Legal
Senior Associate, Commercial Real Estate
New York, NY
About the role
A prominent legal practice seeks a senior commercial real estate attorney with 6-8 years of experience, specialising in the retail industry. The role involves handling both tenant-side (65%) and landlord-side (35%) representation, with a focus on lease negotiation, purchase and sale agreements, and M&A due diligence. The successful candidate will negotiate and draft commercial leases (retail and office), prepare purchase and sale agreements, conduct due diligence for real estate-related M&A transactions, negotiate SNDAs and lender approval instruments, and advise on regulatory and land use matters. This is a backfill position within an established team, supporting senior partners, indicating a long-term investment in the practice area.
What we are looking for
Candidates must have 6-8 years of commercial real estate transactional experience with a significant focus on the retail industry, including big box retail. Active admission to the New York bar and good standing are essential. Experience in lease negotiation/drafting, purchase and sale agreements, due diligence, and title review is required. Strong research, writing skills, and an academic record (3.0+ GPA preferred) are expected, along with a stable tenure history. BigLaw experience or equivalent calibre firm is a nice-to-have, as is both tenant-side and landlord-side experience, SNDA negotiation, lender approval instrument experience, and land use/zoning/municipal hearing experience.
Compensation
Base salary of $270,000 – $290,000, commensurate with experience. The firm offers a competitive bonus structure including incremental bonuses for every 25 hours billed above the 1,900-hour annual target, and 10% of fees billed and collected above $1,000. A signing bonus may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Working arrangement
Hybrid
Visa eligibility
Not open to any visas (e.g., US citizen, Green Card holders).
Benefits
Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, and 401(k).
Equity
Not applicable. The firm does not offer equity compensation for associate-level positions.