Role Overview: 

Success Academy is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to join our Advisory Legal team. This role is ideal for a practical, detail-oriented attorney looking to move in-house and serve as a generalist, with a focus on school facilities, public and private real estate, financings, governance, and expansion efforts.

The Senior Legal Counsel will play a key role in managing projects, advising cross-functional teams, engaging with public and private counterparties, and overseeing outside counsel in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. This role offers significant growth potential for an attorney who is eager to build expertise across legal, operational, financial, and governance matters affecting a growing public charter school network.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Advise on legal issues related to the acquisition, leasing, use, renovation, financing, operation, and management of school facilities.
• Draft, review, and negotiate leases, licenses, facility-use agreements, vendor contracts, access agreements, maintenance agreements, construction-related agreements, and other facilities and operational contracts.
• Advise on public facilities, including co-locations, shared-space arrangements, school siting, space allocation, building-use issues, and negotiations with government agencies, school districts, public authorities, landlords, and other stakeholders.
• Support financing transactions, including bond financings and related diligence and closings.
• Advise on governance matters, including board authority, fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, committee structures, resolutions, bylaws, policies, approvals, and documentation.
• Support Success Academy’s expansion efforts, and related state-specific legal, governance, facilities, financing, and operational requirements.
• Manage outside counsel.
• Partner with Finance, Real Estate, Facilities, and Operations, and senior leadership to provide practical legal guidance, problem-solve, and keep complex projects moving.

What We’re Looking For: 

• J.D. and admission to at least one U.S. state bar; New York admission or eligibility for in-house practice preferred.
• 5+ years of legal experience in a law firm, fast-paced nonprofit, private-sector organization, government-facing practice, or in-house legal department.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: real estate transactions, financings, nonprofit or corporate governance, contracts, education law, government-facing work, or in-house counseling.
• Strong drafting, analytical, negotiation, and project-management skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage ambiguity, prioritize competing demands, escalate constructively, and translate legal analysis into practical next steps.
• Strong judgment, discretion with confidential matters, and comfort advising business leaders and executives.
• Demonstrated interest in public education, mission-driven work, and/or education reform.