Labor Counsel

Surge AI

10d

About The Position

Surge is hiring a Labor Counsel to own labor and employment law for a fast-growing company with a large workforce of employees and independent contractors. The role will work with the General Counsel and closely with HR, advising on compliance, policies, and claims as the company and its people function scale. This is a new role for Surge.

The position is suited to a practical, collaborative lawyer who identifies issues early, works effectively with HR and operations teams, and is comfortable advocating for a position when they disagree. The counsel will help build policies and processes, advise on legal issues affecting the workforce, manage disputes, and explain legal requirements to HR and managers in plain language.

Requirements

• 5–10 years of experience in labor and employment law, at a law firm or in-house.
• Broad background across regulatory and compliance work and litigation.
• Real experience with worker classification.
• Collaborative issue spotter who flags problems early, seeks workable paths with the business, and is comfortable pushing back when disagreeing.
• Clear, practical communication with HR, managers, and non-lawyers.
• Comfort building policies and processes where none exist yet.
• Interest in how AI companies work with large, distributed workforces.

Nice To Haves

• Experience on the plaintiff side.
• Experience with HRIS systems.

Responsibilities

• Advise on worker classification for employees and contractors, and help design and review how Surge engages with its people.
• Advise on wage and hour, leave, termination, and other employment compliance questions across the jurisdictions in which Surge operates.
• Work with HR and teams managing the expert workforce to build and update policies, procedures, and compliance practices.
• Manage claims, demand letters, agency charges, and disputes, and work with outside counsel on litigation.
• Review and update employee communications and onboarding and offboarding forms.
• Work with HR on HR systems and data to incorporate legal requirements into the tools teams use.
• Investigate and advise on employee relations issues alongside HR.
• Help HR and managers understand the legal reasons behind rules in plain language.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed