Corporate Paralegal

Description

The Corporate Paralegal will manage entity structure, legal operations, and closing support across the Company's real estate finance platform. Reporting to the General Counsel, this is a highly visible role that partners closely with internal deal teams, outside counsel, title companies, and lenders. The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented paralegal with deep transactional real estate experience, strong organizational instincts, and a proven track record of managing high-volume matters and closings.

Dwight is seeking a team player who has a “no job too big or too small” attitude. A proactive thinker with a can-do mentality who is ambitious and intuitive will prove successful. Dwight is looking for an individual who takes pride in their work and flourishes in a fast-paced environment. Must have the ability to manage time wisely, follow up, and communicate status of projects. Our ideal candidate will take direction from the Executive Management team well, offer creative and prompt solutions to issues, and provide meticulous attention to detail.

Role and Responsibilities

Corporate Organization & Entity Management

• Own the Company’s entity database and organizational charts: form, qualify, maintain, convert, and dissolve borrower, guarantor, holding, joint venture, development, and management entities across multiple jurisdictions, and keep the structure charts current as the portfolio changes.
• Prepare and maintain formation and organizational documents, including certificates of formation, limited liability company agreements, limited partnership agreements, operating agreements, and amendments and restatements.
• Prepare and maintain governance records: board and member consents, resolutions, incumbency and secretary’s certificates, officer and director slates, signature authority matrices, minute books, and ownership ledgers.

Matter Management & Legal Operations

• Own matter intake and the department’s matter tracker: open, categorize, assign, and close matters, and maintain status, responsible attorney, counterparty, outside counsel, key dates, and next action for every open item.
• Maintain the legal calendar and tickler system for closing dates, milestones, consent deadlines, reporting covenants, renewal dates, and statutory and filing deadlines, and escalate items at risk of slipping.
• Build and maintain the legal document management system and file taxonomy so that any executed document, closing set, or binder can be located on demand.
• Assemble and circulate signature packets, manage execution and notarization logistics, track outstanding signatures to completion, and distribute fully executed sets.
• Prepare and maintain closing checklists and diligence trackers, coordinate deliverables among internal teams, outside counsel, title companies, and counterparties, and drive open items to closed.
• Manage outside counsel administratively: engagement letters, conflicts waivers, billing guidelines, invoice review and coding, accrual reporting, and coordination with accounting on payment.
• Identify recurring bottlenecks and build the templates, forms, checklists, and process improvements that reduce turnaround time as deal volume grows.

Financing, Joint Ventures, Acquisitions, and Dispositions

• Support internal and external real estate counsel on financings, acquisitions, and dispositions
• Order, review, and summarize UCC, judgment, lien, litigation, and bankruptcy searches, and prepare and file UCC-1 financing statements, amendments, and terminations.
• Review title commitments, surveys, and organizational document exception items, and track resolution of requirements through closing.
• Compile post-closing binders and confirm that all recordings, filings, and originals are received and filed.

General Company Matters

• Maintain the contract repository: log vendor agreements, NDAs, engagement letters, and licenses, track expiration, renewal, and termination dates, and circulate renewal notices in advance.
• Maintain the litigation docket and matter files, track deadlines and outside counsel reporting, and prepare regular status updates for the appropriate parties.
• Coordinate document collection and production, and assist with responses to subpoenas, regulatory inquiries, and audit requests.

Required Experience & Skill Sets

• 1-5 years of paralegal experience at an AmLaw 100 firm and/or in-house legal department.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Experience supporting real estate, real estate finance, structured finance, private funds or investment management matters is preferred.
• Experience with entity or matter management platforms and document management systems
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and manage a high volume of matters with competing deadlines.

About Dwight Capital

Dwight & Co includes all the Dwight affiliated companies: Dwight Capital LLC specializes in commercial real estate lending and loan servicing & Dwight Investment Management LLC is a private mortgage REIT that actively invests in commercial real estate debt products. We are motivated self-starters who effectively collaborate, innovate, and evolve to create financial solutions that achieve the best results for our clients. Our firm is headquartered in Miami, FL and maintains offices in New York, NY, St. Petersburg, FL, and Columbus, OH.