Real Estate Associate

Posted on September 8, 2025

Culture and Engagement at Dentons

Fostering an inclusive and welcoming culture is a core priority at Dentons. We are committed to creating an environment that values and respects the contributions of all colleagues. By attracting, supporting, promoting and retaining highly qualified individuals of various backgrounds and experiences, we strengthen our ability to provide innovative solutions, deliver exceptional client service, and advance the success of our Firm. Dentons takes an active approach to promoting a collaborative and inclusive workplace by investing in professional development and culture initiatives.

Responsibilities and practice

Dentons US LLP seeks a mid-level associate with four to six years of sophisticated real estate finance experience to join the Firm’s Real Estate practice in St. Louis. The successful candidate will concentrate on complex debt and equity transactions—ranging from single-asset mortgage and mezzanine financings to multibillion-dollar portfolio and capital markets executions—while working seamlessly with colleagues in the Firm’s New York office who regularly lead cutting-edge securitized and structured real estate finance matters. This role offers immediate, hands-on responsibility for marquee transactions and direct client contact, backed by Dentons’ fully integrated, global real estate platform.

Primary responsibilities will include, without limitation:

• Structuring, documenting, and closing mortgage loan, mezzanine loan, construction loan, preferred equity, and syndicated credit facilities on behalf of money center and investment banks, debt funds, insurance companies, private equity sponsors, and institutional investors across the office, industrial, multifamily, retail, hospitality, life science, and mixed-use sectors
• Negotiating intercreditor, co-lender, participation, syndication, and servicing arrangements for complex capital stacks, often involving CMBS, CRE-CLO, and other securitized executions spearheaded by our New York finance team
• Coordinating multistate and multijurisdictional diligence—title, survey, zoning, corporate, and tax—leveraging national resources and collaborating daily with New York colleagues to ensure seamless closings under aggressive timetables
• Advising on joint venture, preferred equity, and development arrangements to align investor and sponsor interests, including waterfall modeling, governance, and exit strategies.
  Mentoring junior associates and supervising paralegal work streams to deliver precise, client-ready work product within compressed closing windows

Dentons offers a collegial, entrepreneurial environment where associates access the resources of the world’s largest law firm while developing deep local and national client relationships. Our Real Estate team delivers forward-thinking counsel at every stage of the real estate life cycle, empowering clients to achieve strategic objectives in a competitive marketplace.

Based on years of experience, Dentons US LLP associates may have a title of Associate, Managing Associate, or Senior Managing Associate. Dentons US LLP offers a competitive salary and benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401k, short-term/long-term disability, life insurance, tuition reimbursement, paid time off, paid holidays and discretionary bonuses.

Position requirements

Personal skills/attributes

• Superior analytical, drafting, and verbal communication skills with a demonstrated ability to distill sophisticated finance concepts into clear client guidance
• Proven capacity to juggle multiple high-value transactions simultaneously and to thrive in a deadline-driven, team-oriented environment spanning St. Louis, New York, and other US offices
• Commitment to exemplary client service and a collaborative mindset

Technical skills

• At least four years of concentrated real estate finance experience at an Am Law-quality law firm, including primary responsibility for drafting credit agreements, mortgage and mezzanine loan documents, intercreditor agreements, and related ancillary documents
• Familiarity with CMBS, CRE-CLO, and balance-sheet loan programs, as well as joint venture and preferred equity structures; capital markets or structured finance exposure is strongly preferred
• Comfort managing due diligence and closing mechanics for large, multisite transactions in concert with attorneys in New York and other jurisdictions

Other requirements

• Admission to, and good standing with, the Missouri Bar; admission to the New York Bar or willingness to sit for the New York Bar Examination or seek admission on motion is a plus
• Submission of a résumé, law school transcript, and a detailed deal sheet highlighting sophisticated real estate finance matters handled to date

Equal opportunities

Dentons US LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Disability/Vet. Pursuant to local ordinances, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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