In-House Counsel

Job Summary   

The In-House Counsel will serve as a critical legal advisor to the organization, providing comprehensive legal guidance and support across a broad spectrum of the company's operations and strategic initiatives. This pivotal role encompasses the proactive management of contract reviews and the efficient processing of a high volume of diverse agreements, including but not limited to vendor contracts, educational partnership agreements, regulatory compliance documentation, and commercial leases. 

The In-House Counsel will be instrumental in fostering strong vendor relationships by overseeing the legal aspects of these partnerships and actively participating in the negotiation of critical legal terms. Furthermore, this role is responsible for ensuring the company's adherence to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, thereby mitigating potential legal risks. A key aspect of the position involves the strategic management of relationships with external legal counsel, directing their activities to best serve the organization's interests in specialized areas of law. 

The In-House Counsel will provide comprehensive legal guidance and support on a wide range of HR-related matters. This includes offering expert counsel on legal implications related to HR policies, procedures, and practices. The role involves actively addressing and resolving legal inquiries from the HR department, ensuring compliance with all applicable employment laws and regulations.

The In-House Counsel will collaborate closely with various departments, including but not limited to Finance, Operations, Human Resources, and Academic Affairs, as well as engaging with senior leadership to provide expert legal counsel aimed at safeguarding the company's legal interests and ensuring all organizational activities are conducted ethically and in full compliance with the relevant legal framework.

Key Responsibilities 

• Critically reviews legal notices like subpoenas and agency notifications to assess their impact and coordinate timely, legally sound responses.

• Main legal contact for ADA, leave laws (like FMLA), and internal HR matters. This involves interpreting legal requirements, advising HR, and ensuring consistent policy application.

• Provides primary legal counsel on ADA, leave laws such as FMLA, and internal HR issues. Responsibilities include interpreting legal requirements, advising Human Resources, and guaranteeing consistent policy implementation.

• Secondary review of EEOC responses, which includes analyzing claims and offering strategic legal counsel to effectively represent the company's stance and minimize potential liabilities.

• Assume primary responsibility for the efficient management of the Contract Review mailbox, ensuring timely acknowledgment, prioritization, and processing of all incoming requests.

• Independently conduct thorough legal reviews and perform detailed redlining of a wide array of legal documents, including complex vendor agreements encompassing software licenses, service level agreements, and intellectual property considerations; training provider contracts outlining curriculum standards, performance metrics, and liability provisions; critical regulatory filings and compliance documents requiring meticulous attention to detail; commercial and real estate leases specifying terms, obligations, and potential liabilities; and formal responses to legal inquiries or notices.

• Meticulously track and ensure that all redlines and proposed modifications are comprehensively addressed, negotiated to the company's satisfaction, and formally cleared by all relevant stakeholders prior to final signature.

• Maintain a robust system for routing fully approved legal documents to the designated signatory for timely execution, maintaining an accurate record of all executed agreements.

• Maintain a comprehensive contract management system to track key dates, obligations, renewal terms, and other critical contractual information, providing proactive alerts and ensuring compliance with contractual commitments.

• Spearhead the negotiation of critical legal terms and conditions in significant vendor agreements that have a company-wide impact, including but not limited to liability limitations, indemnification clauses, data privacy provisions, and intellectual property rights, ensuring the company's interests are strongly protected.

• Provide comprehensive contractual support throughout the lifecycle of vendor agreements, from the initial development and drafting stages to the final execution and ongoing performance management.

• Proactively draft and issue formal legal notices to vendors regarding breaches of contract, performance issues, or other relevant matters, as well as prepare formal legal responses to vendor communications and articulate the company's expectations clearly and effectively.

• Directly manage, oversee, and coordinate the activities of external legal counsel resources, ensuring cost-effectiveness, high-quality service, and alignment with the company's legal strategies and objectives.

• Proactively develop, maintain, and regularly update a comprehensive library of legal templates, including standard contract forms, NDA agreements, and other legal documents, to streamline contracting processes related to real estate transactions and engagements with training providers, ensuring legal consistency and efficiency.

• Champion a culture of legal compliance throughout the organization by proactively developing and delivering training programs on key legal topics, providing ongoing guidance and support to various departments, and implementing policies and procedures to mitigate legal risks.

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with relevant advocacy organizations and industry initiatives, staying abreast of legislative and regulatory developments that may impact the company's operations and participating in advocacy efforts as appropriate.

• Serve as the primary legal point of contact and coordinator for insurance-appointed legal counsel in the event of claims or litigation, actively participating in meetings, hearings, and mediations to achieve favorable resolutions while effectively managing communication and expectations with internal stakeholders.

• Conduct legal research on a wide range of topics relevant to the company's business, providing clear and concise legal opinions and recommendations to internal clients.

• Assist in the development and implementation of corporate policies and procedures to ensure legal compliance and best practices across the organization.

Experience Required

• Substantial and progressive experience as an in-house counsel or in a similar legal role within a corporate environment, demonstrating a proven track record of providing effective legal advice and managing legal risks.

• A robust and comprehensive understanding of contract law, including drafting, negotiation, and interpretation of a wide variety of commercial agreements; significant experience in managing complex vendor relationships and navigating the legal aspects of these partnerships; and a strong foundation in general legal principles and their practical application in a business context.

• Demonstrated experience in effectively managing and directing the activities of external legal counsel across various legal disciplines, including the ability to define scopes of work, monitor budgets, and evaluate performance.

• Exceptional drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills, with the ability to articulate complex legal concepts clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing, and to develop creative and pragmatic legal solutions to business challenges.

• A demonstrated ability to provide practical, strategic, and business-oriented legal advice that aligns with the company's overall goals and objectives, taking into account both legal risks and business realities.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to effectively communicate with individuals at all levels of the organization, as well as with external parties such as vendors, opposing counsel, and regulatory agencies.

• A proven ability to work independently, manage a significant workload, prioritize tasks effectively, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment, as well as the capacity to collaborate effectively and build strong working relationships across different departments and functional teams.

• A high degree of professionalism, integrity, ethical conduct, and sound judgment, with a commitment to upholding the highest legal and ethical standards.

Preferred:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school, demonstrating a strong foundation in legal education and principles.

• Admission to /Registration and in good standing with the bar in (Texas/Arizona/North Carolina/Pennsylvania/Oklahoma/Georgia/Tennessee), indicating the legal authorization to practice law in the jurisdictions relevant to the company's operations.

• Prior professional experience within the education sector or a highly regulated industry, demonstrating a familiarity with the specific legal and regulatory challenges inherent in such environments.

• Comprehensive knowledge of relevant state and federal regulations affecting the company's operations, including but not limited to consumer protection laws, data privacy regulations, and education-specific statutes.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.  

Work Environment  

Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is usually not exposed to weather conditions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. 

Note

This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, or requirements associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or require that other or different tasks be performed when circumstances change. 

I have read and understand the above job description.  I further understand that this is not an all-inclusive list and does not constitute a contract.  My employment remains at will as with all employees of Ancora Education.