Real Estate (Development) Paralegal

Buckingham Companies - Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis, IN

Real Estate

About the position

The Paralegal is an integral member of the legal team, providing support and assistance to the General Counsel and Associate General Counsel to assure all legal matters related to our development, acquisition, disposition, commercial leasing, property management, and investment management transactions are handled efficiently and effectively. Matters could include corporate entity formation and compliance, due diligence, development transactions, acquisition and disposition transactions, purchase agreements, LOI's and commercial leases, and closings for all transactions. The Paralegal serves as a liaison with the development, investment management, finance, construction, commercial leasing, and property teams, while supporting the organization's mission, vision, and values.

Responsibilities

• Conduct legal research and assist Associate General Counsel and General Counsel in preparing and reviewing legal documents related to commercial real estate transactions, including contracts, leases, purchase agreements, LOI's and closing documents.
• Coordinate due diligence processes, including title searches, surveys, environmental assessments, and property inspections as required.
• Review and analyze real estate contracts, leases, and related documents to ensure compliance with legal requirements and company policies.
• Provide legal support and assistance with new development, property dispositions, acquisitions, financing, commercial leasing and other strategic transactions, including: Gathering and reviewing due diligence materials; Performing title and survey review and analysis and working with title companies regarding any title policy issues; Preparing corporate entity documents and obtaining good standing certificates and certified entity documents for closing; Preparing closing documents and instructions to title company; Maintaining the closing checklist(s); Preparing closing binders and verifying receipt of all closing documents post-closing.
• Work directly with development, finance, investor relations, construction, commercial leasing and property management to facilitate the completion of transactions.
• Provide timely response to legal requests from internal departments for preparation, review and analysis of legal documents.
• Research and analyze issues in purchase agreements, development agreements, operating/partnership agreements, loan agreements, contracts, leases and other legal documents.
• Manage real estate closings, including the preparation and organization of closing binders and documents, and coordination with all relevant parties.
• Maintain accurate and organized records of real estate transactions, contracts, and legal documents.
• Assist in the negotiation and completion of first drafts of various real estate agreements, such as purchase agreements, lease agreements, LOI's and financing documents.
• Stay up to date with changes in real estate laws and regulations and provide recommendations for compliance.
• Work on special projects and other duties as assigned.
• Must be able to maintain strict confidentiality.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, real estate, paralegal studies or related area.
• Paralegal certification from an accredited institution is preferred.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience as a real estate paralegal.
• Experienced working in the real estate department of a law firm or in-house legal department of a real estate company.
• Advanced knowledge of commercial real estate practices.
• Experience with commercial real estate transactions, including title and survey, development, acquisitions and dispositions, required.
• Proficiency in using legal research tools and software (e.g., Westlaw, LexisNexis, Microsoft Office Suite).
• Knowledge of local, state and federal real estate laws and regulations.
• Strong research, writing, and analytical skills.

Nice-to-haves

• Notary public preferred.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, document management systems, and online accessor and recorder databases, and legal research tools and software.