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Legal Counsel (location flexible)
Who we are:
At TPL, we're a team of outdoor advocates who believe in connecting everyone to the outdoors. As an ethos, we believe access to the outdoors is a fundamental human need and essential to our health and well-being. We're committed to creating more places that bring us outside—parks, trails, playgrounds, and public lands—and making them available and welcoming to everyone, everywhere, regardless of ZIP code. We also understand that land has meaning; it tells the story of our history. That's why, through our Black History and Culture initiative, we're working to preserve sites that more fully represent the Black American experience; and we're an ally and partner to Tribal and Indigenous communities, working in partnership to reconnect them with their ancestral lands.
One hundred million people, including 28 million children, don't have nearby access to a park within ten minutes of their home. We're determined to change this outdoor equity gap–and as a result, nine million people and counting now have access because of our work. We have miles to go and a plan to get there. We're inclusive change-makers who believe in connecting everyone to the outdoors. We inspire by paving the way forward and strengthening our connection to nature. Join us!
Position Summary:
The Legal Counsel provides legal advice and support to advance Trust for Public Land’s parks, trails and schoolyards initiatives. Primary responsibilities are working with staff to structure, document, and complete park, trails and schoolyard projects that are legally sound and consistent with Trust for Public Land’s mission, authority, policies and procedures.
Essential Functions:
- Support staff in implementing, negotiating and completing park, schoolyard and trails projects, from community engagement to design and construction, and other mission-related activities.
- Drafts, reviews and advises on documents for park, schoolyard and trail community engagement, design and construction projects (i.e., MOUs; RFPs and other procurement packages; design and construction contracts; agreements with public agencies; grant proposals and agreements).
- Ensures that legal agreements are in accordance with laws, existing agreements, public policy, and internal policies and protocols.
- Participates, when necessary, with staff in stakeholder and consultant negotiations and public agency discussions.
- Advises on issues such as delays, variations, defects, insurance, and bond claims.
- Assists in post completion administration.
- Works as part of the organization’s team of attorneys and legal assistants.
Other Responsibilities:
- As needed, and as time allows, Counsel II will assist with additional legal services as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Juris Doctor, admission to state bar.
- Minimum of 3 years of construction law experience is required, including drafting and negotiation of AIA forms and other design and construction contracts. Familiarity with municipal and state law, real estate law, federal grants, and working with tax-exempt organizations and public agencies preferred.
- A well-developed understanding of critical path planning from conceptual design to construction documentation to construction implementation to construction close-out.
- Experience advising clients to meet business objectives and develop practical solutions within defined policies and practices in a manner that appropriately manages legal risk and advances the organization’s mission.
- Ability to draft quality legal documents quickly, and to respond promptly and helpfully to the needs of staff.
- A willingness to share knowledge and provide necessary training in order to improve TPL’s delivery of services to agency partners.
- Sense of humor and composure when dealing with staff of diverse personalities and work styles, all of whom are under pressure to meet their programmatic goals.
- Ability to change the thinking of, or gain acceptance of, others in sensitive situations, both within and outside the organization.
- Ability to anticipate problems and identify probable issues of concern in advance.
- Results-oriented and creative in problem-solving.
- Aptitude for independent work exercising good judgment within broadly defined policies and practices. Assignments are complex and substantially important to organization.
- Comfortable working in multiple jurisdictions and managing multiple projects in a decentralized environment.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- A commitment to Trust for Public Land’s mission and organizational values of Belonging, Collaboration, Creativity, Impact, and Hope
Trust for Public Land’s active goal is to be an inclusive and equitable place to work and build community. As the organization actively works to eliminate racial and other disparities it welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skillsets. We are open to the possibility that a great candidate for this job may not precisely meet all the above criteria; if you believe you are the right person for this job and can persuasively make that case, we encourage you to apply.
