Assistant General Counsel - Investment Transactions

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) is responsible for all legal matters relating to the activities of the Comptroller’s Office.

• This includes transactions for the five New York City Retirement Systems (Systems) and their public market and private market investments;
• accounting practices and disclosures; procurement rules and City contracts; settlement of claims brought on behalf of and against the City;

prevailing wages on City projects; records access; public policy; and proposed federal, state, and local legislation. OGC interacts with many city agencies, including the New York City Law Department and works closely with all of the divisions within the Comptroller’s Office, including the Bureau of Asset Management (BAM), which is responsible for oversight of the Systems’ approximately $210 billion investment portfolios.

Ensure you read the information regarding this opportunity thoroughly before making an application.

Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To, The Following

Under the direction of the General Counsel, reporting directly to the Deputy General Counsel for Investment Transactions, the selected attorney will primarily work with BAM related to investments of the Systems including (i) private market commingled funds and separately managed accounts in private equity, hedge funds, real estate, infrastructure, and opportunistic fixed income, and (ii) arrangements with external managers of publicly traded equity and debt.

• Negotiate, draft, and review a variety of documents with respect to private markets transactions, including limited partnership agreements, side letters and subscription documents;
• Negotiate, draft, and review a variety of documents with respect to (i) public markets transactions including investment management agreements, (ii) requests for proposals, and (iii) consultant agreements;
• Work closely with other Comptroller’s Office staff members in OGC and BAM to identify and resolve legal, contracting, and policy issues, including development and execution of internal policies and procedures;
• Manage, supervise and direct outside counsel on all new private markets transactions;
• Review the Systems’ board and internal governance and investment guideline materials relevant to transactional work;
• Provide legal counsel on a wide range of legal and regulatory matters as they relate to pensions transactions, conflicts of interest and prohibited conduct, and BAM’s day-to-day operations;
• Perform related assignments and special projects as may be required.

Preferred Skills / Qualification Requirements

Admission to the New York State Bar and four (4) or more years of full-time relevant legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, three (3) years of which must be performing complex and significant transactional legal work, drafting and negotiating transactional documents and managing and leading transactions, preferably including private fund investments and / or government contracts.

Incumbent must remain a member of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

Minimum Qualifications

Admission to the New York State Bar; and four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen months of which must have been in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work.

Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with private market investment transactions;
• Experience working in the investment / contracts departments of pension systems or other institutional investors, investment funds, or law firms;
• Experience working on complex finance transactions, preferably working in a law firm;
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment, both independently and collaboratively, with excellent interpersonal, time-management, conflict management and negotiation skills;
• Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated project-management skills involving numerous personnel within and outside of the organization;
• Exceptional oral communication and writing skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office;
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and communicate complex legal issues to various audiences.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs.

For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https : / / studentaid.gov / pslf / .

Residency Requirement

New York City Residency is not required for this position.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.

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