Sr Counsel I

Gilead Sciences•Foster City, CA

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Counsel, Corporate Litigation & Investigations, reporting to the Senior Associate General Counsel and Head of Global Corporate Litigation & Investigations. The candidate will serve as a lawyer on the Corporate Litigation & Investigations team, advising on and managing active Company litigation, government investigations, internal investigations, and prelitigation matters. The successful candidate will be able to work independently and will possess strong legal expertise to proactively identify, analyze, and navigate potential legal issues and risk and help to advise on the same in the prelitigation context. They will have extensive experience in managing complex and large-scale litigation matters, including False Claims Act, products liability, antitrust, and general commercial litigation matters. The candidate will have extensive experience in managing government investigations and will have experience conducting internal investigations to completion.

Requirements

Juris Doctorate or equivalent advanced degree
6 + years of experience practicing in a law firm or inhouse legal department
U.S. Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree; active law license in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
Minimum of 8 years of legal experience supporting clients preferably at a multinational company and/or a reputable, highly rated law firm, or a combination of both
Extensive experience with complex and high-profile litigation, investigations and related life sciences issues.
Strong, broad, and complex litigation experience including class actions, coordinated litigations (e.g., MDL, state coordinated actions), mass tort product liability actions, anti-trust, commercial disputes, tax, appellate court proceedings, and securities actions.
Investigation experience that ranges from internal investigations and government and agency requests and actions.
Ability to exercise judgment and independently determine and take appropriate action
Ability to manage workload priorities in a matrixed environment
Experience handling multiple projects in a fast-paced environment and performing successfully in cross-functional teams
Able to independently handle complex matters with minimal supervision and an understanding of when to elevate issues to senior management for awareness or decision-making
Proven judgment in working through complex issues, including those with significant strategic risk to the company
Demonstrated excellent interpersonal, strategic thinking, written communication, presentation skills, and organizational skills
Consistent demonstration of Gilead’s core values: Teamwork, Accountability, Inclusion, Excellence, and Integrity.

Nice To Haves

Experience with life sciences or the pharmaceutical industry is a plus, but not required.
Trial experience is a plus, though not required.

Responsibilities

Serve as lawyer on the Corporate Litigation & Investigations team, independently managing litigation, investigations and prelitigation matters and providing guidance to other attorneys on the team regarding similar matters.
Maintain knowledge of relevant and developing case law, industry developments, regulatory issues, and external dynamics in furtherance of Gilead’s objectives.
Proactively identify, analyze, and navigate potential legal issues and risk, and provide practical, risk‑balanced advice in the pre‑litigation context.
Lead and manage complex, large‑scale litigation matters, including False Claims Act, products liability, antitrust, and general commercial litigation. This includes case strategy and day-to-day decision-making and tasks associated with case management and discovery, such as fact witness interviews, deposition preparation, expert witness work, and preparation for key hearings and trial.
Review correspondence, arguments, memos, and briefs in support of litigation, investigations and other adversarial proceedings.
Assist in the preparation of comprehensive internal and external updates of litigation, investigation, and other potential risks.
Manage government investigations from inception through resolution, coordinating strategy and execution across internal stakeholders and outside counsel.
Conduct internal investigations to completion, including issue scoping, factual investigation, root cause analyses and recommendations for remedial action.
Effectively collaborate with other functions, leaders, and teams within Gilead.
Define, direct and conscientiously manage outside counsel.