Real Estate Counsel

Description:

Company Overview:
KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries.

Position Overview:
KKR is seeking a corporate attorney with extensive real estate experience to join its Legal & Compliance team. Based in New York, this individual will primarily be responsible for supporting KKR's Real Estate Credit business across its various strategies. The role requires both execution-level fluency and strategic leadership to drive consistency, manage transaction and enterprise risk, and promote best practices across U.S. and international platforms.

• Primarily responsible for legal oversight of KKR's Real Estate Credit transactions, including first lien mortgages, mezzanine financings, preferred equity investments, and other credit structures.
• Provide legal counsel for Real Estate Credit financing facilities, debt securities and derivative transactions, including warehouse lines, note-on-note facilities, repurchase agreements, and securitizations (CMBS/CRE CLOs)
• Manage outside counsel on all Real Estate Credit transactions and financings, including assisting with deal issues, deal structures and firm policies
• Assist in the coordination of portfolio company and JV-level legal issues across asset classes.
• Advise on fund- and asset-level matters for equity investments, including governance, operating agreements, and exit strategies.
• Partner with investment professionals on deal structuring, negotiation, and execution for both equity and credit strategies.
• Support Real Estate Equity investments, including acquisitions, joint ventures, preferred equity, and recapitalizations.
• Provide legal counsel to Real Estate Credit asset management team, with respect to loan consents, modifications, forbearances, workouts, remedies enforcement, and REO transitions
• Advise on Real Estate Equity side borrower work, as steady and well-versed guide on market and lender side perspective
• Experience advising on both debt and equity sides of complex real estate capital stacks is highly valued.
• Experience representing sponsors, investors, and/or developers in equity transactions — including joint ventures, acquisitions, dispositions, recapitalizations, and preferred equity investments — is a plus, but not required.
• Support product and client services teams in communications to limited partners and potential clients on matters related to the Real Estate Business
• Work with our investment services subsidiary, K-Star, to provide legal support to our B-piece and direct lending asset management business
• Be flexible in leaning into a variety of projects as they arise, including those related to corporate governance, entity management, investment work flow and talent development, among others

Qualifications:

• A minimum of 8 years of real estate credit transaction experience at a nationally recognized law firm, insurance company and/or institutional investment manager. In-house experience is strongly preferred.
• Extensive experience with various real estate transaction structures and products, including first lien mortgages, mezzanine and other subordinate financings, construction loans, loan sales, participations, syndications and other co-lending arrangements, work-outs and restructurings, and capital markets and loan financing facilities
• Experience with warehouse facilities, revolving credit facilities, and securitization transactions, including CMBS and CRE CLOs, is preferred. Able to communicate clearly and concisely with executive presence to advise a range of senior and junior employees, and interface directly with sponsors and their counsel and external stakeholders including lenders and affiliates
• Must have excellent contract interpretation skills, and a desire to learn and expand knowledge base to new areas of legal practice, including litigation and regulatory, and to lead process improvement and governance initiatives
• Highly organized, clearly tracks progress on all projects and communicates openly about ongoing initiatives, and able to effectively manage expectations across multiple stakeholders

This is the expected annual base salary range for this New York-based position. Actual salaries may vary based on factors, such as skill, experience, and qualification for the role. Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus, based on factors such as individual and team performance.
Base Salary Range

$235,000 - $275,000 USD

KKR is an equal opportunity employer. Individuals seeking employment are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by applicable law.

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