Corporate Counsel, Claims Litigation

Porch Group

5d • Remote

About The Position

Porch Group is a leading vertical software and insurance platform and is positioned to be the best partner to help homebuyers move, maintain, and fully protect their homes. We offer differentiated products and services, with homeowners insurance at the center of this relationship. We differentiate and look to win in the massive and growing homeowners insurance opportunity by 1) providing the best services for homebuyers, 2) led by advantaged underwriting in insurance, 3) to protect the whole home. As a leader in the home services software-as-a-service (“SaaS”) space, we’ve built deep relationships with approximately 30 thousand companies that are key to the home-buying transaction, such as home inspectors, mortgage companies, and title companies. In 2020, Porch Group rang the Nasdaq bell and began trading under the ticker symbol PRCH. We are looking to build a truly great company and are JUST GETTING STARTED. Job Title: Corporate Counsel, Claims Litigation Location: Houston, Texas Workplace: Remote Job Summary At Porch, no two days will ever be the same and you'll have the opportunity to help solve big problems, with a refreshing balance of team support and ownership of your work. The future is bright for the Porch Group, and we'd love for you to lead the way for us, as our Corporate Counsel, Claims Litigation. While this is a remote position, we require the person to be locally based out of the Houston, Texas area. What You Will Do As A Corporate Counsel, Claims Litigation The Corporate Counsel, Claims Litigation will oversee and manage litigation involving the company’s insurance operations, with a focus on first-party property claims and related bad faith matters. This role will manage outside counsel, provide strategic legal advice to claims leadership, and directly handle select first-party disputes where appropriate. The position requires active licensure in Texas. The Corporate Counsel will be a key partner to the Claims organization and will be responsible for working with our legal team on a wide variety of matters of significance to the organization. This role reports to the Senior Director & Counsel, Insurance. A successful candidate will have in-depth experienced knowledge and the proven ability to lead efforts to resolve complex issues.

Requirements

• J.D. from an accredited law school; and active Texas Bar license in good standing.
• Candidates should have 8+ years of litigation experience at a law firm, government, and/or in-house role.
• Demonstrated experience handling bad faith or extra-contractual litigation against an insurance company.
• 1st or 2nd chair trial and/or appellate experience
• Experience effectively managing outside counsel
• Experience working cross-functionally with claims operations
• Ability to assess exposure and provide risk-based recommendations.
• Experience with mediations and settlement negotiations.
• Strong understanding of Texas civil procedure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex legal concepts to non-lawyers
• Flexible, solution-oriented, collaborative mindset
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
• Proficiency in managing multiple priorities, projects, and stakeholders
• Outstanding judgment and integrity, and the ability to balance complex matters independently
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships across the Company; and provide practical counsel and solutions.
• We require the person to be locally based out of the Houston, Texas area.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of first-party insurance lawsuits (primarily Texas). This includes:
• Enforce outside counsel guidelines.
• Oversee discovery strategy and motion practice via outside counsel.
• Track and control outside counsel budgets and billing.
• Monitor performance metrics and cycle time.
• Identify cost-containment opportunities.
• Personally handle smaller or strategically important first-party disputes, including coverage disputes, breach of contract claims and bad faith allegations. This includes:
• Draft pleadings, dispositive motions, and settlement agreements when appropriate.
• Appear in court where necessary (subject to workload and structure).
• Provide regular reporting to Legal and leadership on litigation trends, reserve adequacy, emerging legal risks, and adverse verdict exposure.
• Successfully work with all levels of the organization, including advising senior leadership of legal risks, and developing litigation strategy in partnership with claims leadership.
• Proactively monitor and analyze changes in laws, regulations and industry and advises appropriate organizational leadership of such changes in a timely manner.

Benefits

• Pay Range: $157,500.00 - $180,000.00 annually
• Please know your actual pay at Porch will reflect a number of factors among which are your work experience and skillsets, job-related knowledge, alignment with market and our Porch employees, as well as your geographic location. Additionally, you will be eligible to receive long-term incentive awards, subject to program guidelines and approvals. You will also be eligible to receive an annual bonus based on individual and company performance, subject to program guidelines and approvals
• Our benefits package will provide you with comprehensive coverage for your health, life, and financial wellbeing. Our traditional healthcare benefits include three (3) Medical plan options, two (2) Dental plan options, and a Vision plan from which to choose. Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Accident plans are offered on a voluntary basis. We offer pre-tax savings options including a partially employer funded Health Savings Account and employee Flexible Savings Accounts including healthcare, dependent care, and transportation savings options. We provide company paid Basic Life and AD&D, Short and Long-Term Disability benefits. We also offer Voluntary Life and AD&D plans. Both traditional and Roth 401(k) plans are available with a discretionary employer match. Supportlinc is part of our employer paid wellbeing program and provides employees and their families access to on demand guided meditation and mindfulness exercises, mental health coaching, clinical care and online access to confidential resources including will preparation. LifeBalance is a free resource to employees and their families for year-round discounts on things like gym memberships, travel, appliances, movies, pet insurance and more. Our wellness programs include flexible paid vacation, company-paid holidays of typically nine per year, paid sick time, paid parental leave, identity theft program, travel assistance, and fitness and other discounts programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree