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Real Estate Counsel

San Francisco, CA

Founded in 1993, DivcoWest is a multi-disciplinary real estate investment firm headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles, Menlo Park, Cambridge, Washington DC, Austin, and New York City. Known for our long-standing relationships and track record of success in innovation markets, DivcoWest combines entrepreneurial spirit with an institutional approach.

DivcoWest aims to create environments that inspire ingenuity, promote growth, and enhance the health, happiness, and well-being of all people. A disciplined code of ethics is at the core of all that we do. We believe that the collective energy of a diverse team is what drives our creative ideas and solutions.

Summary

DivcoWest is seeking an experienced Real Estate Transactions Attorney to join our Legal & Compliance team in either our New York, NY or San Francisco, CA office. This attorney will work closely with the General Counsel, in-house Real Estate Counsel, and internal business units to provide legal support across a wide range of real estate transactional matters.

This role offers a unique opportunity to work on complex, high-value transactions across the U.S. and contribute meaningfully to the firm’s investment, asset management, and capital formation activities. Key benefits of the role include the ability to:

  • Work across multiple asset classes, including office, life science, R&D, industrial, multifamily, and mixed-use properties.
  • Gain exposure to investment committee materials, strategic decision-making, and deal modeling considerations.
  • Take meaningful responsibility for transactions while collaborating with senior leadership.
  • Receive mentorship and development opportunities with high visibility across the platform.

This position requires four days per week in office at our New York, NY or San Francisco, CA location.

The ideal candidate is a business-minded, detail-oriented, and highly responsive attorney with a strong foundation in real estate transactions, excellent drafting skills, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

  • Provide legal support on a broad range of real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, financings, and joint ventures.
  • Review, draft, and negotiate a variety of organizational and transactional documents, including purchase and sale agreements, joint venture agreements, loan documents, and operating agreements.
  • Assist with asset management matters, including leasing, development, entitlements, property operations, and other asset-level legal issues.
  • Support capital formation by reviewing offering memoranda, subscription documents, side letters, and investor materials.
  • Coordinate and oversee the work of external counsel to ensure efficiency, alignment, and quality across transactions.
  • Collaborate with internal teams—including Investments, Asset Management, Portfolio Management, and Finance—to identify risks, propose solutions, and advance business objectives.
  • Lead or coordinate due diligence efforts across legal, financial, and technical workstreams.
  • Support dispositions and portfolio-level initiatives, including recapitalizations and financing strategies.
  • Conduct legal research and participate in department-wide initiatives to enhance processes, workflows, and knowledge management.
  • Provide timely, practical, business-oriented advice to stakeholders across the organization.

Qualifications

  • J.D. from a top-tier law school and active membership in good standing with a U.S. state bar (California or New York preferred).
  • 3–5 years of relevant real estate transactional experience at a top law firm; in-house experience is a plus.
  • Strong drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills.
  • Familiarity with private equity, investment structures, and fund operations preferred.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple transactions and priorities in fast-paced environments.
  • Excellent judgment with the ability to translate legal risk into practical, business-aligned solutions.
  • Strong organizational, communication, and project management skills.
  • Ability to work collaboratively with internal stakeholders and external counsel.
  • Experience drafting and negotiating joint venture agreements with institutional partners preferred.
  • Experience with complex financing structures—including construction financing, mezzanine financing, and agency loans—is a plus.
  • Ability to manage workstreams independently with limited supervision.
  • Comfort working with business teams and non-legal professionals.

Compensation

  • $175,000-$200,000
  • Annual bonus opportunity
  • Full benefits 
  • 401k match
  • Flexible vacation policy
  • Weekly lunch stipend

 

Divco West Services, LLC (“Company”), an equal opportunity employer, is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and applicants.  The Company recruits, hires, trains, promotes, pays, and administers all personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), sex stereotyping (including assumptions about a person’s appearance or behavior, gender roles, gender expression, or gender identity), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, ancestry, medical condition, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.  We interpret these protected statuses broadly to include both the actual status and also any perceptions and assumptions made regarding these statuses. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Please review our company Privacy Policy regarding the use of any personal information you provide us at: https://www.divcowest.com/privacy-policy/

 

This policy applies to all areas of employment, including recruitment, testing, screening, hiring, selection for training, upgrading, transfer, demotion, layoff, discipline, termination, compensation, benefits, and all other privileges, terms, and conditions of employment.  This policy and the law prohibit employment discrimination against any employee or applicant on the basis of any legally protected status outlined above.

 

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