Paralegal - Condemnations/Eminent Domain - Public Storage

Since opening our first self-storage facility in 1972, Public Storage has grown to become the largest owner and operator of self-storage facilities in the world. With thousands of locations across the U.S. and Europe, and more than 170 million net rentable square feet of real estate, we're also one of the largest landlords.

We've been recognized as A Great Place to Work by the Great Place to Work Institute. And, our employees have also voted us as having Best Career Growth, ranked us in the Top 5% for Work Culture, and in the Top 10% for Diversity and Inclusion.

We're a member of the S&P 500 and FT Global 500. Our common and preferred stocks trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

Public Storage is seeking a Real Estate Legal Specialist to join our team and handle public agencies’ condemnations and pending takings from Public Storage’s portfolio of over 3,000 properties. The successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of eminent domain matters, including acting as a central point of contact, coordinating communications between various stakeholders and ensuring the smooth operation of condemnation proceedings and related real estate matters.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Condemnation Management:
  • Oversee and monitor current and pending takings of property interests (fee and easement) by public agencies across various jurisdictions.
  • Act as the point of contact for communication between condemning agencies, internal stakeholders, appraisers, attorneys, consultants, and contractors.
• Impact Analysis:
  • Investigate, analyze, and evaluate the impact of land or easement takings and public improvements on properties.
  • Obtain and review essential documents such as take plats, project plans, surveys, legal descriptions, maps, photographs, and renderings.
  • Identify necessary work to mitigate impacts from takings and communicate these needs to Facilities or Operations personnel.
• Coordination and Communication:
  • Prepare timelines to close properties due to condemnations and coordinate vacating the property and relocation of tenants when required. and.
• Negotiation and Document Review:
  • Negotiate compensation for property takings and draft, review, and negotiate related documents, including deeds, easements, and agreements.
  • Assist in resolving title issues by analyzing title documents and reviewing deeds, easements, subdivision plats, and title reports.
• Cost Management:
  • Assist in controlling legal costs by handling tasks typically performed by outside counsel.
  • Create and update budgets for condemnation cases and review, track, and negotiate invoice reductions with law firms.
• Data Preparation and Reporting:
  • Gather and present data for expert witness appraisers.
  • Prepare and revise case timelines and notify relevant teams about public projects affecting properties.
  • Maintain a database of takings and prepare weekly, monthly, and ad hoc reports to various internal departments.
• Ongoing Support:
  • Respond to questions from Financial Reporting and auditors regarding condemnation proceeds and assist District and Facilities Managers with issues arising during ongoing projects.
• In addition to condemnations:
  • Provide legal support to field teams with the issues that arise from owning real estate.
  • Research title of Public Storage properties.
  • Manage deed transfers and update property titles, involving detailed file reviews and information compilation.