Chief Legal Officer

Jackson Lewis P.C.•Los Angeles, CA

5d•$700,000 - $800,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Responsible for overall firm risk management and compliance, the Chief Legal Officer will serve as a key member of the firm’s leadership team. This individual will oversee a team of attorneys in providing legal support and guidance to the firm in the oversight and management of 60+ national offices. This successful incumbent will be responsible for providing strategic guidance on various internal and client specific legal matters, including related business decisions, compliance programs and governance programs, protection of firm assets and ensuring accurate and timely litigation and management of employment issues. This person should understand and be experienced with understanding the scope of managing a variety of issues in a law firm setting in the General Counsel function. Reporting to our Chief Operations Officer, the Chief Legal Officer will collaborate with firm leadership, the board, and cross-functional teams and stakeholders, in providing proactive legal advice to mitigate risk.

Requirements

JD from ABA Accredited Law School
Working in house at a large multi office AMLAW 200 law firm as the General Counsel (Or Deputy General Counsel if the remit is broad enough) is required.
20+ years of relevant and progressive experience; Active member in good standing with the state bar
Must be a well-versed and experienced business/commercial lawyer
Law firm experience required; preferred industries include professional services
Proven ability to provide strategic business-oriented legal counsel in a large matrixed organization with experience operating within billion-dollar enterprises and navigating the complex, sophisticated challenges inherent to large-scale environments
Excellent attention to detail
Excellent written and oral communication, negotiation and judgement skills
Strong organizational and project management skills
Strong understanding of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel a plus

Responsibilities

Develop and lead firm legal strategies, and compliance programs to support the mitigation of firm-wide legal and reputational risks, including but not limited to, malpractice exposure, ethical issues and regulatory compliance
Serve as trusted advisor to senior leadership including the firm chair and firm managing principal, board of directors, principals and a cross-functional team of chiefs on matters of significance
Adept in understanding all operating matters in a law firm setting from a GC function and being proactive in identifying issues and solutions quickly.
Identify, assess and manage legal regulatory risk across the firm
Advise on the development and implementation of firm policies, provide guidance on appropriate audit and governance structures to mitigate risk
Manage all legal matters including contracts, outside counsel guidelines, litigation, intellectual property, and corporate transactions.
Effectively manage relationships with outside counsel, opposing counsel and regulatory bodies
Provide guidance to attorneys and practice leaders on professional responsibilities; oversee compliance with applicable rules of professional conduct, and bar regulations across jurisdictions
Oversee a team of attorneys and other professionals in the day-to-day execution of the OGC functions
Adept in defining processes, implementing appropriate governance/ controls and operationalizing a cadence to review and update firm-wide policies, while building team structure and overseeing key functions such as risk management.
Support the resolution of conflicts governance and process matters
Support internal investigations and confidential matters involving policy violations or professional conduct
Collaborate with HR, IT, Risk and Finance teams to ensure integrated governance and compliance oversight.