Senior Counsel - Litigations & Investigations

Senior Counsel, Litigation & Investigations

Position Summary

The Senior Counsel, Litigation & Investigations will support the Legal Department of National Community Renaissance of California and its affiliated entities (collectively, National CORE), with primary responsibility for managing litigation, claims, investigations and related discovery matters across the enterprise. Reporting initially to the Assistant General Counsel, the attorney will work closely with outside counsel and internal business teams to coordinate discovery, prepare witnesses, manage litigation deadlines and legal holds, investigate claims and disputes, and support the Companys response to litigation and regulatory or administrative investigations.

The position is intended for an experienced litigation attorney capable of independently managing significant portions of the Companys litigation docket, with responsibilities expanding over time to include greater ownership of litigation strategy, investigations, outside-counsel management and related risk-management matters.

Principal Responsibilities

• Litigation & Claims Management: Manage assigned litigation, pre-litigation claims and investigations from initial intake through resolution, coordinating with the Assistant General Counsel, Risk Management, business leaders, insurers and outside counsel.
• Discovery & Deposition Management: Take primary responsibility for coordinating document preservation, collection and production; written discovery; identification and preparation of witnesses; and deposition preparation and support.
• Investigations: Conduct and coordinate internal fact gathering, witness interviews and document review, and assist with responses to governmental, regulatory and administrative investigations.
• Outside Counsel Management: Serve as an internal point of contact for outside litigation counsel, coordinate factual and document support, monitor deadlines and case activity, and progressively assume greater responsibility for strategy, budgets and performance.
• Litigation Holds & Matter Tracking: Administer litigation holds, service-of-process and matter-management processes and maintain accurate reporting concerning litigation, claims and investigations.
• Risk & Business Counseling: Work with Property Management, Asset Management, HR, Risk Management and other departments to identify litigation risk and provide practical legal guidance.
• Fair Housing / Landlord-Tenant Support: Develop familiarity with fair-housing, reasonable-accommodation and landlord-tenant issues affecting the portfolio and provide support in these areas as experience develops.
• Progressive Responsibility: Assume increasing responsibility for independent case management, mediations, settlement analysis, regulatory matters and other Legal Department responsibilities as experience and organizational knowledge develop.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with the California Bar.
• Approximately 5-8 years of relevant legal experience, with meaningful civil litigation experience at a law firm, in-house legal department, government agency or combination thereof.
• Demonstrated experience managing discovery, document production, witness preparation and depositions.
• Experience conducting or supporting internal or external investigations and developing factual records.
• Ability to manage multiple active matters, deadlines and outside counsel simultaneously.
• Strong written and oral communication, judgment and organizational skills.
• Experience with real estate, landlord-tenant, fair housing, employment or other housing-related litigation is preferred but not required.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Litigation Judgment & Strategy: Sound judgment in assessing risk and developing practical litigation and resolution strategies.
• Discovery & Matter Management: Strong organization in managing discovery, deadlines, legal holds, witnesses and multiple active matters.
• Investigative Skills: Ability to develop factual records through document review, interviews and coordinated fact gathering.
• Communication & Collaboration: Clear, practical communication with executives, business teams, witnesses, insurers and outside counsel.
• Business Judgment & Accountability: Practical, responsive and accountable; knows when to escalate significant legal or business risk.

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