Labor & Employment Senior Associate or Counsel

McGuireWoods•Chicago, IL

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

McGuireWoods is seeking a Senior Associate or Counsel for its Labor & Employment Department. This is a national search focused on Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Pittsburgh, New York, Richmond, and Washington, DC. The role focuses on sophisticated matters at the intersection of employment law, executive mobility, and corporate transactions, rather than traditional employment law. The attorney will advise corporate clients and private equity sponsors on employment issues involving acquisitions, divestitures, leadership transitions, restrictive covenant disputes, and post-closing integration, working closely with the firm's Healthcare, Private Equity, and M&A teams. The position offers an opportunity to develop a practice combining strategic advisory work, risk assessment, transactional counseling, and crisis management in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment. The attorney will serve as a client advisor and resource to deal teams, applying strategic thinking and sound judgment. McGuireWoods offers competitive salary, hours and merit bonus opportunities, and billable-hours credit for pro bono work. The position is eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. Candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, law school transcript, and writing sample.

Requirements

At least seven years of relevant legal experience, including substantial experience in labor and employment counseling, employment-related transactional matters, or other sophisticated employment law matters.
Experience counseling clients across a wide range of employment issues, including discrimination and wage-and-hour matters.
Experience representing clients in government agency audits or investigations, such as DOL or EEOC, and strong issue-spotting skills.
Experience with restrictive covenants and wage misclassification issues.
Excellent academic credentials.
Exceptional analytical, communication, and organizational skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, supervise and mentor junior attorneys, and deliver high-quality work under tight deadlines.
Ability to build trusted relationships with senior business leaders, HR professionals, and in-house counsel, and work effectively with corporate, private equity, and healthcare teams.
Ownership mindset, intellectual curiosity, and ability to independently analyze complex legal and business issues, exercise sound judgment, and deliver practical, commercially oriented solutions.
Willingness and desire to work with innovative technology platforms.
Admission to practice in the jurisdiction to which the candidate is applying.

Nice To Haves

Experience advising employers on workplace policies, compliance, employee relations, and HR matters is strongly preferred.
A background in injunction or restrictive covenant litigation is valued; experience with collective actions is helpful but not required.
Experience advising on employment issues arising in mergers, acquisitions, private equity transactions, and post-closing integration is strongly preferred.
Litigators with relevant employment experience who wish to transition to a counseling-focused practice are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Counsel clients on workplace policies, employment compliance, employee relations, and HR matters, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage-and-hour issues.
Advise on restrictive covenant and wage misclassification issues, including structuring, drafting, and enforceability of non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality obligations.
Lead employment-related due diligence in corporate and private equity transactions, identify and prioritize material legal and business risks, develop practical mitigation strategies, and supervise junior associates.
Independently manage complex employment matters and transactional workstreams, identify material risks, develop practical recommendations, coordinate with deal teams, and deliver timely, client-ready work product.
Advise senior executives and corporate leadership on sensitive personnel, leadership transition, and governance issues requiring discretion and strategic judgment.
Mentor and support junior associates through substantive guidance, constructive feedback, and opportunities for increased responsibility on complex client matters.