Associate Attorney – Commercial Real Estate & Corporate Transactions
Firm Description:
Position Description:
A highly entrepreneurial and growing transactional law firm in downtown Evanston is seeking an Associate Attorney to join its close-knit team of four professionals supporting sophisticated commercial real estate and corporate transactional matters across the country.
This is not a rigid Big Law environment. The culture is highly collaborative, fast paced, personable, and relationship driven. The team works closely together throughout the day, values strong communication and accountability, and genuinely enjoys working alongside one another. The atmosphere is professional but informal culturally. Think sophisticated transactional work without unnecessary hierarchy, politics, or ego.
This opportunity is ideal for an attorney who:
• Wants sophisticated transactional experience without sacrificing quality of life
• Enjoys working directly with clients and being part of a highly interactive team
• Values mentorship, collaboration, and long-term growth
• Is entrepreneurial, adaptable, and business minded
• Wants meaningful hands-on exposure instead of being siloed into one narrow practice area
• Appreciates a culture built around trust, responsiveness, and strong work ethic
The practice is 100% transactional and includes:
• Commercial real estate acquisitions and dispositions
• Commercial leasing
• Lending and financing matters
• Corporate structuring and entity formation
• Partnership and operating agreements
• Investment and business transactions
• Residential real estate transactions
• National transactional matters across multiple jurisdictions
This attorney will work directly with leadership and play a hands-on role throughout the full life cycle of transactions. Responsibilities will include:
• Drafting and negotiating transactional documents
• Assisting with closings from inception through post-closing
• Conducting legal research and transactional analysis
• Reviewing contracts, leases, financing documents, and corporate agreements
• Coordinating with lenders, brokers, title companies, opposing counsel, and clients
• Supporting due diligence and corporate structuring matters
• Managing multiple sophisticated transactional matters simultaneously
Qualifications:
• J.D. from an accredited law school
• Active Illinois bar admission required
• Approximately 1–5+ years of transactional experience preferred
• Commercial real estate and/or corporate transactional exposure strongly preferred
• Experience with closings, entities, contracts, leasing, lending, or financing matters preferred
• Strong drafting, communication, and organizational skills
• Collaborative personality with strong attention to detail and professionalism
• Litigators seeking a complete practice pivot will not be considered
Compensation + Benefits:
• Compensation approximately $100K–$160K+, depending on experience and potential business generation
• Full health insurance coverage
• 5% 401(k) match
• No formal billable requirement
• Estimated workload roughly equivalent to approximately 1600 annual hours
• Hybrid flexibility available over time after integration into the team environment
Additional Notes:
• This is a full-time onsite role based in downtown Evanston
• The firm is not seeking fully remote candidates
• Attorneys coming from larger firms seeking more meaningful client interaction, autonomy, and work-life balance are strongly encouraged to apply
Meet Your Recruiter
Ana A. Bird
Director of Recruiting
