Senior Corporate Counsel - Labor & Employment

Southland Industries•Garden Grove, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Serves as a key legal advisor to executive leadership and business partners across a large, multi-state construction enterprise, with a strong emphasis on California & Texas operations, overseeing all labor and employment legal matters. Focuses on union relations, wage-and-hour compliance, class/collective action/PAGA strategy, and high-volume litigation risk, bringing deep expertise in all areas of employment law within a complex, fast-paced environment.

Requirements

J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership required (California strongly preferred).
Twelve or more years of labor and employment law experience with significant exposure to California/ Texas law, including at least five to seven years in-house handling sophisticated labor and employment issues.
Deep expertise in California and/or Texas labor and employment regulatory environment, including PAGA and wage/hour law.
Experience managing complex litigation, including class actions and representative actions, and strong familiarity with FLSA and multi-state compliance frameworks.
Strategic, solutions-oriented mindset with strong risk judgment.
Executive presence and the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
Ability to balance legal risk with operational realities in the field.
Strong negotiation and communication skills.
Scholarly or ABA published writings, articles, CLE or client training on a L&E subject, demonstrating SME in this field.

Nice To Haves

Construction, infrastructure, or project-based industry experience with unionized workforces strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Advise on collective bargaining agreements, project labor agreements, union negotiations, grievances, and arbitrations in heavily unionized environments.
Guide responses to union organizing activity and NLRB matters, including unfair labor practice charges; monitor significant developments in the NLRA, and partner with HR and Division to align labor strategy with project execution, particularly in California and Texas.
Serve as subject matter expert on California employment law, including wage/hour, PAGA, CFRA, paid sick leave, and Cal/OSHA; develop California-specific policies and field guidance; and advise on classification issues (exempt/non-exempt and contractor status).
Provide comprehensive guidance on wage and hour pay policies, with a particular focus on “per diem” or other expense reimbursement policies or incentive pay policies in union and non-union space; conduct wage/hour audits and manage FLSA suits, collective actions, and California class and PAGA representative actions.
Oversee a high volume of employment litigation, including class actions; manage agency matters (DLSE, EEOC, DOL, Cal/OSHA, CA CRD); direct outside counsel and control legal spend; oversee and coordinate with internal partners on litigation holds, depositions and document production, and lead internal investigations and enterprise-wide risk mitigation.
Advise executives, HR, and operations on workforce decisions in a high-risk regulatory environment; support M&A activity with a focus on California / Texas labor and employment matters; and partner with payroll and HRIS teams to ensure compliance in execution.
Build scalable compliance frameworks for high-regulation jurisdictions; monitor developments in employment law (including the ADA, FMLA, Title VII, PWFA, and state laws), wage/hour enforcement trends, particularly under the FLSA and CA law, Cal/OSHA developments, and restrictive covenants; and drive consistency and accountability across business units and project sites.
Exercises significant independent legal judgment in overseeing labor and employment matters, leading class/collective/CA PAGA and litigation strategy, and directing outside counsel, within the authority delegated by the VP & General Counsel.

Benefits

401(k) plan with 50% company match (no cap) and immediate 100% vesting
Medical, dental, and vision insurance (100% paid for employee)
Annual bonus program based upon performance, achievement, and company profitability
Term life, AD&D insurance, and voluntary life insurance
Disability income protection insurance
Pre-tax flexible spending plans (health and dependent care)
Paid parental leave
Paid holidays, vacation, and personal time
Training/professional development opportunities and company-paid memberships for professional associations and licenses
Wellness benefits