Commercial Real Estate Paralegal; Leasing Part-Time, Remote

Commercial Real Estate Paralegal (Leasing) - Part-Time, Remote (1099)

Location:

Remote (NY metro area preferred) | Type:
Independent contractor, hourly |

Hours:

Approximately 10-20 per week, varying with deal flow | Rate: $45-$65 per hour, commensurate with experience

We are a third-generation, family-owned commercial real estate enterprise operating a retail portfolio of roughly 30 properties and 500,000 square feet across the New York metro area, with in-house legal, property management, and construction management functions. We are deliberately modernizing how the work gets done: our lease documentation runs on a structured, AI-assisted drafting framework built in-house, and this role operates it.

You will run the lease documentation function end to end for an active retail portfolio, working directly with the principal (a practicing attorney) inside a defined framework of master leases, a negotiation playbook, and clear escalation rules. This is a role for a precise, self-directed paralegal who wants real ownership of a documentation practice, genuine schedule flexibility, and a modern toolkit, not a seat in a document mill.

• Draft leases, modifications, assignments, and related documents from our master framework based on deal terms sheets.
• Triage incoming redlines against the negotiation playbook: resolve issues with pre-approved fallbacks, and summarize anything novel in a concise exceptions memo for the principal’s decision.
• Manage execution paperwork through signing; prepare lease abstracts post-execution.
• Run credit reports on prospective tenants; maintain organized legal files by property and matter.
• Prepare standard notices (rent demands, notices to cure, terminations) for the principal’s approval, and coordinate day to day with outside landlord-tenant counsel on enforcement matters: assembling document packages, tracking court dates and deadlines, reporting status.
• Administer the tax certiorari process: documentation, filing deadlines, and follow-up with outside tax counsel.
• Maintain the currency of templates and playbook materials as they evolve.
• Log hours by matter.

• 3+ years of commercial real estate paralegal experience with significant leasing work; landlord-side and retail experience strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with New York commercial leasing practice; exposure to landlord-tenant proceedings a plus.
• Exacting document management habits and proven remote work discipline: you meet turnaround commitments without supervision.
• Genuine comfort working with AI-assisted drafting tools. We provide the framework and training; you bring accuracy, judgment about what needs a human flag, and willingness to work inside a structured system.
• Clear, economical written communication. The exceptions memo is the core work product: one page that lets a decision get made.

• Fully remote with a weekly video check-in and direct access to the principal during active deals.
• Defined service levels: first drafts within two business days of a completed terms sheet; redline triage within three.
• Hours flex with deal volume. We review logged hours together after six months and right-size the engagement on data, in either direction.