Cardinal Group Companies · 1 month ago
Director, Corporate Legal & Compliance
United States
Full-time
Remote
Director/Executive
$175K/yr - $180K/yr
7+ years expCardinal Group Companies is a premier real estate investment, development, construction, marketing, and management company specializing in multifamily and student housing properties. This role will provide legal counsel to support the company's growth while managing legal-business risks, including negotiating contracts and overseeing compliance initiatives.
LeasingProperty ManagementReal EstateReal Estate Investment
Responsibilities
Provide legal advice and assistance on a variety of commercial transactions. The Director will leverage substantive knowledge of market commercial contracting terms and strong negotiation skills to guide sales and operating teams through commercial contract negotiations. This position will lead the review, negotiation and drafting of key commercial contracts that make business possible and manage overflow resourcing and outside counsel
Provide daily counsel to business units regarding issues, programs, and products. The Director brings to the table an understanding of the balance between business interests and legal risks and is able to spot and explain issues to non-legal teammates and find creative solutions to business-legal challenges. The Director should possess a willingness to learn and understand internal business, operational, financial, and technical matters to provide sound legal advice and risk analysis, while simultaneously assisting business clients in achieving their commercial objectives. A successful candidate is able to clearly and concisely identify and explain the ramifications of contractual terms to the business decision-makers and third parties during contract negotiations
Manage outside counsel’s work on litigation and disputes. The Director candidate is not required to have direct litigation experience but should be comfortable managing local counsel that provide legal support for Cardinal’s operations across 40 jurisdictions. Litigation runs the gamut from routine to extraordinary disputes, coordinating with insurance professionals and tracking and reporting on matter status. A successful candidate will guide teammates and outside counsel to uphold the Cardinal value to 'do the right thing' where conflict arises
Develop and maintain legal forms, systems, and processes. A successful candidate will help the company do less with more by continuing the development and improvement of form documents, knowledge databases, and implementing AI tools and platforms to find efficiencies in legal systems and processes, including tech-enabled solutions
Develop and execute training and resources to increase company-wide understanding and awareness of key legal issues and processes. The Director should be a good listener, who turns problems into opportunities to get creative and provide solutions to the business. This is also a position that will educate and mentor teammates, helping them learn how to navigate common legal issues and providing guidance on best practices
Pinch-hit as needed: We are a growing Legal & Compliance team, so we all pitch in to enable the team to meet our mutual goals, pick up the slack, and celebrate the work of our teammates. The Director must adapt to changing initiatives and inputs and be willing to contribute as necessary to ensure the success of the team
Qualification
Required
JD from an ABA-accredited institution
Member of an applicable State Bar in Good Standing
7+ years of relevant experience practicing law, with special emphasis on strong contracting background, with significant experience negotiating and drafting commercial service agreements
Strong understanding of managing the pieces and players in litigation (internal stakeholders, outside counsel, insurance reporting and claims management, clients and client counsel, etc.) and effectively translating the business impact of litigation into actionable and acceptable outcomes
Experience with real estate asset or property management or real estate services, a plus
Medium to large law firm experience and meaningful in-house experience, a plus - specifically looking for someone that can be a business leader and partner not just a lawyer
Self-directed, fast-paced work with the desire to grow into a leadership role
Excellent writing, drafting and verbal communications skills
Must be able to anticipate problems and issues and exercise independent judgment to make sound, justifiable legal decisions, and act in solving problems while knowing when and to whom to escalate issues
Dedication to thorough, detail-oriented, and ethical work, with a willingness to seek help and ask questions when needed
Organizational, time-management and prioritization capabilities; able to manage high-volume workload independently, efficiently, on time and with minimal supervision
Intellectual humility, self-awareness, and accountability with the ability to work collaboratively, respectfully, and openly as part of a team
Ability to learn quickly and maintain stamina and good humor under pressure
Understand the Cardinal values and be able to demonstrate how you embody them in your approach to practicing law in-house
Puts the client first and dedicates time to relationship development. Seen by internal and external colleagues as a reliable, credible, and highly valuable resource
Significant PC knowledge of Excel and Word applications is critical for this role, as well as ability to learn and adapt to new technologies
Has a strong desire to learn the business and apply their legal training to support that business
Strong people management skills - can build, lead, mentor and continue to develop the team members
Applicants seeking remote designation must have at least one (1) year of demonstrable success working from home
Preferred
Experience with real estate asset or property management or real estate services, a plus
Medium to large law firm experience and meaningful in-house experience, a plus - specifically looking for someone that can be a business leader and partner not just a lawyer
Benefits
Health, vision, dental, and pet insurance
401(k) retirement plan
Student loan assistance
Licensing and continuing education reimbursement
Parental leave
Housing allowances or gifts
Company
Cardinal Group Companies
The strength of Cardinal is rooted in our identity.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Gabriella Azmoudeh, PHR
Associate HR Business Partner
John O'Brien
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
Recent News
2026-01-06
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