The Battery Park City Authority is a public benefit corporation whose mission is to care for Battery Park City working closely with New York City and New York State. The Senior Counsel will join a collaborative seven-member legal department and report directly to the General Counsel. This role offers the opportunity to represent a New York State public authority engaged in a major environmental resiliency project, among other infrastructure projects, throughout Battery Park City. The Senior Counsel will work closely with other department attorneys, staff, and outside counsel on a wide range of matters, including but not limited to ethics, corporate governance, compliance, Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, and procurement. Depending on prior experience and Authority needs, the Senior Counsel may also be asked to advise and represent the Authority with respect to real estate, construction, employment, public finance and litigation matters, as well as other legal issues.
Essential Duties:
Serve as Ethics Counsel to the Authority. Provide ethics advice as needed, review ethics policies and ensure all requirements related to training, reporting and all other ethics law obligations are met.
Work with various departments of the Authority to assist in developing lawful and sound policies and procedures and take a leadership role in developing and implementing compliance mechanisms, as appropriate.
Ensure compliance with the New York State Freedom of Information Law, and New York Public Authorities Law.
Provide counsel to and assist in the management of the Corporate Governance Committee.
Negotiate, draft, review and revise a wide variety of agreements, including residential and commercial ground leases and amendments, construction agreements, design agreements, license agreements, consulting agreements with architects, engineers, construction managers, and agreements relating to other transactional matters.
Research legal issues and provide written and verbal recommendations or memoranda.
Assist in the preparation of board materials and provide advice on corporate governance matters.
Review compliance of tenants and contractors with lease and contractual requirements; develop, recommend, and implement enforcement options.
In consultation with the General Counsel, supervise outside counsel on a variety of litigation matters, including but not limited to commercial, construction and employment matters.
Perform additional duties as directed.
Education and Experience:
Juris Doctor from ABA accredited law school.
Member in good standing with the New York State Bar.
A minimum of six (6) or more years of law firm, government or applicable in-house experience preferred.
Substantive experience in one or more of the following practice areas is preferred: New York State or City government, significant real estate transactional matters, contracting and procurement, construction or litigation.
Skills:
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and an ability to interact with high level executives and stakeholders.
Ability to work on multiple projects independently and simultaneously.
Ability to interpret statutes, case law, policies and other legal documents, and effectively communicate the content of those documents to applicable constituents.
Ability to prioritize a heavy and varied workload, be responsive and timely, and effectively serve the Authority in a collaborative, teamwork-oriented manner.
Exceptional skills in critical writing and analysis.
Excellent negotiating skills.
Ability to think strategically and proactively evaluate risk factors impacting business decisions.
Physical Requirements:
Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
In office presence is required at least 3 days per week.
Education and Experience:
Juris Doctor from ABA accredited law school.
Member in good standing with the New York State Bar.
A minimum of six (6) or more years of law firm, government or applicable in-house experience preferred.
Substantive experience in one or more of the following practice areas is preferred: New York State or City government, significant real estate transactional matters, contracting and procurement, construction or litigation.