In-House General Counsel

On Top of the World Communities is different from all the rest! We offer decades of family-owned expertise providing unmatched experience and dedication to building quality, energy-efficient homes in a well-designed, amenity-rich community.

Colen Built Development seeks a highly motivated and experienced In-House Counsel to serve as the company's chief legal advisor. This critical role will oversee all legal matters, ensure the company operates within the bounds of the law, and protect the company's legal interests. The In-House Counsel will work closely with senior leadership and various departments to provide strategic and day-to-day legal support across all business functions, mitigating legal risks and ensuring regulatory compliance, focusing on residential and commercial construction, contract law, corporate governance, and insurance-related matters. This individual will partner closely with internal departments, which include construction, land development, finance, human resources, and executive leadership. This is a unique opportunity to shape and develop the legal function from the ground up for a multi-entity group engaged in real estate development, property management, recreational services, utility operations, and brokerage services. The successful candidate will not only manage current legal obligations but also help define the legal infrastructure and recruit legal or compliance support as needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The following statements describe the principal functions of this position and the scope of responsibility but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may be expected to perform other duties as assigned, including working in different areas to cover absences or balance the workload. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Serve as the chief legal advisor for a portfolio of affiliated corporations operating in real estate development, property management, utilities, brokerage, and recreational services.
• Develop and lead the in-house legal function, including evaluating future staffing needs and managing outside counsel relationships. Build internal legal workflows, intake protocols, and communication templates. Establish policies for cross-departmental legal review and develop templates to standardize legal documents across departments.
• Serve as the primary point of contact with insurance carriers regarding legal matters, including claims, coverage issues, and policy renewals. Monitor the status of all lawsuits and legal proceedings, ensuring deadlines are met and proactively managing legal risk.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage various agreements, including vendor contracts, subcontractor agreements, MSAs, development agreements, purchase and sale agreements, NDAs, leases, construction contracts, sales agreements, resident forms, guest forms, and insurance documents.
• Serve as legal advisor for resident-facing matters, including response strategies for resident complaints, ADA issues, community use policies, service animal compliance, waiver forms, and interaction with community associations or resident groups.
• Identify and assess legal risks and develop strategies to mitigate those risks across all aspects of the business, providing proactive legal support and education to business units regarding compliance, documentation best practices, and dispute resolution strategies.
• Provide legal counsel on real estate matters, residential and commercial, including land acquisition, development, zoning, homeowner association issues, permitting, brokerage oversight, licensing compliance and entitlement processes in collaboration with development teams.
• Review and advise on construction contracts, potential disputes, compliance with relevant building codes and regulations, warranties, liability, and lien laws.
• Advise leadership on corporate governance, regulatory issues, and compliance with local, state, and federal laws applicable to real estate development and construction, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
• Conduct legal research and advised senior management and other departments on various legal issues.
• Develop and implement company policies and procedures to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and maintain and update internal legal documentation.
• Manage relationships with external legal counsel, oversee their work, and control legal costs when specialized litigation or regulatory matters arise. Act as primary liaison with external legal counsel, overseeing strategy, cost control, and alignment of outside advice with internal priorities. Triage and assign matters to appropriate counsel while maintaining centralized oversight of all legal proceedings
• Support corporate transactions, including entity formation, mergers/acquisitions, financing activities, and due diligence.
• Work collaboratively with HR on employment law matters as needed, including internal investigations and severance agreements.
• Identify legal risks and trends affecting the company?s operations or strategic goals.
• Attend executive team meetings, provide legal updates to leadership, and participate in board meetings or management committees as needed.
• Handle other legal matters as they arise.
• The General Counsel will embed themselves across departments to proactively identify legal needs and streamline compliance procedures.
• Identify emerging legal issues and advise on their potential operational or strategic impact.

Qualifications (Education, Experience, Technical Skills)

Education and Experience:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school.
• Admission to the Florida Bar in good standing.
• Must have corporate law experience, both for profit & non-profit.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of relevant legal experience, preferably a combination of law firm and in-house experience.
• Strong understanding of real estate law, construction law, contract law, and litigation management.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Strong construction, contract negotiation, corporate law, and insurance/risk management expertise.
• Proven experience coordinating with insurance carriers and managing litigation.
• Experience advising on legal issues across diverse entities.
• Experience creating legal infrastructure in a growing environment.
• Excellent legal research, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong negotiation and interpersonal skills to build strong cross-functional relationships.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with various stakeholders.
• Proven ability to provide strategic legal advice to senior management.
• Strong business acumen and ability to translate legal concepts into practical business solutions.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple high-priority projects under deadline.
• Experience with residential development, permitting, and community governance is strongly preferred.
• Prior experience working in a real estate development company or construction-focused organization.
• Background in corporate real estate, property management law, or land acquisition is a plus.

Personal Attributes:

• Exceptional interpersonal skills and a team player (emotionally intelligent)
• Highly organized, ?can-do,? cross-functional collaborator
• Self-motivated and strong work ethic
• Honesty and integrity
• Continuous learner
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Colen Built Development provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Colen Built Development will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.Drug free workplace.