Job Description

Real Estate Attorney - Chicago, Illinois (New Role to market)

This role sits at the center of a well-regarded Chicago real estate group handling the full transaction lifecycle from ground-up development through to leasing of completed assets. You will advise developers, lenders, and general contractors on sophisticated commercial real estate matters and take meaningful ownership of each deal from day one.

What you'll do

• Advise developers, lenders, and general contractors on ground-up construction projects, including declarations and complex easement structures.
• Structure and negotiate acquisitions and dispositions of commercial real estate assets across a range of property types.
• Draft and negotiate financing agreements, including construction and permanent loan documents, on behalf of both borrower and lender clients.
• Manage complex commercial leasing transactions for completed assets, from letter of intent through execution.
• Coordinate across deal teams and manage external parties to drive transactions to close efficiently.
• Provide strategic counsel to clients across the full deal lifecycle not just discrete legal tasks.

What you'll need

• JD from an accredited U.S. law school and active bar admission in Illinois (or eligibility to waive in).
• 4+ years of experience as a real estate attorney, ideally at a law firm handling sophisticated commercial transactions.
• Demonstrated experience across acquisitions, dispositions, commercial leasing, and/or real estate finance.
• Comfort working across the full transaction cycle from structuring through to closing without hand-holding.
• Strong drafting skills and the commercial instincts to advise clients, not just execute documents.

About the firm

A respected mid-size Chicago firm with a long market history, 47 attorneys across several practice areas including litigation, IP, healthcare, estate planning, and corporate. The real estate group handles a sophisticated pipeline and is growing deliberately. This is a firm with deep client relationships, institutional credibility, and the collegial feel of a genuinely well-run practice.

Perks

• Salary: $170,000 – $250,000, commensurate with experience.
• Average annual bonuses of 30%.
• Hybrid working- 3 days in the downtown Chicago office.
• Full comprehensive benefits package.
• Sustainable billing expectations: 1,700–1,950 hours per year genuine work-life balance for a Chicago real estate practice.

Why this role matters

• No red tape. You run your matters. From ground-up development to stabilized asset leasing, you are the attorney of record not a support resource.
• Cross-border and cross-sector work gives you breadth that large-firm siloes rarely allow.
• A growing real estate group with 2–3 additional hires planned means real upward visibility not a crowded ladder.
• Long-standing clients mean repeat, trust-based instructions. You build relationships, not just transactions.
• Established platform, without the bureaucracy. The firm has the pedigree; the group has the agility.

Call to action

This position is not advertised and is new to the market. If you are a real estate attorney looking to work alongside talented, experienced practitioners on complex commercial matters within an established firm with enduring client relationships I would like to hear from you.

Lorna Hardcastle

Lorna.hardcastle@simpsonjudge.com

331-215-9850

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