Transactional Associate
LOCATION: St. Joseph, MI or South Haven, MI
GENERAL PURPOSE:
Butzel is seeking a general practice Associate, who will perform transactional duties such as advising and drafting of various legal documents in corporate, real estate, as well as estate and succession planning. The Associate will support other partner level attorneys in Southwest Michigan and have opportunities to assist our other offices across Michigan and Washington, D.C., as needed. The Associate will work in a fast-paced, high-energy environment, and will be a part of a team that embodies Butzel’s core values: trust, drive, teamwork, and excellence.
Butzel has been in existence for over 170 years and has helped shape the legal and business landscape of Michigan’s largest cities for over one-and-a-half centuries. We continue to grow our client base and to be at the forefront of some of the biggest cases and most important issues in our industry. We are seeking a standout candidate to join our growing team.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Provide support on a wide range of corporate and real estate legal activities such as mergers and acquisitions, disputes, contracts, and other related matters.
- Draft, review, negotiate, and interpret various agreements related to commercial real estate transactions, including leases, purchase and sale agreements, and financing.
- Conduct research and draft memos to be reviewed by other attorneys.
- Draft pleadings, motions, and briefs.
- Organize, review, and maintain documents produced; perform, supervise, or coordinate coding of case documents and development of databases and/or other litigation support applications.
- Meet with clients to discern their wishes, draft appropriate documents including Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, and Health Care Directives, irrevocable trusts, and business planning documents.
- Advise on estate, gift, GST tax, and income tax matters. Primary areas include estate and tax planning for mid to high-net-worth individuals and families, income tax, transfer tax and charitable planning.
- Involved in estate administration matters, including estate, fiduciary income, and gift tax returns, counseling fiduciaries in estate and trust settlement and administration, preparing and filing probate administration documents and attending hearings in probate matters.
- The Associate also supports other attorneys with the above tasks as required.
SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- Position requires knowledge in estate planning, estate and gift tax, and business succession planning as well as knowledge in corporate and real estate law.
- Expected to display maturity and confidence to gain both client confidence and demonstrate leadership with other client advisors.
- Excellent written and oral presentation skills.
- Ability to accurately summarize complex problems and proposed solutions.
- Superior intellect and quick grasp of complex legal issues, as evidenced by superior grades in law school and/or work experience in similar settings.
- Strong work ethic and willingness to work as needed to get any task done.
- Good organizational and project management skills.
- Proficient in the use of on-line legal research services and legal resources.
- Superior legal writing skills.
- Must have sound judgment and be able to work independently with minimal supervision.
- Demonstrates expertise in a variety of the field’s concepts, practices, and procedures.
- Ability to work collaboratively and as a member of a team with internal and external contacts.
- Ability to adapt to a changing environment and situations.
- Proven willingness to work hard in a fast-paced atmosphere.
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND/OR TRAINING:
- Must be a graduate of an accredited law school.
- Admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan or have the ability to obtain admission upon commencement of employment.
To submit your resume or for more information regarding this career opportunity, please contact recruiting@butzel.com.
