Principal Property Specialist (Law)

About the role

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (the “Port Authority”) Law Department seeks an experienced property specialist to join its Manhattan-based 100+ person team. The successful applicant will act as a corporate real estate specialist, is a crucial position within the Law Department. A property specialist is a critical position within the Law Department. This role bridges the gap between complex legal regulations and practical day-to-day property operations. They manage risks associated with large-scale assets, ensuring that transactions, leases, and land use align with our property ownership, operations and jurisdiction within the Port District. They assist in the formulation of legal opinions on title for real property and other property matters. Further, they participate in depositions and testify on behalf of the Port Authority. The position will be reporting to the Supervising Property Specialist.

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 required for legal descriptions supporting acquisition and disposition of property interests 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, ensuring efficient production of property maps, reports, and legal exhibits.