Sr. Counsel, North America

ACCO Brands•Lake Zurich, IL

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

ACCO Brands is seeking a Sr. Counsel, North America to serve as the lead legal business partner for its North America organization. This hybrid role is based in Lake Zurich, Illinois and reports directly to the Senior Vice President, General Counsel. The position provides practical, strategic, and risk-based legal counsel to commercial, product, marketing, sales, operations, and leadership teams, supporting business growth and innovation while ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and company policies. The role provides leadership across commercial contracting, marketing and advertising law, U.S. federal government contracting, competition law, intellectual property, product development, and general business operations. It serves as a trusted advisor to senior leaders and supports a culture of compliance, integrity, and business partnership throughout the Americas region.

Requirements

Juris Doctor degree from an accredited U.S. law school.
Licensed and in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
Ability to provide legal support across multiple U.S. jurisdictions.
At least 10 years of progressively responsible legal experience, including substantial in-house and/or major law firm experience.
Demonstrated expertise in commercial transactions, marketing law, and business counseling.
Experience advising senior executives and business leadership teams.
Experience managing outside counsel and cross-functional projects.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting consumer products, manufacturing, retail, technology, or related industries.
Experience supporting U.S. federal government contracting matters.

Responsibilities

Serve as lead legal counsel for the North America business and provide strategic guidance to executive and functional leaders.
Partner with business leaders to assess legal risks and opportunities related to strategic initiatives, new products, commercial programs, and market expansion.
Manage outside counsel, legal budgets, and legal resources.
Support collaboration among Sales, Marketing, Product Development, Supply Chain, IT, Finance, HR, and Operations.
Lead legal training and awareness programs across the North America organization.
Develop and maintain legal policies, processes, and governance practices that support business objectives.
Advise leadership on emerging legal, regulatory, and industry developments.
Provide legal support for customer agreements, amendments, assignments, novations, bid-related agreements, and commercial matters.
Draft, review, and negotiate sales representative, vendor, supplier, distribution, and regional or global commercial agreements.
Advise on joint development, collaboration, partnership, licensing, and intellectual property agreements.
Support marketing, sponsorship, promotion, endorsement, influencer, creative services, professional services, and statement-of-work agreements.
Provide education and public-sector bid and RFP support in partnership with legal operations and paralegal resources.
Advise on advertising-law compliance, claim substantiation, FTC compliance, product marketing review, promotional materials, comparative advertising, and pricing claims.
Counsel on endorsement, influencer, affiliate, testimonial, and social media marketing compliance.
Review sweepstakes, contests, rebates, and promotional campaigns.
Advise on green, sustainability, environmental, and ESG-related claims and substantiation.
Provide guidance on consumer protection, unfair trade practices, annual marketing subscriptions, and digital marketing compliance in coordination with the privacy attorney when appropriate.
Create advertising and marketing compliance policies, guidelines, and best practices.
Review and negotiate direct and indirect U.S. federal government contracts.
Analyze FAR, DFARS, and customer flow-down requirements, including letters of supply and related government procurement documents.
Advise on Trade Agreements Act compliance and similar government contracting requirements.
Support annual SAM.gov registrations and certifications.
Oversee compliance with Section 889, Section 5949, and other applicable sourcing restrictions.
Monitor regulatory developments, executive orders, FAR and DFARS updates, and OFCCP requirements, and advise the business on potential impacts.
Advise business teams regarding government contracting risks and obligations.
Counsel on antitrust and competition law compliance, including pricing policies and communications, reseller and distributor relationships, exclusivity arrangements, and channel management structures.
Perform other duties as assigned.