Job at a glance
Fairstead is a purpose-driven real estate firm dedicated to building affordable communities across the country. Headquartered in New York, with offices in Colorado, Florida, and Washington DC, Fairstead owns and manages a portfolio of more than 30,000 apartments, including pipeline, across 28 states. As an integrated owner, operator, and innovator, Fairstead brings development, construction, and property management under one unified platform to deliver high-quality affordable housing that serves our residents at scale.
At Fairstead, we believe affordable housing should be thoughtfully designed, professionally managed, and responsibly operated. We seek to create and preserve housing that serves residents while delivering long-term value to communities, partners, and stakeholders. Fairstead challenges industry norms through our tech-forward, entrepreneurial approach to affordable housing. In addition to core real estate capabilities, we operate innovative service lines designed to improve resident outcomes, strengthen communities, and drive operational efficiency.
We embrace digital transformation, data-driven decision-making, and emerging technologies, including AI, to build scalable systems that support sustainable growth, grounded in a culture of entrepreneurship, innovation, partnership, dedication, and integrity. Fairstead is seeking a Senior Litigation Attorney to join our in-house legal team. This role will manage a broad and varied docket of commercial, corporate, and employment litigation and dispute resolution matters arising across the firm's businesses.
The ideal candidate is a seasoned commercial litigator who has handled complex, high-stakes matters in the New York State Supreme Court (including the Commercial Division), the Delaware Court of Chancery and Superior Court, federal court, and arbitration, and who is equally comfortable running the regulatory, investigative, employment, and routine commercial matters that come with a large operating platform.
This is a hands-on role for someone who can carry many matters at once and serve as both a strategic advisor and an advocate. Responsibilities: Oversee and have primary responsibility for all phases of litigation, arbitration, and regulatory proceedings, including pre-suit strategy, pleadings, discovery, motions practice, hearings, trial, and appeals Manage outside counsel on complex matters, including supervising strategy, reviewing work product, and controlling legal spend Handle or oversee a wide range of disputes, including: Complex commercial and corporate: contract disputes, business torts and fraud claims, partnership, LLC, and joint venture disputes, breach of fiduciary duty and books-and-records demands, governance and control disputes, advancement and indemnification, lender/borrower and guaranty disputes, and post-closing purchase price, earn-out, and indemnity claims Employment and HR: discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour, restrictive covenant, and executive separation matters, including administrative charges and agency proceedings (EEOC, NYSDHR, NYCCHR, DOL) Routine commercial disputes: vendor, supplier, and service provider claims, collections, insurance coverage and tenders, subrogation, and pre-litigation demands and settlements Regulatory, investigative, and administrative: federal, state, and local agency investigations and enforcement proceedings, attorney general inquiries, subpoenas and civil investigative demands, licensing and permitting disputes, audits and examinations, and compliance-related claims Respond to government and regulatory inquiries, including managing document productions, witness preparation, internal investigations, and negotiated resolutions with agencies Serve as the day-to-day point of contact for business teams, HR, compliance, and finance on threatened and pending disputes, and resolve routine matters directly without outside counsel where appropriate Work with co