Knowledge Lawyer (Real Estate)

Mayer Brown is an international law firm positioned to represent the world’s major corporations, funds, and financial institutions in their most important and complex transactions and disputes. We are recognized by our clients as strategic partners with deep commercial instincts and a commitment to creatively anticipating their needs and delivering excellence in everything we do.

We are a collegial, collaborative firm where highly motivated individuals with an unwavering commitment to excellence receive the opportunity, support, and development they need to grow, thrive, and realize their greatest potential all while supporting the Firm’s client service principles of excellence, strategic partnership, commercial instinct, integrated strengths, innovation, and collaboration across our international firm.

If you enjoy working with team members whose defining characteristics are exceptional client service, initiative, professionalism, responsiveness, and adaptability, you may be the person we are seeking to join our Knowledge Management department in our Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., or Houston office, as a Knowledge Lawyer (Real Estate Group).

An experienced lawyer who will help to develop the Knowledge Strategy for the Real Estate Group (collectively, “the Group”) in the United States and globally, and implement projects to meet the Group’s knowledge needs; monitor developments in the legal and business environment in order to keep both the Group and its Clients up to date; provide legal and practical expertise to support the Group’s practice, both directly and through the mentoring of junior lawyers; create, develop and manage the Group’s collection of standard forms/models, precedents and research materials; help organize, design and deliver Group training; help evaluate and support adoption of modern tools for legal services configuration and delivery, including artificial intelligence, and provide other support as needed.  An expertise or strong interest in exploring AI solutions to help fulfill group needs is required.

Essential Functions:  

• Knowledge Strategy
  • Work with the Knowledge Partners, the other Knowledge Counsel and real estate Lawyers, and the Director: Knowledge Management to assess the knowledge needs of the Group and for the coordination of cross-Practice efforts and AI solutions that relate to Real Estate.
  • Define and implement a plan to meet those needs that is aligned with the business goals of the Group, and mechanisms for regular review of the plan

• Modernization of practice tools and processes
  • Work with Mayer Brown’s Innovation and IT teams and others to help assess and support adoption of modern tools and processes to configure and deliver legal services, including artificial intelligence and other developing tools

• Organizing and Sharing: Standard Forms and Document Collections
  • Work with Group members, and others, to create and capture Real Estate-related knowledge content and encourage the sharing of information and knowledge generally, and to coordinate with other Practices to encourage and implement consistency across Practices in relation to Real Estate issues and policies
  • Create and maintain a well-organized electronic collection of practice-related knowledge resources, which include in particular Real Estate standard forms and accompanying notes, precedent documents, best practices and how-to memos, legal memos and other materials useful to the Group
  • Help the Knowledge Department generally to tailor the Firm’s knowledge resources to meet the needs of the Group

• Current Awareness and Thought Leadership
  • Monitor and keep the Group informed about important developments in the law or business environment
  • Prepare regular current awareness newsletters for the Group
  • Work with the librarians to determine requirements and policies and to implement processes regarding practice-related current awareness and alerts from internal and external sources
  • Help identify and create relevant client alerts on new development

• Lawyer Training and Technical Expertise
  • Work with the Group and the Learning and Development team to identify practice-related training needs of the Group; and, building on existing training programs, organize, design and deliver (personally or with others) Group training, including seminars, workshops and offsite training
  • Train Group members how to access knowledge resources on the Mayer Brown Intranet and elsewhere
  • Mentor associates
  • Provide direct support to individual practitioners to assist them with locating practice-related internal and external knowledge resources
  • Be a source of legal, market and practical expertise for all members of the Group, including the provision of direct support for client matters

• Practice Group Pages on the Intranet
  • Develop and maintain the knowledge-related aspects of the Group’s Mayer Brown Intranet site(s)

• Matter Management and Collaboration
  • Work with the Group and Marketing Department to establish processes to capture matter descriptions and categorizations in our matter systems, and conduct post-matter review of lessons learned
  • Assist with setting up a process for producing closing binders and collecting valuable precedent documents

• People and Relationship Information
  • Work with the Group to establish processes to capture and publish information about individuals (both internal and external) with specific knowledge and experience relevant to the Group’s business in the Firm’s dedicated CRM systems

• Other
  • Participate in the planning of training and other knowledge related activities
  • Participate in regular meetings of the Knowledge Department and liaise with other Knowledge Counsel and Lawyers to facilitate the sharing of best practice and knowledge
  • Attend external training and conferences to keep up-to-date with relevant developments in the law, business environment and professional support
  • Provide other knowledge support to the Group as may be assigned by the head of the Group, the Knowledge Partner, or the Director: Knowledge Management
  • Performs other duties and other duties as assigned or required to meet Firm goals and objectives

Education/Training/Certifications:

• This position requires a lawyer with actual practice experience in a field related to Real Estate who is or will become admitted to practice in the jurisdiction in which the position is located

Professional Experience:

• Five or more years of sound legal experience relevant to the Group as an admitted and practicing lawyer in a large law firm or corporate/financial institution legal department
• Deep subject-matter expertise on various aspects of Real Estate legal work and commercial issues

Technical Skills: 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products, required

Performance Traits: 

• High professional standards with a passion for quality product
• Excellent drafting and research skills
• Well-developed organizational and communication skills
• Understanding of learning processes and different methods of training
• Effective interpersonal skills and the ability to interact with people at all levels
• Pragmatic, self-motivated, flexible and good team worker
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to communicate effectively and in a professional manner with all levels of the Firm and outside vendors
• Ability to work in a diverse team environment and effectively support the demanding needs of the Firm
• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines with shifting priorities
• Must be a self-starter with a high level of initiative
• Strong customer service skills, able to anticipate needs and exercise independent judgment
• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills and the ability to handle multiple projects
• Maintains confidentiality and exercises discretion
• Exercises solid strategic thinking and problem-solving skills

This description is not exhaustive, and the Firm may modify it at any time at its sole discretion; nothing herein creates an employment contract or alters the at-will nature of employment.

We offer competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including medical/dental/vision/life/and AD&D insurance, 401(k) savings plan, back-up childcare and eldercare, generous paid time off (PTO), as well as opportunities for professional development and growth.

We are committed to providing equal opportunity and reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities and disabled veterans. To request an accommodation related to the application process or interview, please email uslateralrecruiting@mayerbrown.com. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

Mayer Brown works with select external search firms that have been vetted against our standards. Firms without a contract or agreement with Mayer Brown are not authorized to represent that they are working with the Firm, nor are they entitled to placement fees. Mayer Brown does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruiters. Submission of an unsolicited CV to Mayer Brown or any of its Partners or employees will not establish any right of priority for the submitting agency.

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