In-House Counsel / Senior Counsel - Real Estate Litigation & Evictions

Overview:

LHH is partnering with a confidential, growing national real estate company to identify an In-House Counsel / Senior Counsel to join its Sacramento-based team. This is a high-impact opportunity with a large, multi-state real estate platform focused on the acquisition, leasing, and management of residential communities, including manufactured housing and mobile home communities.
The company is looking for a practical, business-minded attorney who wants to actively practice law, own matters end-to-end, and serve as a trusted resource to business leaders and property operations teams. The successful candidate will be hands-on, responsive, organized, and comfortable balancing legal risk with business realities.

This is an excellent opportunity for a California real estate litigator or landlord-tenant attorney who wants to move into a meaningful in-house role with autonomy, direct business interaction, and the potential to help shape a growing legal function.

Summary:

The In-House Counsel / Senior Counsel will focus heavily on California unlawful detainer / eviction matters and real estate litigation, while also supporting broader legal needs across the business. This attorney will manage matters from intake through resolution, coordinate with outside counsel where appropriate, advise internal stakeholders, and help develop efficient legal processes for a fast-moving real estate organization. This role also offers the opportunity to help build internal legal capabilities and coordinate attorneys or outside counsel across multiple jurisdictions as the company continues to grow.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage California unlawful detainer / eviction matters from intake through resolution.
• Draft, review, and manage notices, pleadings, filings, settlement documents, and related litigation materials.
• Appear in court for hearings, trials, motion practice, and other proceedings as needed.
• Handle and/or oversee real estate litigation, landlord-tenant disputes, administrative matters, and other legal claims.
• Work with property managers and business stakeholders to provide clear, practical, timely legal guidance.
• Coordinate with outside counsel on litigation, corporate, insurance, and specialized matters while helping reduce unnecessary reliance on outside firms.
• Negotiate resolutions, evaluate settlement opportunities, and push back on unreasonable demands where appropriate.
• Review and advise on real estate contracts, leases, purchase and sale agreements, easements, vendor agreements, service agreements, and construction-related agreements.
• Support legal issues related to acquisitions, dispositions, financing, development, title, zoning, permitting, and property operations.
• Advise on compliance matters, including landlord-tenant requirements, fair housing, ADA, mobile home residency issues, rent control, and other real estate-related regulations.
• Provide practical support on employment-related matters, including workplace policies, investigations, employee agreements, terminations, and wage-and-hour issues.
• Develop legal processes, templates, escalation protocols, and training for business and property operations teams.
• Communicate workload, priorities, risks, and recommendations clearly to leadership and cross-functional partners.

Qualifications:

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing with the California State Bar.
• 5+ years of legal experience; more senior candidates are encouraged to apply.
• Significant experience with California unlawful detainer, eviction, landlord-tenant, real estate litigation, or civil litigation matters.
• Strong drafting, analytical, negotiation, and courtroom skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a busy caseload from intake through resolution.
• Practical business judgment and ability to assess when to litigate, negotiate, settle, or escalate.
• Excellent responsiveness, organization, and follow-through.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively with non-lawyer business stakeholders.
• Ability to operate independently in a lean, entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment.
• Sacramento-based or genuinely willing to relocate to the Sacramento area.

Preferred Experience:

• Prior in-house experience or substantial direct client counseling experience.
• Experience advising real estate, property management, manufactured housing, mobile home community, multifamily, residential, or similar operating businesses.