Senior Legal Counsel (Employment)
About The Position
The Community Solution Education System’s Office of Legal Affairs is seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel specializing in labor and employment law, with higher education experience. The attorney will provide strategic and practical legal advice to the System Office and partner institutions, working closely with Human Resources, institutional leaders, and other stakeholders on employment, labor, student-related, and other in-house legal matters. The role includes advising on regulatory compliance, investigations, dispute resolution, policy development, and risk management, while supporting organizational decision-making and the System’s mission. The position reports to the Managing Counsel & Associate Vice President for Legal Affairs and works alongside a collaborative in-house legal team. It is fully remote within a distributed workforce and requires flexibility across time zones. The role involves a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and short deadlines, and may occasionally require work outside standard business hours to meet business needs.
Requirements
- At least 10 years of experience practicing employment law as a litigator or within a higher education environment.
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
- Active license to practice law in California.
- Licensed to practice law in Illinois or eligible to become licensed upon starting work.
- Experience providing legal counsel and risk assessment on employment, labor, and workplace matters.
- Experience advising organizational leaders on complex employment issues, including workplace investigations, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution.
- Strong knowledge of federal and state employment laws, including FLSA, ADA, FMLA, and California employment laws.
- Flexibility to work across time zones and, occasionally, outside standard business hours to meet business needs.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in higher education, litigation, labor relations, and general corporate and/or regulatory law.
- Combined experience in both law firm and in-house legal environments.
- Experience drafting, reviewing, and implementing organizational policies and procedures.
Responsibilities
- Provide practical legal counsel and risk assessments on day-to-day operational, administrative, and strategic matters supporting higher education system and institutional operations.
- Serve as lead counsel on employment-related pre-litigation and litigation disputes, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, workers’ compensation, and reasonable accommodation claims.
- Conduct and advise on complex workplace and student-related investigations and recommend legally sound, practical resolutions.
- Negotiate settlements, manage insurance claims, and partner with outside counsel as appropriate to support effective case resolution.
- Advise on compliance with federal and state employment laws and regulations, including FLSA, ADA, FMLA, California employment laws, and matters involving state and federal regulatory agencies.
- Support labor relations matters, including collective bargaining and related workforce considerations.
- Advise Human Resources, institutional leaders, and other stakeholders on employment, labor, student-related, and other in-house legal matters.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Voluntary benefit options.
- Employer-paid life and disability insurance.
- Retirement plan contributions.
- Employee assistance program.
- 20 PTO days annually.
- 11 paid holidays annually.
- Remote work flexibility and a biweekly remote work stipend.
- Tuition reimbursement for eligible external degree programs.
- Tuition waivers at participating colleges within the System.
- Multiple flexible spending accounts.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
