Corporate Legal Counsel

Corporate Counsel

The Corporate Counsel will be responsible for managing legal risks, overseeing contract negotiation, educating the team on regulatory compliance, and aligning legal strategy with business objectives.  This is a new role to support a growing and diverse technology and e-commerce company.

Key Responsibilities:

Legal Strategy & Compliance:

• Maintaining and advancing legal frameworks and policies for operations in alignment with corporate strategy.
• Translating complex legal and regulatory issues into practical guidance for cross-functional teams.

• Advising and collaborating on developing new processes, identifying and mitigating legal issues, and assisting in crafting solutions to protect the company's interests.

• Advising and educating management and coworkers on a variety of legal issues relating to general corporate matters, including corporate governance, risk management, finance, banking, branding, vendor contracting, real estate and facilities, intellectual property, information technology, employment, and dealer regulations.
• Providing legal support for various corporate service areas, such as marketing, communications, finance, privacy, risk management, and accounting.

• Ensuring corporate knowledge of compliance regulations for local, state, and federal laws across consumer protection, state and federal privacy regulations, state licensing regulations, and corporate governance.

Contracts, Agreements, and Intellectual Property:

• Accurately and efficiently negotiating, analyzing, drafting, reviewing, and managing a broad range of commercial contracts and agreements including licenses, joint ventures, contracts, policies, procedures, confidentiality agreements, employment, internal protocols, and litigation-related documents.

• Providing legal support during negotiations with vendors, landlords, affiliates, and governmental entities.
• Managing independent contractor processes, including drafting agreements and procedures.
• Managing, expanding, protecting, maintaining, and defending all aspects of intellectual property.

Risk Management:

• Identifying legal risks and recommending proactive solutions to mitigate exposure in new and existing processes.
• Educating executive team and coworkers on data privacy, corporate policies, and labor laws.
• Supporting due diligence on expansion, partnerships, and strategic investments.
• Identifying and analyzing new or emerging areas of risk and managing or providing support with respect to general legal matters.

Monitor Legal and Compliance Landscape:

• Proactively researching new legal developments in consumer products and services delivery, data privacy, cybersecurity, and employment law to ensure continued compliance.
  Identify and manage legal and regulatory risk across new and existing product areas, offering actionable guidance to drive product and business goals forward.

• Providing guidance on complex regulatory questions in fast-moving, ambiguous environments.
• Ensuring compliance with governmental trade regulations, sanctions, and other limitations.

Dispute Resolution, Litigation, and Litigation Management:

• Counseling employees and contractors on solutions to customer complaints.
• Researching and responding to escalated customer complaints and complaints to regulatory and consumer entities
• Litigating and arbitrating matters, both offensively and defensively, when economically prudent.
• Finding, retaining, managing, and directing outside counsel, or other third-party consultants, in managing litigation (e.g., employment, workers' compensation, and other legal conflicts), when needed, to maximize a high level of representation for the company while managing legal expenses.

Corporate Governance:

• Assisting in obtaining and maintaining licensing at both the state and federal levels.

• Establishing the formation of new entities, maintaining current entities, and drafting operating agreements and resolutions.
• Maintaining knowledge of organization operations and legal documents.

Support Employment & Human Resources

• Advising on employment law and human resources matters, such as wage and hour issues, leaves of absence, and internal policies, to help create a compliant and supportive workplace environment.

• Supporting employee benefits programs, such as administration of the 401k, health insurance, etc.
• Assisting in the development of company policies and practices and investigating non-compliance.

Provide Legal Advice and Work Product:

• Anticipating and mitigating potential legal problems within the organization and developing strategies to avoid costly litigation and reduce potential areas of risk.
• Conduct legal research and analysis to provide recommendations and prepare written opinions and guidance for management teams.
• Supporting leasing and real estate matters.
• Managing other tasks as assigned.

Requirements:

• D. from an accredited law school and current admission to a state bar with the willingness to become licensed in another state if needed.
• Five years plus experience as a licensed attorney, preferably at least two years in-house.
• Extensive experience with international offices, clients, employees, and entities, preferably with prior experience supporting a global entity.
• Pragmatic judgment, strong personal credibility, and the ability to articulate a legal position or strategy quickly and concisely, while thinking and acting proactively in building consensus within a multinational organization.
• Strong interpersonal skills, sound judgment, strong analytical skills, and excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build positive relationships and partnerships across the organization.
• Hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves mentality, including a willingness to do one’s own administrative, paralegal, and secretarial work.
• Ability to analyze complex issues and reach a quick resolution.
• Strong prioritization and sense of urgency - manage workload and perform multiple tasks under tight deadlines.
• Ability to recognize and weigh business and legal risks, lead strategically, and advance innovative solutions.
• Understanding of the need to handle and protect confidential and sensitive information.
• Comfortable in a multicultural environment.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed.