General Counsel

Position Summary

The General Counsel serves as the chief legal officer of National Community Renaissance of California and its affiliated entities (collectively, National CORE), providing enterprise-wide legal and risk leadership for a nonprofit affordable housing organization with development, construction, property management, asset management, resident services, and other business activities. Reporting to the Executive Vice President, the General Counsel advises executive leadership and the Boards of Directors on legal risk, corporate governance, strategic decisions, and the legal requirements affecting the organization.

The General Counsel must bring intellectual curiosity, strong learning agility, and the ability to work across legal disciplines and business functions. The role requires an attorney who can develop a working understanding of unfamiliar issues, connect legal analysis with operational and financial considerations, and provide practical recommendations. Success depends on sound judgment, effective collaboration, and the ability to determine which matters to handle directly, delegate internally, or address through specialized outside counsel.

The General Counsel leads a growing Legal Department and is accountable for the quality, timeliness, consistency, and cost of legal support across the enterprise. The position combines executive judgment with direct involvement in significant matters and close partnership with operating teams to develop and implement plans that support National CORE's mission, financial stewardship, and business objectives.

Principal Responsibilities

Enterprise Legal Leadership: Serve as the principal legal advisor to executive leadership and the Boards. Identify material legal risks, present practical options, and provide timely advice on decisions affecting multiple entities or business units. Help resolve competing legal and operational priorities and escalate significant matters with clear recommendations.

Business Partnership and Risk Planning: Serve as a core business advisor to executive leadership and operating teams. Work directly with departments to understand their objectives, investigate issues, analyze legal and business risks, and develop practical plans for addressing them. Participate actively in implementation by helping teams establish responsibilities, decision points, safeguards, and follow-up actions. Translate legal analysis into clear recommendations and work collaboratively to carry those recommendations through to resolution.

Corporate Governance and Entity Management: Oversee legal support for nonprofit, corporate, partnership, and limited liability company governance, including governing documents, delegations of authority, resolutions, entity records, and affiliated-entity structures. Advise on Board and committee responsibilities, fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, related-party transactions, and appropriate approval processes. Support Board and committee meetings and coordinate corporate secretary functions as assigned.

Legal Department Leadership and Development: Lead and develop a growing Legal Department through collaboration, clear expectations, thoughtful delegation, and shared accountability. Assess organizational needs and help shape the department's staffing, capabilities, and allocation of responsibilities as National CORE evolves. Recruit, coach, and mentor attorneys and support personnel; encourage professional growth and knowledge sharing; and build a team culture grounded in sound judgment, responsiveness, mutual respect, and service to the organization. Work cooperatively with department leaders to align legal resources with business priorities. Establish service expectations, seek internal client feedback, and build succession and professional development plans.

Outside Counsel and Legal Operations: Establish consistent procedures for retaining, managing, and evaluating outside counsel. Manage the legal budget, fee arrangements, invoice review, matter reporting, and allocation of legal costs with Finance. Track workloads, spending, outcomes, and service performance; internalize appropriate recurring work while preserving access to specialist counsel.

Real Estate Development and Financing: Oversee legal support for acquisitions, dispositions, development, rehabilitation, leases, easements, title matters, and ownership structures. Coordinate with Development, Construction, Asset Management, Finance, and specialist counsel on affordable housing programs, tax credits, public finance, tax-exempt bonds, loans, partnership agreements, and closing requirements.

Construction and Project Disputes: Oversee legal support for architect and design agreements, construction contracts, change orders, warranties, and project disputes, including delay claims, defects, and contractor performance. Work with Construction, Development, and outside specialists to evaluate claims, preserve contractual rights, and develop practical resolution plans.

Land Use and Environmental Matters: Coordinate legal advice concerning land use, entitlements, permitting, environmental review, and remediation obligations. Help project teams identify approval requirements, allocate responsibility, and address issues affecting project feasibility, cost, or timing, with specialized outside counsel as appropriate.

Portfolio Preservation and Restructuring: Advise on refinancing, resyndication, rehabilitation, partnership exits, defaults, workouts, and preservation of existing assets. Work with Asset Management, Finance, Development, and outside counsel to evaluate alternatives, protect contractual rights, and support the long-term financial and physical sustainability of the portfolio.

Commercial Agreements and Business Operations: Oversee negotiation, drafting, and administration of significant commercial agreements, including property management, vendor, resident services, construction, consulting, technology, and other operating agreements. Set contracting standards, address material risk allocation, and advise on performance disputes, termination rights, and contractual remedies.

Property Management and Resident Services: Provide legal oversight for owned and third-party managed housing operations, including fair housing, reasonable accommodations, landlord-tenant issues, resident disputes, and management obligations. Coordinate specialist counsel and partner with Property Management, Compliance, Asset Management, and resident services leaders to develop consistent practices that protect residents and the organization.

Employment and Labor Matters: Advise Human Resources and management on employment policies, personnel decisions, wage and hour matters, leave and accommodations, workplace investigations, labor relations, separations, and employment claims. Promote early legal involvement in significant personnel matters and coordinate employment specialists where needed. Oversee legal responses to prevailing wage and labor investigations affecting construction or operations.

Litigation and Investigations: Oversee enterprise litigation, claims, administrative proceedings, and internal or external investigations. Establish case strategy with internal and outside counsel, review exposure and budgets, and advise on settlement recommendations within delegated authority. Ensure appropriate preservation, discovery, privilege protection, witness preparation, and executive reporting.

Compliance and Ethics: Provide legal oversight and guidance for applicable laws, regulations, financing requirements, and contractual obligations across jurisdictions. Partner with the Compliance Department and other responsible departments on compliance programs, business conduct, conflicts of interest, whistleblower matters, fraud prevention, and corrective action. Distinguish legal requirements from operational responsibilities and address significant compliance concerns promptly.

Risk Management and Insurance: Partner with Risk Management, Finance, business leaders, brokers, and insurers to assess enterprise exposure, contractual insurance obligations, coverage questions, claims, and loss prevention. Advise on indemnification, guarantees, insurance recoveries, and liability containment; coordinate legal support for significant incidents and crisis response.

Strategic Transactions and New Ventures: Participate in strategic planning and evaluate the legal implications of acquisitions, mergers, divestitures, joint ventures, restructurings, and new business initiatives. Oversee due diligence, transaction documentation, governance arrangements, and integration or separation issues. Coordinate specialized advice on tax-exempt status, tax exposure, and financing implications, including for hospitality and other ancillary ventures.

Public Funding and Regulatory Matters: Advise on interactions with public agencies, regulators, lenders, investors, and other stakeholders. Oversee legal review of development agreements, ground leases, grants, regulatory agreements, and other public funding commitments. Coordinate responses to inquiries, audits, investigations, and enforcement matters. Monitor material legislative and regulatory developments and advise leadership on government relations, lobbying, and policy implications.

Technology and Information Protection: Oversee legal advice concerning software and technology agreements, intellectual property, confidentiality, privacy, cybersecurity incidents, and records retention. Partner with Information Technology and business teams and engage specialist counsel when needed.

Policy Development and Training: Develop and review corporate policies with responsible departments, provide practical training, and improve processes for obtaining legal advice, approving contracts, and escalating risk.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with the California Bar.
• Demonstrated ability to learn unfamiliar areas of law and business, synthesize information across disciplines, and apply sound legal and business judgment to complex organizational decisions.
• At least 15 years of progressively responsible legal experience, with substantial experience advising executives and managing complex corporate, transactional, regulatory, or litigation matters.
• Ability to lead collaboratively, develop people, and build the capabilities of a growing legal team. Experience supervising or mentoring attorneys, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, and improving the delivery of legal services is preferred. Prior General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, or comparable senior legal leadership experience is preferred.
• Broad legal experience and the ability to oversee matters spanning corporate governance, commercial contracts, employment, litigation, real estate, financing, construction, property management, compliance, and risk management. Specialized expertise in every area is not expected.
• Demonstrated ability to work closely with business teams, investigate unfamiliar problems, and turn legal and operational analysis into practical plans with clear ownership and follow-through.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas is preferred: affordable housing development or finance; public finance; real estate development, ownership, or asset management; construction; property management; or nonprofit organizations. Familiarity with affordable housing programs, tax credits, tax-exempt financing, and related regulatory requirements is helpful. Candidates may bring relevant experience from other industries and demonstrate the ability to apply that experience in National CORE's operating environment.
• Ability to counsel a multi-entity organization operating across jurisdictions and translate legal analysis into practical business decisions.
• Strong negotiation, writing, communication, and analytical skills; demonstrated discretion, independence, sound judgment, and ability to manage confidential matters.
• Commitment to National CORE's mission and ability to build trusted relationships with Boards, executives, employees, and external stakeholders.

Core Competencies

Learning and Cross Disciplinary Capability: Approach unfamiliar legal and business issues with curiosity, develop the necessary understanding, and connect insights across disciplines. Recognize when to seek specialized advice and integrate that advice into practical decisions.

Executive Judgment: Assess legal exposure alongside operational, financial, reputational, and mission considerations; provide clear recommendations and escalate material risk.

Integrity and Governance: Maintain professional independence, protect confidentiality and privilege, and support sound institutional decision-making.

Collaborative Leadership: Lead cooperatively, recruit and develop talent, delegate thoughtfully, and build a culture of mutual respect, shared accountability, and continuous learning.

Business Partnership and Problem Solving: Work alongside teams to investigate issues, assess alternatives, develop plans, and support implementation. Communicate clearly and maintain constructive working relationships across functions.

Stewardship and Execution: Prioritize competing demands, manage legal costs, and deliver reliable advice and follow-through.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

This position primarily operates in a professional office environment and may require travel to National CORE offices, properties, meetings, Board or committee sessions, trainings, and organizational events. The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

FLSA Status

Exempt