Real Estate Paralegal

Honigman is a premier business law firm, based in Michigan with an international practice. Honigman is consistently recognized as one of the 101 Best and Brightest Places to Work, we earned this recognition by recruiting attorneys and staff members with outstanding credentials. Currently, we are looking for a Real Estate Paralegal I in our Kalamazoo office. In addition to our Kalamazoo office, we have offices in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Bloomfield Hills, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Chicago, IL, and Washington D.C. With more than 350 attorneys working in 60 different areas of concentration, Honigman provides timely and cost-effective counsel to clients in numerous industries.

The Real Estate Paralegal will assist the Firm’s real estate attorneys in various aspects of purchase, sale, financing and lease transactions involving large retail shopping center developments, residential housing and condominium projects, office buildings, data centers, and other commercial developments. The Real Estate Paralegal will utilize knowledge and understanding of various legal processes and issues to perform substantive work, including factual and legal research and analysis, drafting and editing correspondence and documents.

• Organize, review and maintain due diligence documents such as easement agreements, lease agreements, entity documents, management agreements, and related documentation.
• Review purchase and sale agreements and/or financing agreements to prepare checklists for documentation, timelines, and responsible parties. Update checklists as required as transaction progresses.
• Review title insurance commitments and policies including supporting documentation.
• Review surveys and plat maps for accuracy regarding legal descriptions and title matters including easements and encroachments.
• Procure, organize and review lender and title company required information such as UCC, litigation and bankruptcy searches, and underlying entity formation and status documentation.
• Prepare analyses of the status of title and survey in the form of memoranda, updating as required during development of the transaction, and prepare title and survey objection letters.
• Research, review, and summarize city, county and state regulations pertaining to real estate transactions.
• Prepare various documents including, but not limited to, organizational documents, amendments, deeds, contracts, estoppel certificates for tenants, declarations, and reciprocal easement owners, non-disturbance agreements, UCC financing statements and amendments, organizational resolutions, and transfer documents.
• Place orders for title insurance and surveys, and follow up with title companies and surveyors regarding title and survey comments.
• Procure title insurance proforma policies and perform post-closing title insurance related tasks, including obtaining and reviewing title insurance policies and copies of recorded documents.
• Order zoning verification letters and zoning reports, and prepare summaries concerning their contents and findings.
• Assist with the preparation of closing documents, including deeds, transfer affidavits, non-foreign affidavits and owner’s affidavits. Prepare closing packages and disseminate to attorneys and clients.
• Assist with the preparation of, tracking and procurement of estoppels and subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreements.
• Prepare letters, analysis memoranda and reports.
• File UCC financing statements and amendments, and documents in all U.S. jurisdictions.
• Interact with various outside entities, including but not limited to clients, governmental agencies and officials, courts, corporations, and other law firms to gather information.

• Bachelor of Science or Arts Degree with a major or minor in paralegal/legal assistant studies, or Bachelor of Science or Arts Degree in any field plus a Paralegal/Legal Assistant Certificate from an ABA approved organization.
• At least 2 years of previous experience as a real estate paralegal or commercial title officer.
• Proficient in MS Word, use of the Internet, use of e-mail, and able to quickly learn and utilize other computer applications used by the firm.…