Job Description

City

San Mateo

State

California

Job Location

San Mateo Corp Office

Position Type

Regular

DEPARTMENT SUMMARY

The Legal Department is integral to the Company’s day-to-day operations and strategic success and provides practical, business-oriented and efficient advice on all legal matters. The department is functionally responsible for all Essex’s legal affairs in California, Washington, and beyond, and serves both to ensure legal and ethical compliance, and to collaborate with across departments as a business partner to help create enterprise value consistent with Essex’s business model and core values. The culture of the department is fast-paced, collaborative, smart, and professional.

The Paralegal will provide legal and operational support across all functions of Essex's Legal Department, partnering with attorneys and business stakeholders to help manage legal risk, ensure regulatory compliance, support corporate governance activities, facilitate transactions, and assist with litigation and claims matters.

The successful candidate will serve as a key member of the Legal Department, providing practical and business-oriented support on a broad range of legal matters affecting the Company's operations. Responsibilities may include contract administration, corporate governance support, regulatory compliance initiatives, legal research, litigation and claims management, policy development, and transaction support.

This position requires a collaborative professional who can effectively coordinate with internal business partners, outside counsel, vendors, and other stakeholders. The successful candidate will possess sound judgment, exceptional organizational skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

The ideal candidate will be comfortable working across multiple legal disciplines, proactively identifying issues, coordinating solutions, and escalating matters to attorneys and senior legal team members as appropriate.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Operations & Department Support

• Serve as a primary point of contact for legal inquiries from business teams, triaging requests and escalating matters as appropriate.
• Support attorneys and legal team members in managing day-to-day legal matters across multiple practice areas.
• Maintain legal records, databases, matter management systems, and department reporting.
• Coordinate with outside counsel, consultants, insurers, and other third parties as needed.
• Assist with legal research and preparation of correspondence, reports, presentations, and other legal documents.

Corporate Governance & Entity Management

• Support corporate governance activities, including preparation and maintenance of corporate records, resolutions, minutes, and entity documentation.
• Assist with annual filings, registrations, and other corporate compliance requirements.
• Maintain organizational records and support entity management initiatives.
• Coordinate board, committee, and governance-related materials as directed by legal leadership.

Contracts & Transactions

• Assist with the preparation, review, administration, and tracking of contracts, amendments, service agreements, settlement agreements, NDAs, and other legal documents.
• Support real estate, operational, and strategic transactions through document management, due diligence coordination, and closing activities.
• Maintain contract repositories and assist with lifecycle management processes.
• Coordinate signatures, document execution, and post-closing administration.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Assist in the development, implementation, and monitoring of compliance programs, policies, and procedures.
• Support compliance assessments and identify potential areas of legal and regulatory risk.
• Partner with business teams to implement corrective actions and process improvements.
• Assist with investigations, reporting, and documentation related to compliance matters.
• Monitor regulatory developments and assist with implementation of legal or operational changes.

Litigation & Claims Support

• Assist with management of litigation, pre-litigation matters, and claims at the direction of attorneys and senior legal team members.
• Coordinate document collection, discovery responses, legal holds, and case-related reporting.
• Facilitate communication with outside counsel, insurers, brokers, and internal stakeholders.
• Assist with settlement administration, billing review, budget tracking, and matter management.
• Identify trends and recurring issues and provide support for risk mitigation initiatives.

Training, Policies & Special Projects

• Assist in drafting, updating, and maintaining internal policies, procedures, forms, and training materials.
• Participate in legal training initiatives for operational and corporate teams.
• Support department-wide strategic initiatives, process improvements, technology implementations, and special projects.
• Contribute to continuous improvement efforts that enhance operational efficiency and reduce legal risk.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Licensure

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Completion of a paralegal program approved by the American Bar Association or a Certificate of completion from an accredited postsecondary institution with at least 24 semester units in law-related courses; OR Bachelor’s degree in any subject plus at least one year of law-related experience under attorney supervision.

Experience

• 5–7+ years of legal experience, preferably with a blend of law firm and in-house experience.
• Demonstrated experience supporting multiple legal disciplines, including one or more of litigation, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, contracts, transactions, or risk management.
• Experience in multifamily real estate, insurance, or risk management a plus.
• Experience supporting corporate legal departments, real estate organizations, or law firms handling a variety of business, compliance, governance, transactional, or litigation matters preferred.
• Experience using Legal Tracker, LinkSquares, or ServiceNow is a plus.

Skills & Competencies

• Strategic thinker with a business-oriented approach to legal problem solving.
• Skilled in managing outside counsel and internal clients across functional levels.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to distill complex legal issues into practical guidance.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a collaborative, team-first mindset.
• Proven ability to prioritize, manage multiple high-impact projects, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• High attention to detail, analytical acumen, and proficiency in interpreting legal data.
• Technologically adept with strong organizational and time-management capabilities.

All full-time regular associates are offered competitive salaries, experience career growth, and are eligible for benefit packages that include medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, 401k employer match, excellence rewards, wellness programs, and much more. With our 12 paid holidays and 15 PTO days, work/life balance is a priority! Additionally, most positions are eligible for a housing discount of 20%.

Essex provides great communities in which to live, work and invest. We are a purpose-driven company, and we pride ourselves on promoting an internal culture of growth and opportunity by engaging, enabling, and empowering our teams. Working at Essex is not a destination. It is a journey where you can confidently build your career.

New hires generally start between $101,000.00 - $127,000.00 per year. The final salary offer will be determined after reviewing relevant factors, including but not limited to skill sets; relevant experience; internal equity; and other business and organizational needs.This role is also eligible to participate in Essex’s discretionary Annual Bonus program that is commensurate with the level of the position.