Vice President - Real Estate Transactions Attorney

Ascent Developer Solutions•Encino, CA

About The Position

Ascent Developer Solutions is seeking an entrepreneurial mid- to senior-level real estate attorney to join its growing legal team. Working with the General Counsel and the legal/compliance team, the attorney will provide transactional and strategic legal guidance to support the company’s growth and lending operations. The role works closely with credit, loan officer, operations, sales, and executive teams, and focuses on loan originations, negotiations, modifications, and enforcement matters across the company’s nationwide footprint. Ascent provides short-term, secured business-purpose loans to developers for the purchase, renovation, construction, and bridge financing of single-family and multifamily properties. This position offers the opportunity to help build and shape the legal function at a high-growth company, with visibility to senior leadership and direct impact on the business. Strong capital markets transaction experience is highly preferred. The role calls for someone comfortable handling complex deals in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment and proactively addressing evolving compliance needs.

Requirements

J.D. from an accredited law school.
Active license in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
At least 8 years of relevant experience in real estate finance law, preferably with a lender, law firm, bank, debt fund, or institutional investor.
Demonstrated track record with complex deals and program structuring for real estate secured lending, including construction lending.
Strong drafting and negotiation skills.
Ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders across departments and management levels.
Comfort liaising with and leading loan servicing, workouts, and enforcement matters.
Experience in a highly collaborative environment, fostering an entrepreneurial culture, driving growth, and demonstrating leadership in problem-solving and innovation.
Ability to manage a wide array of tasks across multiple product and business lines, multiple concurrent transactions, and a nationwide footprint.
Proactive, growth- and risk-oriented mindset with a focus on results.
Team-oriented approach.

Nice To Haves

Strong experience in capital markets transactions, including warehouse facilities, securitizations, or investor-side diligence.
Experience with a lender, law firm, bank, debt fund, or institutional investor.
Ability to work from the Los Angeles area and collaborate in person with the Encino, California team.

Responsibilities

Draft, review, and negotiate loan agreements, promissory notes, guarantees, deeds of trust, mortgages, intercreditor agreements, subordination agreements, repurchase agreements, and similar financing documents.
Advise internal stakeholders on legal structure, risk allocation, and compliance considerations.
Coordinate closing logistics with operations colleagues, external counsel, and title and escrow agents.
Review and analyze borrower entity documents, organizational charts, and special-purpose entity and separateness compliance.
Support structuring and the creation or modification of programmatic elements for construction loans, bridge loans, and loan participations.
Provide guidance on state-specific legal requirements, lien priorities, and enforceability, including for enforcement matters.
Draft term sheets, letters of intent, and modification and forbearance agreements.
Collaborate with leadership on default scenarios and workouts.
Support capital markets transactions, including warehouse facility negotiations, securitization document review, and investor-side legal diligence.
Create and maintain legal documentation templates, checklists, best practices, job aids, and guidance for frontline teams.
Collaborate with the legal/compliance team and the broader company to maintain a team-oriented environment.
Work with legal/compliance and sales colleagues to help shape the company’s trajectory and address complex deals and evolving compliance needs.