Tax Attorney & Contracts Counsel

Job description

### In a world of noise, we find the signal — the pulse of potential. We weave the strands of talent, vision, and purpose into organizations that endure. Blending intelligence with intuition, we honor the human art of connection at the heart of every great company. ## **About the Job** We are partnered with a private, ultra-high-net-worth family office on the search for its next Tax Attorney & Contracts Counsel. This is a high-trust, high-visibility in-house counsel role with direct exposure to family principals and senior advisors, reporting to the General Counsel / Chief Operating Officer and serving as a core member of the legal and advisory team. The family office is at a pivotal moment — consolidating a sophisticated, diversified portfolio and formalizing how tax strategy, transactional execution, and long-term wealth planning come together across real estate, REITs, private investments, and multi-generational trust structures. This attorney will be responsible for shaping tax-efficient structures end-to-end while ensuring disciplined contract execution, transactional precision, and the discretion this family's affairs require. ## **The Mandate** This organization is very clear about what it is — and is not — seeking. They are not looking for a narrow tax technician who hands every agreement off to outside counsel, nor a generalist contracts attorney without real tax depth. They are seeking a builder–operator of legal work: an attorney who can structure a tax-efficient transaction and then draft, negotiate, and close the agreements that execute it — end to end, with the judgment and discretion befitting a single-family office. ## **Key Responsibilities** - Advise on federal, state, and local tax matters affecting the family's holding structures, investment vehicles, and real estate portfolio, including REITs and other tax-advantaged ownership structures. - Structure, review, and negotiate contracts and transaction documents for real property acquisitions, dispositions, financings, and joint ventures. - Provide legal and tax guidance on mergers, acquisitions, and direct and fund-level investments, including due diligence and deal structuring. - Design and execute complex transfers of real and personal property ownership, including entity restructurings, 1031 exchanges, and intra-family transfers. - Support the creation, administration, and ongoing maintenance of trusts and estate planning structures in coordination with outside estate counsel. - Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including purchase and sale agreements, operating agreements, service agreements, and NDAs. - Monitor changes in tax law and regulations and proactively advise the family office on planning opportunities and compliance risk. - Coordinate with outside counsel, accountants, and other advisors on complex transactions and specialized tax matters. - Maintain corporate records, entity filings, and governance documentation for the family's various holding entities. ## **Ideal Profile** - JD from an accredited law school; active member in good standing of the California State Bar (or ability to obtain California admission promptly). - LLM in Taxation preferred, but not required with sufficiently strong practice experience. - 7+ years of relevant legal experience, ideally combining tax law with transactional/contracts work, ideally in a law firm, family office, or private investment setting. - Substantive experience with REITs, commercial real estate transactions, and complex property ownership structures. - Demonstrated experience with M&A and private investment transactions. - Working knowledge of trusts, estates, and wealth transfer planning concepts. - Excellent contract drafting and negotiation skills. - Ability to work directly and discreetly with high-net-worth principals and family members, with sound judgment and unquestioned integrity. - Strong communication skills and the ability to translate complex tax and legal concepts for non-legal stakeholders. - Highly organized, self-directed, and comfortable operating as a hands-on in-house counsel in a lean team environment. ## **Location & Work Model** - Beverly Hills, California - On-site ## **Compensation** - Base salary: $225,000 – $265,000 - Bonus: Discretionary annual bonus **Interested?** This search is being conducted with a **high degree of discretion**. If this role aligns with your background—or you know a product leader you deeply respect who fits this profile—we welcome a confidential conversation. This search is being conducted with a high degree of discretion. Base Compensation Range $225,000—$265,000 USD **Equal Opportunity & Non-Discrimination Statement** Signal and Strand is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We—and our clients—do not discriminate in employment or contracting on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. We comply fully with the provisions of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). All employment decisions are made based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We are committed to providing a workplace that is inclusive, respectful, and free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.