Sr. Paralegal, New Restaurants Real Estate

How We Work

Staff members play a vital role in achieving strategic goals by developing skills, fostering inclusive teamwork, and embracing innovation. All Staff are expected to contribute to a compelling future by inspiring and motivating those around them. Growth and development are essential, seeking new perspectives and adopting new methods to drive continuous improvement and adaptation. Staff are asked to seek wisdom, expect the best, accept responsibility, respond with courage, and think others first. Our Flexible Future Model offers a healthy mix of working in person (currently a minimum of 8-10 days per month) and virtually, strengthening key elements of the culture by fostering collaboration and community.

Overview

The Sr. Paralegal is responsible for providing high-level legal support, project management, issue spotting, and direction on matters associated with the acquisition and development of new restaurant locations. This person will report to a Director in Real Estate Legal supporting New Restaurant Development regions. The right person will have experience in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including understanding the typical deal lifecycle, title and survey review, environmental due diligence, real estate acquisition and leasing agreements, closing documents and the closing and lease commencement process. This position also requires judgement and proficiency to serve as the primary day-to-day legal project manager on assigned matters, manage and provide direction to outside counsel, identify issues, and know when matters should be elevated to in-house counsel.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the legal project manager and exercise sound judgment in managing complex, high-volume real estate legal workflows, identifying risks, prioritizing issues, and escalating matters requiring attorney review
• Review letters of intent, site plans and other new deal materials, engage and monitor outside counsel, including following up on deliverables, assisting in-house counsel with researching, and responding to requests from outside counsel
• Research the scope of real estate interests, including easements, needed to order title commitments on all appropriate parcels and then order and manage receipt of title commitments and updates as needed
• Analyze and direct strategy on legal due diligence (title, survey, environmental, etc.)
• Engage environmental counsel, review environmental reports and documents, conduct bi-monthly calls with environmental counsel without in-house counsel involvement and serve as environmental counsel's primary in-house contact. Review environmental memos from environmental counsel and capture appropriate information, facilitate identification and resolution of environmental issues and notify in-house counsel of any open issues requiring attention
• Assist in-house and outside counsel by identifying and facilitating resolution of legal issues as they arise throughout the deal, including title, environmental and all other due diligence
• Review contract abstracts and title summaries and ensure legal issues have been identified and resolved by preparing summaries and issues lists prior to the expiration of the inspection period and then again prior to closing or lease commencement to facilitate resolution of any outstanding issues
• Foster positive relationships and collaborate with outside counsel, title companies, various Restaurant Development teams at Chick-fil-A as well as other sub-departments within the Legal Department
• Draft correspondence and maintain electronic and hardcopy files for each new restaurant deal in the assigned regions
• Draft due diligence report waivers, right of entry agreements and, on occasion, routine licenses, easements, and closing or lease commencement documents
• Pursue continued education in real estate law within the quick-service restaurant and retail industry

Required Qualifications

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
• Legal research
• Document drafting
• Case management technology
• Procedural knowledge
• Legal writing
• Attention to detail
• Organization
• Time management
• Communication
• Ethics & confidentiality
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 1 year of experience
• Travel: 10%

Preferred Qualifications

• Real estate transactions
• Commercial real estate
• TRIRIGA
• Proficiency with AI
• Affiliation with ICSC or similar industry groups
• Bachelor's degree (preferred major: Real Estate, English, Project Management, Business, Paralegal Studies, or Finance)
• 5 years of experience