General Counsel

Position Summary

The General Counsel is the vital leader of the Atlanta Housing’s ("AH") in-house legal team devoted to preserving and creating affordable housing resources throughout the city of Atlanta. This legal support facilitates affordable housing resources for nearly 26,000+ low-income households comprised of approximately 50,000 people. The General Counsel serves as the primary legal advisor to the President and Chief Executive Officer in directing the legal affairs of The Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta, Georgia ("AH"), the AH Board of Commissioners and AH’s affiliated entities.

This role provides strategic guidance and legal counsel on high-profile, sensitive, complex and other legal matters impacting the activities of the organization and leads and manages the day-to-day oversight and execution of AH’s Office of General Counsel ("OGC"). The incumbent ensures maximum protection of the organization’s legal rights, utilizing a broad familiarity with most major legal disciplines including real estate development, real estate preservation, affordable housing, federal government law, state and local government law, transactions, corporate, sunshine laws, contracts, HUD programs, fair housing, personal/premises liability, human resources, litigation and other corporate and property related legal disciplines.

The General Counsel is a key member of the Executive Leadership Team and participates in executive and senior management policy deliberations. The incumbent also delivers strategic and legal advice to AH Business Units, directs the defense of the organization against suits and claims, prepares prosecution of the organization’s claims against others, supervises the provision of legal advice and assistance to the organization with outside law firms procured to provide general and specialized legal services.

The General Counsel role requires direct execution and is also responsible for the professional leadership development of attorneys and administrative support staff within OGC.

• Performs high-level legal, policy and corporate counsel responsibilities related to AH’s governing Board of Commissioners, AH’s affiliates, AH’s Executive Team, other senior executives and AH’s Business Units.
• Acts as Assistant Secretary to the AH Board of Commissioners (Board) directing and overseeing the assigned Board Secretary functions for AH and its affiliated entities, including organizing and facilitating compliant monthly and annual Board meetings following Georgia’s Sunshine Laws, and corporate governance matters.
• Provides legal analysis and advice related to AH’s business activities and initiatives to ensure compliance with Federal, state and local laws, rulings and regulations, including United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations and program guidelines.
• Provides legal services and outside counsel oversight related to AH’s high-profile, sensitive, complex and other routine matters, analyses and investigations involving employment, torts, real property, transactional, contracts, corporate, litigation, regulatory, insurance, fair housing, landlord/tenant, Georgia Sunshine Laws, HUD regulations and programs, Housing Choice Vouchers, Fair Housing, and other specialized matters, including recommendations for settlements, alternative dispute resolution, judicial action or other legal strategies.
• Coordinates and supervises the preparation and execution of legal documents, including various revitalization agreements, purchase and sale agreements, closing statements, declaration of trusts and restrictive covenants, corporate authority documents, legal opinions, escrow agreements, regulatory and operating agreements, intergovernmental agreements, easements, cooperation agreements, leases, licenses, affidavits, deeds, financing documents, memoranda, letters, transactional documents, legal opinions, data security, records retention, and other contracts or agreements.
• Provides strategic legal advice to formulate high-level policy and important strategic objectives associated with major AH real estate-related and other business and policy initiatives.
• Acts as…