Senior Legal Counsel – Bank Real Estate

About the role

Attorney supporting Enterprise Workplace Services (“EWS”) across a broad range of complex real estate transactions and operational matters, including ground leases, retail and office leasing, acquisitions and dispositions, ATM matters, construction and facilities agreements, and related projects that advance the Bank’s strategic and operational objectives.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support to the Bank’s Enterprise Workplace Services (“EWS”) group across the real estate lifecycle, including ground leases, acquisitions and dispositions, office leases, and ATM leases.
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex ground leases and related documents, work letters, memoranda of lease, recognition and nondisturbance agreements, estoppels, consents, amendments, assignments, and other ancillary instruments, and advise on key risk and business terms, including ownership of improvements, construction and delivery obligations.
• Draft, review, and negotiate purchase and sale agreements and related acquisition and disposition documents.
• Draft, review, and negotiate office and retail leases, lease amendments and renewals, ATM leases and licenses, ATM installation, relocation, access, utility, and removal agreements, license agreements, and related real estate documents.
• Interpret real estate agreements and advise on operational, construction, and property-level matters, including repairs, access, signage, utilities, casualty, condemnation, easements, restrictive covenants, restoration obligations, defaults, disputes, and enforcement matters.
• Collaborate with EWS stakeholders, including real estate, construction, design, facilities, and risk partners, on branch acquisitions, dispositions, relocations, closures, renovations, redevelopment, integration projects, and other initiatives with critical project milestones.
• Provide practical, solutions-oriented legal advice directly to business partners and other stakeholders, balancing legal and operational risk with business objectives.
• Manage outside counsel and a high volume of sophisticated transactions while maintaining responsiveness, sound judgment, and accountability for deadlines.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years' experience preferred.
• J.D. from an accredited law school required.
• Admission to a state bar.
• Exceptional organizational and written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to advise and communicate effectively with senior management and a variety of internal clients.
• Strong drafting, negotiation, research, analytical, and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to identify, assess, and resolve legal, operational, and property‑level risks in complex real estate matters.

Qualifications

• Relevant commercial real estate legal experience, including meaningful experience drafting and negotiating complex leases, ground leases, purchase and sale agreements, and related real estate documents.
• Basic understanding of bank regulatory framework.

Benefits

At Fifth Third, we understand the importance of recognizing our employees for the role they play in improving the lives of our customers, communities and each other. Our Total Rewards include comprehensive benefits and differentiated compensation offerings to give each employee the opportunity to be their best every