Legal Assistant

Position Title: Legal Assistant (Part-time Position)

Reports To: Sr. Vice President and General Counsel

Department: Legal

Location: New York City Office – Midtown

Work Arrangement: On-site

Schedule: 3 days/week (Tues, Wed, Thurs) 60% of fulltime

Pay Range: $35 - $40 / hour

FLSA Status: Non-exempt

About the Open Space Institute

The Open Space Institute (OSI) is a national leader in land protection that creates connections to nature and the outdoors for all people. Over the half century, OSI has protected more than 2.3 million at-risk, irreplaceable acres of forests, wetlands, and shorelines across the North American Eastern Seaboard. Expanding in both scope and size, OSI employs entrepreneurial spirit, determination, and expertise to protect the land that matters most – to preserve clean drinking water; improve the public’s access to parks, public trails, and greenways; save at-risk wildlife habitat; strengthen communities; and to combat climate change and mitigate its effects.

The Open Space Institute is deeply committed to equity in our field and our organization. We are working to address systemic inequities that exclude people from the many benefits that land provides. And we’re building a team and culture within OSI that reflects the true diversity of the communities we aim to serve.

Position Summary

We are seeking a part-time Legal Assistant (60% FTE) who is proactive, exceptionally organized, and comfortable reaching out to busy professionals. The ideal candidate will have experience in a real estate law office and be familiar with closing documents. Preferred software skills include FileMaker, Excel, and Adobe Pro. Responsibilities include assisting with land transaction documentation (both historical and current) and file organization, preparing closing documents, and managing schedules and meetings. The position requires onsite work on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with a pay rate of $35-40/hr.

The OSI Legal Department (five lawyers and one paralegal) handles all of the legal work of OSI, including the acquisition and disposition of conservation fee lands and conservation easements; providing legal support for OSI’s existing portfolio of fee land and conservation easements, including resolving disputes and violations of conservation easements; preparing grant agreements and undertaking due diligence for each grant; and day-to-day legal aspects of a non-profit organization, including contracts and corporate governance matters.

Primary Responsibilities

• Work directly with partner organizations to collect and compile documentation of land transactions for OSI Legal Department review.

• Assist the Legal Department with the evaluation of title, survey, environmental investigation, and other matters related to land acquisition and disposition.

• Prepare all necessary closing documents, coordinating with outside counsel, landowners, and public agency staff.

• Assist in the preparation of legal documents, including option agreements, purchase and sale agreements, grant agreements, conservation easements, leases, and escrow instructions.

• Assist with organization and maintenance of the Legal Department’s internal files, including coordination with other OSI staff to compile transaction documentation.

• Track deadlines and terminations of ongoing agreements with third parties.

• Administer Legal Department meetings and report to OSI staff during full staff meetings.

• Perform administrative tasks such as schedule management, expense submission and reimbursement, mailing original documents, record keeping, filing, and tracking attorney requests as needed.

Required Skills/Core Competencies:

• Outstanding organizational skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Excellent numerical skills, for example, identifying discrepancies in a spreadsheet

• Proficiency in Word, Excel, Outlook is a must; experience with database management a plus (in particular, FileMaker);

• Ability to work to reasonable deadlines and plan accordingly.

• Ability to work cordially and professionally with all levels of staff and across the organization.

• Detail-oriented self-starter.

Qualifications

• Minimum of three years’ work experience as a paralegal or legal assistant.

• Commercial or residential real estate experience with an emphasis on closing real estate transactions is required;

• Nonprofit work experience is desirable;

• LexisNexis and/or Westlaw experience is a plus;

• Strong interest in conservation.

Physical Requirements

• Frequently sits for long periods of time;

• Frequently speaks, reads, writes and uses a computer keyboard; and

• May require occasional standing, walking, lifting, stooping, bending, moving files

This is an onsite position in our midtown New York office and is not conducive to telecommuting.

This job description is not intended to represent a complete, comprehensive list of all duties and responsibilities that may be required in this position. There may be unplanned activities and other duties as assigned.

Apply at https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/careers. Please submit a resume and cover letter.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through October 31, 2024, with earlier submissions receiving priority consideration. You will receive an acknowledgment once your application has been submitted, and we will contact you if we would like to schedule an interview.

OSI is committed to providing a competitive compensation package. The pay for this role ranges from $35.00 - $40.00 per hour, depending on the candidate’s skill level and experience. The recruiting team is committed to sharing details regarding compensation based on the candidate's qualifications during the interview process.

OSI is an equal opportunity employer and is actively recruiting a diverse workforce. Land conservation benefits all people. Our mission is best advanced by the contributions and leadership of people across varying identities, including racial, gender, spiritual, and cultural. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment that fosters belonging and we look for future team members who share that same value. We encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.

We do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, height, weight, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. We consider qualified applicants with arrest/conviction records for employment.