Paralegal - Real Estate/Corporate

Best Best & Krieger LLP is a nationally recognized law firm focused on delivering effective and client-service oriented solutions to complex legal issues facing public agencies, businesses and individuals across the U.S. BBK is proud to trace the firm's success back to the groundwork of professionalism and community service laid by its founders 135 years ago. Today, with nearly 250 attorneys in offices throughout California and in Oregon and Washington, D.C., we efficiently and meaningfully assist our clients with complex, multi-disciplinary issues and provide creative solutions.

At BBK, we place a high degree of value in creating and nurturing a work environment that attracts the best talent and reflects our commitment to inclusiveness and collaboration. We are proud of our diverse workplace, where we respect and value our colleagues for their unique perspectives and experiences.

Highly experienced paralegal with advanced knowledge and background in complex commercial and municipal real estate transactions and knowledge in corporate and business transaction matters.  This position is responsible for assisting attorneys in the drafting and review of purchase and sale agreements, lease agreements, commercial loan transactions, due diligence and escrow instructions and closings for the real estate matters as well as corporation formation, maintenance, dissolution of domestic and foreign entities on the corporate matters. Many times both real estate and corporate matters are integrated and knowledge of each area and tasks are expected.  The paralegal should have the ability to perform a wide variety of tasks requiring extensive knowledge of the Real Property law, Civil Code, Corporations Code, Business & Professions Code and applicable local, state and federal governmental codes, rules and regulations.

REQUIRED RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

Real Estate Duties:

• Assist attorneys in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions from contracts and loan commitments through closing and post-closing.
• Draft and/or review and analyze all required correspondence and commercial purchase and sale, lease, loan, tax and escrow documents, including, but not limited to: Letters of Intent, Purchase and Sale Agreements, Escrow Instructions, Deeds of Trust, Promissory Notes, Releases of Liens, Continuing Guaranties, Loan Agreements, Environmental Indemnity Agreements, Leases, Estoppel Certificates, UCC forms, Security Agreements.
• Assist with commercial real estate due diligence, including title and survey reviews, title objection letters, lease reviews, municipal lien searches, and UCC, judgment, litigation and lien searches.
• Prepare closing checklists, critical dates timelines, title commitments, title policies, closing statements, title and other affidavits, entity authorizations, buyer and seller escrow instructions, customary closing documentation, etc.
• Responsible for closing binders and assist with other aspects of the transactions as needed, both locally and nationally.
• Provide coordination efforts with respect to documentation and closing of real estate transactions, including sales, purchases, leases, and financing.
• Serves as liaison between legal team and client to assure quality and timely response. Daily contact (in person, in writing, or on the telephone) with clients, opposing counsel, brokers, as well as title and escrow officers all the while demonstrating a positive attitude with professionalism, courtesy, and appropriate tact and discretion in all interactions.
• Assist in performing due diligence review, including hiring consultants, corporate or other entity status (obtaining good standing certificates and certified copies of formation documents from Secretaries of State), review and analysis of environmental studies, surveys and preliminary title reports, maps and underlying title documents.
• Online research using Westlaw, Lexis, various Secretary of State business portals, Board of Equalization, State and Federal Tax Form portals, and County and City portals
• Selects, assembles, summarizes and compiles substantive information by use of federal, state, and local agency statutes, regulations, ordinances, resolutions, digests, commentaries, legal instruments and other materials/sources of information specific to the applicable practice area.
• Conducts legal, public records, and other research relating to simple and complex matters, summarizes findings and recommends proposed courses of action and/or solutions to the assigning attorney; is knowledgeable about internet research sources; assists with problem formulation, data collection, and analysis as needed by the assigning attorney.
• Performs research and analysis of real property legal descriptions, property ownership, property profiles, title reports, leases, licenses, and contracts.

Corporate Duties:

• Organizes business entities of all types (corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships).
• Prepares and files incorporation, merger, acquisition, dissolution and related documents and prepares amendments to corporate documents as needed.
• Prepares incorporation documents including but not limited to certificate/articles of incorporation, bylaws, restricted stock purchase agreements, organizational board and stockholder resolutions and related applications, filings and documentation, checks availability of and reserves corporate entity names
• Assists with due diligence process, including tracking diligence requests and reviewing capitalization tables and underlying equity issuances, certain documents related to corporate organizational matters (including incorporation documents, minutes and board and stockholder consents) and basic commercial contracts.
• Prepares closing deliverables (including secretary’s certificates, bring-down certificates, stock powers and director and officer resignations), board and stockholder consents and closing volumes.
• Prepares, maintains and updates database for corporate capitalization records, drafts stock option and restricted stock agreements, effects transfers of stock and prepares stock certificates.
• Obtains and coordinates the delivery of good-standing certificates from filing agent.
• Retrieves documents from government agencies, private document retrieval companies and internal sources as appropriate.
• Preparing annual minutes and shareholder and board resolutions.
• Maintaining minute books and other corporate records, including capitalization information.
• Order and maintain corporate records and review corporate documents for making recommendations to attorneys for cleaning up corporate records.
• Drafting and arranging for UCC filings, amendments, extensions and terminations relating primarily to secured transactions, and conducting computerized lien searches.
• Work with outside vendors and internal firm service groups to assist with corporate filings, such as annual returns, secretary of state and business license filings.
• Maintain tickler system for annual minutes and trademark renewals.
• Prepare correspondence to clients for attorneys signature and serve as liaison between legal team and client to assure quality and timely response

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

The degree of knowledge and ability as outlined under this section is that which is necessary to satisfactorily perform the essential functions of this position set forth above and:

• Experience and satisfactory skill levels in all areas of Responsibility and Duties, above, with excellent skills in at least several of those areas. Paralegals without satisfactory skill levels in one or more areas may satisfy the requirements of that skill set by demonstrating a likely ability to quickly develop such a skill level.
• Excellent organizational skills including record keeping, data collection, and system information. Ability to compile and analyze data and furnish concise, detailed information in report format, written correspondence, e‑mail, or verbally.
• Possess excellent knowledge of reading, writing, grammar, spelling, punctuation, proofreading, and formatting in order to interpret source data, prepare real estate transactional documents and forms, proofread material for grammatical, typographical, and spelling errors, and perform file maintenance.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills. Ability to communicate with courtesy and diplomacy, efficiently follow written and verbal instructions, provide information and training, and maintain effective relationships with a diverse group of attorneys, clients, staff, and outside contacts.
• Exhibit high degree of initiative with excellent analytical, technical, and critical-thinking skills requiring an aptitude for detail, precision, and logic in order to analyze and research real estate transactional data, process information, conduct legal research, and perform essential duties.
• Dependable team player with the ability to act independently and make decisions within scope of the position’s responsibilities. Proactive with excellent troubleshooting, problem resolution, and follow-through skills.
• Ability to work independently, organize, prioritize, and oversee numerous tasks from inception to completion, and ensure work is completed within strict deadlines with a high level of competence and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-driven, detail-oriented work environment, and adapt to changes in workflow with a proven ability to remain composed and professional under stressful circumstances.
• Willingness to learn and accept work in other areas of the law, as needed.
• Ability to adapt related skills to assist peers, as needed.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Position requires compliance with the Calif. Business and Professions Code Sections 6450-6456. Incumbent should possess a paralegal certificate from an ABA-approved program OR accredited post-secretary institution, as well as a minimum of four years of specific paralegal experience.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND CHARACTERISTICS:

(not position specific)

• Previous work experience in a law office. Notary Public highly recommended.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, copy machines, filing cabinets and fax machines.
• Normal law office environment with little exposure to excessive noise, dust, temperature and the like.

The reasonably expected pay scale for this position with 10 or more years of experience is $85,000 - $95,000 annually, non-exempt.  The actual salary within that range will depend on the selected candidate’s location and experience.  We encourage all interested candidates to apply.

Best Best & Krieger is an equal opportunity employer.