Senior Counsel - Real Estate

It's fun to work in a company where people truly believe in what they are doing. At Dutch Bros Coffee, we are more than just a coffee company. We are a fun-loving, mind-blowing company that makes a difference one cup at a time.

Position Overview

The Senior Counsel - Real Estate is a key member of the Dutch Bros growing legal team . This role is responsible for providing legal counsel to internal business partners on all business decisions related to real estate development and transactions . The Senior Counsel - Real Estate will also work closely in partnership with internal attorney staff and outside counsel in supporting the paralegal and administrative employees on the management of a varying range of legal matters including but not limited to: leases , amendments , subordination agreements , estoppels , title , memorandum of leases , due diligence, rent commencement certificates , form drafting and other ancillary real estate w ork.

Key Responsibilities

Area specific:

Working with the Vice President of Legal – Real Estate, partner with construction, real estate, development, and retail teams to provide sound legal advice regarding negotiation strategy and deal structure and collaborate to implement system-wide improvements that reflect business goals.

Collaborate with construction, real estate, development, and retail teams to provide insights, process improvement, and system improvement to reliably deliver y of documents as required by tenant lease obligations .

Develop strong, long-term, forward-looking relationships with landlords and communities that withstand the test of time, while providing sound advice regarding real estate documents and enforcement of tenant lease rights .

Draft, review, and negotiate build-to-suit and ground lease agreements, and all ancillary lease documents as needed (CC&Rs, SNDAs, estoppels, memorandums, amendments, rent commencement certificates, easements, etc . ) .

Maintain and manage internal lease matrices for all real estate transaction related agreements.

Draft and maintain Real Estate Legal forms and templates for all real estate transaction related agreements .

Support administrative staff with drafting and reviewing all real estate related notices and correspondence .

Oversee outside counsel on real estate transactions including lease negotiation, environmental, land use, and construction to effectively and efficiently deliver planned sites and projects on time and within budget .

Review and provide recommendations regarding title and other due diligence related matters and advise business partners on results .

Work with administrative staff on the tracking and communication of lease and due diligence related statuses, tasks, and deadlines utilizing the Legal Department’s current standard matter management system(s) [ LawVu , Smartsheet and Lucernex].

Work with the lease administration team to process and complete matters handled by the Post Execution and Property Management teams .

Advise internal and external teams on decisions and expectations surrounding continued lease timelines and compliance .

Maintain tracking spreadsheets in a fast-paced environment.

Other special projects as needed .

Additional support areas:

Lease Negotiations

Title Review

Form Creation & Maintenance

Property Management

Mergers & Acquisitions

Due Diligence

General Corporate Compliance

General expectations:

Serve as a trusted business advisor who proactively engages and provides to business partners and management critical legal guidance, strategies, and innovative solutions that drive the organization forward

Understand, anticipate , and proactively advise the Vice President of Legal – Real Estate on strategy development, value creation levers, new risks, and changes in regulatory requirements and public policy

Positively promote the business through mitigation of risks and protection of the brand, culture, and reputation

Support property management and the Vice President of Legal – Real Estate on determining dispute resolution strategies

Draft, review, and negotiate contracts (form and non-form), documents, and advise on all projects and matters as assigned

Manage outside counsel relationships and matters to effectively and efficiently deliver work products on time and within budget

Identify , relate, and anticipate actions between and within requests, projects, and matters

Connect the dots and recognize patterns, relationships, and implications within complex situations, enabling effective decision making and strategy

Utilize and maintain the Legal Department’s current standard m atter management and c ontract m anagement system(s)

Support the implementation of AI into everyday to promote productivity and efficiency

Support paralegal and administrative staff on tracking and maintaining up-to-date statuses, applicable data, and important deadlines and events related to all assigned projects, matters, and contracts

Support the Vice President of Legal – Real Estate to develop processes and policies to guide and support staff on the effective execution and maintenance of processes and policies as needed

Be successful in a high production work environment

Other special projects as needed

Skills

Keenness to Learn

Adaptability

Calm Under Pressure

Ability to Multitask

Manage Competing Priorities

Communication

Initiative

Mission Focus

Positive Thinking

Problem Solving

Teamwork

Trustworthiness

Kindness

Job Qualifications

Juris Doctor Degree, required

Member, in good standing, of a least one US State Bar

10 years or more of proven legal experience with a corporation, law firm, government agency, or similar enterprise, required

Humble, hungry, and smart, required

Broad understanding and knowledge of real estate transactions and/or contracts

Ability to provide competent legal advice and counsel to business partners on applicable legal and policy issues, required

Strong time management, prioritization, and organization skills

Experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, required

Title/environmental

Strong verbal and written communication skills for collaborating with attorneys, paralegals, administrative staff, and business partners, required

Ability to supervise and coordinate the work of internal support staff, outside counsel, and consultants, required

Proficiency in team collaboration and the ability to deliver project and performance feedback, required

Ability to cultivate and promote a cooperative work environment, required

Mature business acumen and sense of judgment, with the ability to balance business and legal risks, required

Exemplary attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize work and respond to multiple demands while meeting time sensitive deadlines, required

Ability to acknowledge and comply with all corporate policies and procedures, required

Knowledge of judicial system and procedures and legal documentation procedures and requirements, required

Ability to develop systems, processes, and procedures, required

Ability to develop and deliver presentations, including high level preparation of presentation materials for a wide range of audiences, required

Intermediate and above experience utilizing standard office technology including Google Suite, Microsoft Suite, Teams, Smartsheet, etc , required

Knowledge of quick service restaurant (QSR) and/or food and beverage industry legal resources, preferred

Experience and understanding of real estate development, transactions, and contracts including Build-to-Suit, Ground Leases, CAM, SNDA, Estoppel, and exclusivity issues, lease renewals and amendments, due diligence, memorandums, title review, environmental reports, required

Location Requirement:

This role is in the Greater Phoenix area. This position is required to b