encouraged to apply.
Exceptional drafting, negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Intellectual curiosity, sound judgment, and a demonstrated interest in learning how public sector, commercial, and infrastructure issues intersect in complex client matters.
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.
Law degree from an accredited law school.
Admitted to practice in a U.S. jurisdiction (CO, NY, or CA, preferred).

Nice To Haves

Experience with complex commercial or real estate transactions involving multiple stakeholders and regulatory frameworks, ideally in infrastructure, airport, transportation, or redevelopment projects.
Experience drafting or working with construction contracting and project delivery methods, including design-build and progressive design-build.
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 transactional team supporting projects involving airports, infrastructure, transportation, real estate development, public-private partnerships, and project delivery.
Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a broad range of agreements, including development agreements, acquisition and disposition documents, easements, leases, construction and procurement contracts, design-build agreements, and related project documentation.
Advise public and private clients regarding project development, infrastructure delivery, real estate transactions, funding structures, procurement strategies, and construction matters.
Build broad transactional experience across the Firm’s practices while developing the judgment, client skills, and subject-matter fluency needed to grow into a more specialized role in a particular industry or practice area.

Benefits

Medical
Dental
Vision
HSA
FSA
STD
LTD
Group term life insurance
401(k)
Flexible PTO
Parental leave
Public transportation costs covered
Unlimited amount of approved pro bono hours when meeting the billable hour target