Real Estate and Development Counsel

About the role

The Real Estate and Development Counsel will lead proactive, strategic legal work that supports our portfolio, government partnerships, and growth. This role focuses on universal documents governing our communities, negotiations with government stakeholders, real estate transactions, and legal support for development and new project onboarding.

Responsibilities

• Drafts, reviews, negotiates, and manages universal legal documents, including the Universal Lease (UL), Community Guidelines, Operations, Maintenance and Management Plans (OMMPs), and Facilities Maintenance Plans (FMPs).
• Negotiates document terms and amendments with government stakeholders, including Military Housing Offices, the service branches, and the Department of Defense.
• Serves as a key point of contact for real estate transactions across the portfolio, including parcel returns, document amendments, licenses, easements, rights of entry, access agreements, and related contracts.
• Supports development and construction legal matters as the portfolio grows, including new construction, renovation, and infrastructure projects.
• Supports growth initiatives and new project onboarding from a legal perspective, including diligence, structuring, and document implementation.
• Maintains awareness of evolving MHPI statutory and regulatory requirements, including NDAA provisions, GAO recommendations, and DOD IG findings.
• Develops and improves operational infrastructure, policies, and legal protocols related to health and safety, maintenance, environmental risk, and risk mitigation.
• Advises on energy, utilities, and environmental compliance matters, including utility allowance programs, energy procurement, and environmental diligence.
• Coordinates with and manages outside counsel on specialized matters within assigned areas, ensuring cost-effective, high-quality support.
• Collaborates with Property Management Counsel on document interpretation issues that arise from field operations, and translates lessons learned into improvements to universal documents.
• Supports interactions with congressional staff, GAO auditors, and DOD IG investigators in coordination with the General Counsel and government relations teams.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor Degree (JD) from an accredited U.S. law school.
• Required Active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (any state); willingness and ability to obtain additional registrations as required.
• Required 5–10 years of experience in real estate, transactional, or regulatory law.
• Preferred Demonstrated experience drafting and negotiating complex operational and transactional documents.
• Preferred Familiarity with federal regulatory frameworks, compliance obligations, and government oversight processes.
• Preferred Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously with minimal supervision.
• Preferred Strong written and verbal communication skills; this role requires significant document drafting and direct negotiation with government counterparts.
• Preferred A strategic thinker who can build systems, processes, and scalable legal infrastructure — not just react to issues as they arise.
• Preferred Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and build trust with organization employees, management, and third parties.
• Preferred Detail-oriented, analytical thinker able to make practical judgments in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Preferred Excellent organizational skills; ability to manage multiple and diverse projects at once, must follow-through and meet deadlines.
• Preferred Ability to work autonomously, yet collaboratively, and be responsive.
• Preferred Strong and sophisticated drafting and negotiating experience.
• Preferred Results-oriented with strong project management and execution skills.
• Preferred Strong interpersonal, communication and customer service skills with ability to sustain strong relationships across internal and external stakeholders.
• Preferred The ability to think critically while balancing business goals with prudent risk management.

Benefits

We are committed to offering competitive and equitable compensation. The hiring range for this position is generally between $143,000 - $185,600, exclusive of fringe benefits or potential bonuses. This position is also eligible for a performance bonus. Final salaries will be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, licenses, certifications, and/or experience. In addition to these factors – we believe in the importance of pay equity. Please keep in mind that the range mentioned above is the general Hiring Range for the role. Hiring at the top of the range is reserved for exceptionally qualified candidates. We consider internal and external factors as a part of every final offer. We also offer a generous total compensation and benefits package. Click Here For Benefits Overview https://www.huntmilitarycommunities.com/careers/benefits