Senior Legal Administrator

Position Overview:

The Senior Legal Administrator is responsible for overseeing all legal operations and managing the coordination between the property management, legal teams, and external counsel. This role ensures the effective management of legal cases, compliance with housing regulations, and the resolution of tenant disputes. The Legal Administrator will also track legal matters, ensure accurate documentation, and provide ongoing support to property managers and tenants, maintaining efficient communication across departments.

Key Responsibilities of the Senior Legal Administrator:

Preventive & Creative Strategies / Cross-Departmental Collaboration

• Develop and implement proactive measures to reduce legal exposure, including lease violations, arrears, late renewals, and subsidy/recertification issues.
• Partner with leadership to design innovative approaches that minimize disputes, strengthen compliance, and improve resident retention.
• Act as liaison between property management, leasing, compliance teams, and outside counsel to ensure smooth communication.
• Perform other legal, compliance, and resident-related tasks as assigned to support ownership and property management needs.

Legal Case Management & Compliance

• Interpret tenant ledgers to identify discrepancies, verify arrears, and support documentation for court proceedings.
• Manage issuance of default notices, affidavits, warrants, and court updates, maintaining accurate records in Yardi.
• Initiate and oversee all non-payment and holdover proceedings, from arrears reporting to court tracking, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Ensure ownership is represented at all court appearances, coordinating attendance with property managers, outside counsel, or both.
• Oversee eviction workflow by ensuring property managers schedule and complete warrant executions with marshals.

Document Preparation & Litigation Support

• Prepare legal documentation, including notices, riders, settlement agreements, and surrender agreements.
• Provide regular case updates to leadership and outside counsel, maintaining a current litigation database and ensuring steady case progression.
• Manage post-move-out collections and oversee the transfer of tenant files to collections agencies.

Regulatory Compliance

• Respond to DHCR complaints (e.g., alleged rent overcharge, harassment, renewal disputes, or reduction in services) in coordination with counsel.
• Ensure compliance with housing codes and rent stabilization regulations, preparing necessary filings and reports.

Financial Oversight

• Review attorney invoices for accuracy, reconcile charges, and monitor overall legal spending against budget.
• Perform other duties as assigned by management

Skills & Qualifications:

• Solid understanding of NYC landlord/tenant law, rent stabilization, tenant rights, and housing code regulations.
• Hands-on experience managing legal cases, including non-payment, holdovers, & DHCR complaints.
• Familiarity with Yardi or other legal/case tracking systems.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to liaise across departments and with external counsel.
• Financial acumen for reviewing ledgers, legal budgets, and tracking legal expenses.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Law, Business, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• 5+ years’ experience preferred; candidates with 3+ years & exceptional experience in legal administration, NYC housing law, or property management legal operations will be considered.
• Familiarity with DHCR, HPD, and other local housing regulatory bodies preferred.

What else can you expect from The Douglaston Companies?

• Health: We proudly offer a full suite of health benefits! Thats medical, dental, vision, FSA, HSA, and even pet insurance for your furry family, to name a few. We also provide Life Insurance employer paid (basic with option to purchase more), Enhanced Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability coverage!
• Wealth: Competitive  pay, 401(k) plan with a very generous employer match and vesting schedule because your retirement is just as important to us as it is to you!
• Development: virtual courses, tuition reimbursement, lunch and learns and wellness programs.
• Balance: paid time off, 9 company holidays, hybrid work schedule with 4 days in the office and 1 remote (subject to your location and role). We offer a fun-fast paced culture that’s a perfect mix of high performance.

Salary Range:

• $110,000 - $120,000

The pay range for this role is $110,000 to $120,000.  Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location. 

Who we are:

Douglaston Development, Levine Builders, and Clinton Management are a dynamic privately held group of companies with a unique owner-builder-manager advantage, known collectively as The Douglaston Companies.

The Douglaston Companies started with the founding of Levine Builders in 1979 with just two people. Standing by our core values of integrity and ethics for the past four decades the firm has grown to 200 employees. By providing general contracting and construction management services, Levine Builders has built, renovated and rehabilitated thousands of residential units and millions of square feet of commercial, hotel, office buildings, retail centers, religious, educational, and healthcare facilities.

With the later establishment of Douglaston Development as the driving engine of the organization, the two companies worked in unison to leverage each others expertise to develop and build most complex projects while also growing and thriving in challenging markets.

In 2002, Clinton Management was founded to manage the expanding portfolio of developments created by Douglaston Development and constructed by Levine Builders. Clinton Management oversees a broad portfolio of moderate-income housing, luxury apartments, commercial, and retail properties.

Each affiliate company works together to cohesively acquire property, develop it to its full potential, and manage it efficiently, assuring that each investment achieves and maintains maximum value and profitability while strengthening the community in which the assets are located.