Description:
As the Counsel for Real Estate and Commercial you will provide legal counsel and advice to A Garden Company's business divisions and corporate functions on real estate matters, contracts, and other commercial legal matters.What Will You Do?
- Real Estate
- Responsibility for legal aspects of enterprise-wide, global real estate portfolio
- Draft and negotiate new leases and lease renewals
- Manage real property acquisitions and dispositions, including negotiating purchase agreements, conducting title and survey review, addressing title matters and coordinating with title companies, drafting closing documentation, and overseeing and directing outside counsel
- Draft and negotiate easements, license and use agreements, 3PL agreements, SNDAs, and tenant estoppel certificates
- Pursue entitlements from municipalities, including platting and zoning approvals and use permits
- Draft and negotiate construction documents
- Pursue public incentives, including overseeing outside incentives consultant and drafting and negotiating incentives award documentation
- Provide guidance to and partner with outside real estate broker to manage lease expiration schedule, lease negotiations, market surveys, location studies, RFPs, and appraisals
- Conduct real estate due diligence for potential corporate transactions
- Manage and improve standard real estate related forms and templates
- Provide practical, business-oriented advice relating to real estate matters and risks
- Contracts and Commercial Legal Responsibilities
- Draft, edit, and negotiate various contracts, with a particular focus on sourcing agreements and contracts for sales to cooperative purchasing entities, national accounts and government accounts
- Advise corporate stakeholders on identifying and managing contract risks and propose creative solutions to work through impasses in contract negotiations
- Assist business units with issues of contract interpretation, enforcement, and resolution of disputes with vendors
- Advise domestic business units on legal issues relating to advertising and promotional activities
- Provide counsel and support on product warranty statements, bankruptcy and lien notices, and small claims matters
- Work on special projects and additional responsibilities as needed (which may vary based on a candidate's particular skills and experience)
What Do You Need?
- JD degree from ABA accredited law school
- Licensed to practice law in Minnesota
- 3-5 years' experience in private practice or in-house legal department, with significant transactional real estate preferred
- Experience representing clients in the manufacturing industry preferred
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including strong negotiation and analytical skills
- Ability to communicate effectively at all organizational levels, including with senior leadership
- Excellent business judgment, negotiation, and analytical skills
- Ability to collaborate across business functions and teams
- Ability to distill and translate complex legal issues into actionable, business-oriented advice
- Ability to assess and prioritize multiple tasks/projects and deadlines simultaneously
- Works independently, efficiently, and proactively to manage projects from beginning to end
- Highest ethical standards
- Ability to handle sensitive information in a confidential manner
