Legal Manager (Tenant Relations)

Legal Manager (Tenant Relations) |New York, NY | On-site| $85,000 - $95,000

The Role

Equal Access is partnering with a growing New York-based property management company that manages a portfolio of affordable housing communities throughout New York City. This role sits at the intersection of legal strategy and day-to-day operations, with responsibility for how the company handles rent collection, holdover proceedings, and nonpayment cases across the portfolio.

You will not be building a legal department from scratch, but you will be shaping how this function runs. That means developing strategy, managing outside counsel, supporting property managers with real-time guidance, and making sure the company stays current and compliant as landlord-tenant law continues to shift.

This is not a purely advisory role. You will be in Housing Court, reviewing stipulations, and working directly with operations teams on the ground.

What This Role Is, and Is Not

This role is:

• A working operational and legal management position with direct responsibility for litigation strategy and outside counsel oversight
• Heavily focused on nonpayment and holdover matters across an affordable housing portfolio
• A cross-functional role that requires you to communicate clearly with property managers, not just attorneys
• A compliance-forward position in a regulated environment (rent stabilization, fair housing, local housing law)

This role is NOT:

• A general counsel or in-house legal advisory role with broad corporate scope
• A policy-only or advisory position where someone else handles execution
• A good fit if affordable housing regulation and Housing Court feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable
• Remote or hybrid work

Required Experience & Traits

• 10 or more years of legal experience, with at least 5 years focused on real estate, property management, or housing law (a bachelor's degree in a related field is listed as an alternative baseline, but deep practical experience in L&T matters is what counts here)
• Hands-on experience with both nonpayment and holdover proceedings in New York Housing Court
• Strong working knowledge of rent stabilization, fair housing law, and New York landlord-tenant regulations
• Ability to draft, review, and negotiate settlement stipulations without outside review on routine matters
• Comfortable managing outside counsel, including holding them accountable to timelines and strategy
• Clear communicator who can translate legal risk into practical guidance for non-lawyers
• Experience with Yardi
• Strategic judgment with a practical bias, you weigh legal exposure against business realities and act accordingly

Key Responsibilities

Legal Strategy & Compliance

• Develop and maintain the company's legal strategy, policies, and procedures for landlord-tenant matters across the portfolio
• Monitor changes in Housing Court practice, rent regulation, and state and local housing law, and update internal procedures accordingly
• Identify areas of legal exposure and implement risk mitigation before issues escalate

Litigation & Outside Counsel Management

• Coordinate and oversee outside counsel handling holdover and nonpayment cases, managing both case strategy and performance
• Draft, review, and negotiate settlement stipulations
• Represent the company directly in landlord-tenant court as needed

Collections Operations

• Develop and maintain policies and training programs to strengthen rent collection processes across the portfolio
• Review and update standard operating procedures, forms, and contracts related to collections and L&T matters
• Support property managers with legal guidance and escalation handling on collection and compliance questions

Operational Partnership

• Work closely with property management and operations teams to provide practical, timely legal support
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert on fair housing, rent stabilization, and landlord-tenant compliance

Why EqualAccess

EqualAccess partners with best-in-class organizations and supports candidates beyond placement. Every candidate we place receives 3 months of post-hire coaching and career support, ensuring long-term success and growth.