As Counsel/Senior Counsel, you will work in the legal practice group within the Company’s Legal Department. You will be responsible for:

• Ensuring Fortune 500 energy corporation obtains required municipal land use and zoning approvals / entitlements / permits for all complex construction projects in New York State, with a majority of projects being sited in upstate New York;

• Regularly advocating on behalf of clients during public hearings before Planning and Zoning Boards of Appeal, in order to obtain special use permits, variances, site plan approvals, SEQRA negative declarations and subdivision approvals, where applicable;

• Obtaining all municipal approvals required to construct complex public utility uses and structures including electric substations, gas regulator stations, electric transmission and distribution lines, battery energy storage systems, electric vehicle charging stations, and solar and wind interconnections;

• Delegating matters to outside counsel as appropriate and in an efficient manner; manage and challenge outside counsel to deliver meaningful value and excellent service;

• Advising corporate leadership on how to achieve their business objectives while complying with land use regulations;

• Drafting zoning analyses, written opinion of counsel and memorandum of law after analyzing complex municipal regulations (i.e., New York State Town and Village Law, SEQRA and local zoning codes) and case law, in order to assess a client's likelihood of success for obtaining all necessary permits/zoning approvals; and

• Collaborating with a team of project managers, civil engineers, surveyors, environmental planners and other professional consultants to assist clients through the land use review process. 

The position reports to the Assistant General Counsel & Director of the NY Real Estate and Siting practice group. Qualified candidates will have the ability to work remotely to a degree, but will need to be able to commute to one of our principal upstate/downstate NY office locations (i.e., Syracuse, Albany, Brooklyn, Long Island) and will be required to travel, as necessary, throughout our upstate and downstate NY service territory spanning from Albany to Buffalo and NYC Metro/Long Island. There are no direct reports to this position.

Knowledge & Experience Requirements:

• J.D. degree and New York State Bar Admission (in good standing).
• Working knowledge of the concepts of zoning and land use law in New York.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience representing clients before local zoning and/or planning boards. Transactional real estate experience alone will not satisfy the requirement.
• High personal and professional ethical standards.
• Organized and project-oriented with the ability to work independently. Ability to manage the ebb and flow of workload on projects that develop at different paces over long timeframes.
• Strong sense of teamwork and an ability to work effectively on multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to establish and maintain strong relationships with legal colleague, with multidisciplinary project team members and with local officials and agents.
• Strong commitment to safety, advancement of inclusion and diversity principles, and service to customers.