Real Estate Counsel

Apex is seeking Real Estate Counsel to manage real estate transactions related to the development, financing, construction, and operation of utility-scale renewable energy projects. This position reports to the Vice President, Real Estate Counsel, and will be joining a small team of Real Estate Counsels operating within the Land Management Department.

Our Real Estate Counsels occupy a multi-faceted role and provide leadership for projects at all phases of the development life cycle. The position requires impressive cross-functional skills as you’ll have insight into the entirety of the development process.

Our ideal candidate is an action-oriented, hard-working team player who can jump in and support projects from a variety of angles. This position requires excellent communication and writing skills as well as the ability to balance priorities and shift needs on the go. A passion for renewable energy is a must.

Primary Responsibilities

Prepare real estate contracts required in conjunction with the development, construction, and operation of renewable energy projects

Negotiate leases, easements and other real estate agreements with landowners and landowner attorneys

Review title commitments, title proformas, ALTA surveys and supervise title curative work required to obtain title policies

Work closely with title companies and finance counsel to satisfy all requirements leading up to project financing

Lead real estate efforts related to project finance including responding to real estate due diligence requests from lenders, investors and other financing partners

Interact with landowners and landowner attorneys in a manner that projects a positive image of the company

Coordinate with engineers, project managers, GIS leads, O&M team, and finance experts subject matter experts in a professional and efficient manner.

Provide legal support across all functions of the Land Department operations including property administration, leasing and title curative

Anticipate real estate issues, develop plans to mitigate real estate issues and advise on real estate risks and opportunities

Success Profile

To succeed as a Real Estate Counsel at Apex Clean Energy, you’ll need to excel within the following criteria:

Juris Doctor degree from an ABA accredited law school

Admitted to a state bar and eligible for and willing to apply for admission to Virginia State Bar as corporate counsel (if not already admitted as a full member)

Minimum 5 years of experience with large-scale, leveraged real estate transactions, solar, wind and/or battery storage experience strongly preferred

Strong grasp of real estate contract terms and conditions, and ability to understand and interpret complex legal documents

Familiarity with lease negotiations and experience reviewing vesting deeds, entity documents and trust agreements

Familiarity with mineral severances and mineral title curative work

Familiarity with tax credit equity and lender expectations related to real estate documents, title policies and ALTA surveys

Ability to work closely with cross-functional teams of internal and external resources

Excellent leadership, communication, organizational, and negotiation skills

Ability to project a positive image of the company and cultivate and maintain positive relationships

Ability to work in Charlottesville, Virginia preferred (hybrid or remote options available)

How You’ll Grow

At Apex Clean Energy, our professional development plans focus on helping people at every level of their career to identify and use their strengths to do their best work every day. From entry-level employees to senior leaders, we believe there’s always room to learn. We offer opportunities to help sharpen skills in addition to hands-on experience in the dynamic, fast-paced renewable energy industry. From on-the-job learning experiences to a robust multi-week onboarding experience to formal development programs, our professionals have a variety of opportunities to continue to grow throughout their career.

What Apex Can Offer You

At Apex Clean Energy, we know that great people make a great company. We value our people and offer employees a broad, best-in-class range of benefits.

A mission-driven, energetic environment that supports and encourages our people to do their best work every day.

A respect for and celebration of individuality, differences, and uniqueness

Collaborative and driven professional workforce committed to supporting your ideas and feedback and accelerating your potential

Ongoing support and guidance such as on-the-job learning, hands-on experience, and mentorship

Training, strategies, and tools to support your personal and professional growth

Team atmosphere of diverse professionals committed to making an impact as an organization

Opportunities to volunteer and give back to our local communities

Exceptional benefits such as medical and dental; 401(k) with corporate match

Base and bonus commensurate with experience

Responsible Paid Time Off plus standard…