General Counsel

A popular year-round destination, Governors Island is a 172-acre island in the heart of New York Harbor located between Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn waterfront. For almost two centuries, the Island was closed to the public, operating as a military base for the U.S. Army and, later, the Coast Guard. Today, an award-winning new park is complemented by dozens of unique historic buildings, educational and cultural facilities, a rich arts and culture program and a 22-acre National Monument managed by the National Park Service.

Looking ahead, the long-term vision for Governors Island focuses on continuing to expand year-round public access by enlivening it with transformative public art and culture, extraordinary recreational and open space, and research and education dedicated to addressing the global climate crisis.

Reporting to the President & CEO, the General Counsel will advise on legal and compliance matters and provide guidance and representation on a broad range of issues related to the work of the Trust for Governors Island (TGI or the Trust). The General Counsel will work collaboratively with TGI staff, TGI’s Board of Directors, and relevant government agencies, and will be responsible for managing in-house legal staff and outside counsel.

As a key member of TGI’s senior team, the General Counsel will provide advice on organizational strategies and their implementation, and be responsible for addressing complex contractual, transactional, regulatory, external-relations, and agency management issues, while ensuring legal compliance and limiting risk exposure. The position requires superior drafting, negotiating, organization and communication skills. The General Counsel is an Officer of the Trust and also works closely with the NYC Law Department, which provides outside counsel services pursuant to the agreement between the Trust and the City.

The Trust has retainer agreements with outside law firms for the provision of – on an as‑needed basis – real estate and land use, historic tax credit structuring, employment and maritime legal services.

Other responsibilities include:

• Serve as TGI’s lead attorney, develop positions and strategies relating to all TGI legal matters;
• Participate as a key member of senior staff regarding major business transactions, organizational policies, and long‑term business & programmatic strategies;
• Draft and negotiate all documents required for real estate transactions and other public‑private partnerships, including ground and space leases for the Island;
• Negotiate and review construction contracts, service agreements, event and other permits, licenses and concession agreements;
• Provide full‑spectrum counsel on major capital, operational & programmatic matters, such as the Trust’s multi‑year capital‑development portfolio (design & construction); ferry and maritime operations; the public‑art programs of Governors Island Arts; customer services; tenant relations; audit; and financial management;
• Function as Secretary of TGI’s Board, and work with staff to prepare Board of Director’s meeting agendas, minutes, resolutions, reports and other relevant materials;
• Develop, maintain and enforce the Trust’s internal governance policies and manage semi‑annual and annual filings with various city and state agencies;
• Work with staff on the preparation and management of RFPs, bids and procurement packages to ensure solicitations comply with TGI’s procurement rules and City requirements, as applicable;
• Interface and manage communications with the City’s Law Department and with TGI’s outside law firms;
• Provide management and oversight of TGI’s legal staff to support the legal needs of all departments within the organization;
• Manage and oversee…