Job Title:
Assistant General Counsel
Company/Organization:
The Community Builders
Location:
Boston, MA
Position Details
Position Description:
The Community Builders, Inc. (TCB) is a nationally recognized nonprofit developer, owner, and manager of affordable and mixed-income housing and commercial properties. Founded in 1964 in the South End of Boston, TCB has developed over 30,000 housing units as well as office and retail properties, and owns and manages over 11,000 units of housing. TCB is currently active in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia. TCB’s mission is to build and sustain strong communities where people of all incomes can fulfill their full potential.

TCB’s Legal Department, which is situated in our Boston office, manages all aspects of TCB’s corporate and transactional legal work, and currently consists of 4 attorneys, 2-3 paralegal and administrative staff and, from time to time, student interns or clerks. We act as transactional counsel with respect to complex development and preservation transactions and, on some projects, engage and oversee outside counsel, form and maintain approximately 500 affiliated entities, provide or manage all corporate legal services, and provide counsel on legislative and policy matters.

The Assistant General Counsel will be a member of the Legal Department and will assist the General Counsel and other senior lawyers with all aspects of the department’s work, including project legal work and corporate legal services. Specific responsibilities of the Assistant General Counsel are expected to include, without limitation, the following:
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Corporate Representation, Claims, Litigation. We provide legal representation to TCB and its affiliates on diverse other matters, including various aspects of employment discrimination law, fair housing and other occupancy related matters, and general contracts. The office is also responsible for tracking and managing third-party claims, which primarily consists of and engaging and supervising outside counsel in connection with litigation, defaults, compliance matters, employment matters, fair housing and other occupancy related matters.

Transactional Development and Preservation Practice. The Assistant General Counsel will join an in-house transactional practice that includes all aspects of real estate and housing development, including tax and financial structuring, title and real estate conveyancing, zoning analysis and relief, review of environmental matters, organization of ownership entities including nonprofit and for-profit corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships, and negotiating and closing complex financings involving multiple private and public funding sources. The Assistant General Counsel assist with transactional matters, and will represent TCB and its affiliates in the acquisition, development, construction, financing, operation, compliance and disposition of affordable and mixed income residential and commercial properties.

Compliance and Management. The Legal Department provides counsel in all aspects of regulatory and legal compliance and legal aspects of the operation and management of affordable and mixed-income housing communities and the provision of services to residents. The Assistant General Counsel may be assigned to assist in the provision of advice and counsel regarding such matters and the development and implementation of corporate and compliance policies, forms, systems and tools to ensure the effective management of legal and other operating risks.

Legal Entity Formation and Maintenance. We regularly provide advice regarding TCB’s corporate structure, its capital and lending relationships, its 501(c)(3) status, and the formation and maintenance of approximately 400 subsidiaries and affiliates (including business and nonprofit corporations, partnerships and LLCs) in various states to accomplish the organization’s objectives.

Legislative and Policy Matters. The Assistant General Counsel may be asked to participate in legislative and policy matters in connection with business development activities.
Minimum Qualifications and Skills:
Education & Experience:

Excellent academic record;
2-4 years’ experience as a practicing corporate and/or transactional attorney, with demonstrated ability to manage complex engagements in a team environment;
Experience with most of the following — affordable housing and community development finance, LIHTC, NMTC and other tax credits, real estate law, zoning and permitting, construction contracts, nonprofit organizations, fair housing, and general corporate and employment law;
Admission to state bar; and
Demonstrated commitment to affordable housing and community development or related mission-oriented work.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Ability to analyze and solve complex legal problems;
Excellent writing and communication skills;
Effective legal and business judgment in challenging situations;
Strong computer literacy; and
Innovative and creative thinker and problem solver.
Application Deadline
02/28/2018
Application Requirements
  • Resume
  • Cover Letter