Senior Assistant General Counsel – Employment Litigation (US)

Latham & Watkins is a global law firm consistently ranked among the top firms in the world. The success of our firm is largely determined by our commitment to hire and develop the very best and brightest, creating a team that provides our clients with the highest quality of work and service. We are driven by our core values: respect, innovation, and collaboration.  

The Senior Assistant General Counsel –Employment Litigation (US) is an integral part of Latham’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) team. This role will be responsible for managing and overseeing employment-related investigations and potential and actual US employment litigation and disputes, providing strategic legal advice and counseling, and ensuring compliance with employment laws and regulations in the US, while taking a lead role in assessing risk, overseeing and managing (either independently or with outside counsel) all aspects of employment litigation, administrative charges, and threats of claims, including discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and wage and hour disputes. This role will be located in either our New York, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Washington, DC, Los Angeles or Bay Area offices. Please note that this role may be eligible for a flexible working schedule that allows for a hybrid and in-office presence. 

Other key responsibilities include:

• Developing and implementing litigation strategies
• Representing the firm in court proceedings, mediations, and arbitrations
• Leading and managing all stages of the investigation lifecycle in connection with potential, threatened, and actual employment claims, including conducting document and other factual collection and analysis, and preparing for and conducting witness interviews
• Managing outside counsel in all employment litigated matters, cost-effectively
• Providing guidance on a range of employment law matters in the US while ensuring the Deputy General Counsel – Employment is apprised and aligned, independently and proactively
• Protecting and maintaining any highly sensitive, confidential, privileged, financial, and/or proprietary information that Latham & Watkins retains 
  

We’d love to hear from you if you:

• Possess a broad and ongoing knowledge of employment laws and regulations in the US and in the jurisdictions in which the firm operates in the US
• Demonstrate the ability to lead cross-departmental projects
• Display excellent research and writing skills

And have:

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• A law degree from an accredited law school
• An active bar membership in a jurisdiction in which the firm has a US office
• A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible legal experience in employment litigation and counseling within a large law firm or top employment law boutique
  • Extensive experience with US employment laws and regulations, particularly in NY and CA
  • Extensive experience conducting and supervising internal investigations, including conducting and managing electronic discovery
• Prior experience as an in-house employment litigator, preferably

Successful candidates will not only be provided with an outstanding career opportunity and welcoming environment, but will also be provided with a generous total compensation package with bonuses awarded in recognition of both individual and firm performance. Eligible employees can participate in Latham’s comprehensive benefit program which includes:

• Healthcare, life and disability insurance
• A generous 401k plan
• At least 11 paid holidays per year, and a PTO program that accrues 23 days during the first year of employment and grows with tenure
• Well-being programs (e.g. mental health services, mindfulness and resiliency, medical resources, well-being events, and more)
• Professional development programs
• Employee discounts
• Affinity groups, networks, and coalitions for lawyers and staff

Latham & Watkins is an equal opportunity employer. The Firm prohibits discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race (including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status (including veterans of the Vietnam era), gender expression, marital status, or any other characteristic or condition protected by applicable statute.

Please click here to view the full job description for this role.

Latham & Watkins LLP will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO)​.  Please click the link below to review the Ordinance.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Please click the link below to review the Ordinance.

Please click here to review your rights under U.S. employment laws.

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