Real Estate Associate

A Chicago-based law firm is seeking a Real Estate Associate (4+ years) to join a sophisticated real estate practice focused on complex transactions and distressed real estate matters. The role offers hands-on responsibility and direct client exposure across a broad range of commercial real estate work.

• 4+ years of commercial real estate experience
• Experience representing lenders and/or borrowers
• Familiarity with distressed real estate, workouts, foreclosures, or restructuring matters preferred
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills

• Distressed commercial real estate loans and portfolio analysis
• Workouts, restructurings, foreclosures, receiverships, and bankruptcy-related matters
• Acquisitions and dispositions of commercial, industrial, and residential properties
• Commercial leasing (office, retail, industrial, and ground leases)
• Debt and equity financing, including construction, mezzanine, and hybrid debt
• Joint ventures, development transactions, and REO dispositions
• Real estate tax structuring, including 1031 exchanges and entity structuring

• Sophisticated real estate work with real responsibility
• Lean teams and partner-level mentorship
• Strong lender-side platform with repeat institutional clients
• High level of autonomy without big-firm bureaucracy