Senior In-House Counsel

ESP Associates is seeking an experienced Senior In-House Legal Counsel to play a key role in safeguarding our business and enabling our growth. As a leader in our Charlotte, NC area corporate office, you’ll take ownership of a wide range of legal responsibilities—from drafting and reviewing contracts, to managing interaction with outside counsel, to advising on complex legal issues and ensuring compliance with industry requirements.

What You’ll Accomplish
Reporting directly to the Chief Compliance Officer, this role will collaborate closely with leaders in fields such as engineering, surveying, safety, and human resources, etc., to support business operations and reduce legal risk. Success in this position requires exceptional legal research and analytical abilities, strong communication and negotiation skills, a desire to teach and mentor others, and a deep knowledge of contract law and relevant regulatory frameworks.  This is a unique opportunity to build a deep understanding of our business and grow into a General Counsel/Legal Officer role as the company continues to expand.

If you thrive in a collaborative environment and want to make an impact by helping to shape a company’s future while protecting its interests, we’d love to hear from you!

Responsibilities:

• Contract Management: Draft, review, and negotiate various agreements including vendor contracts, service agreements, software agreements, and agreements with clients.
• Legal Research & Analysis:  Conduct legal research on a wide range of topics relevant to the engineering industry, including corporate requirements, professional service requirements, intellectual property, construction law, indemnification language, etc.
• Compliance: Ensure the company adheres to all relevant laws and regulations, including those related to corporate filings, professional service requirements, safety, data privacy, confidentiality, etc.
• Risk Management: Identify and assess legal risks associated with the company's operations and contract language.  Advise on appropriate mitigation strategies.  Assist with client negotiations.
• Policy Development: Assist in and/or lead the creation, development and implementation of company policies and procedures related to legal and compliance matters.
• Dispute Resolution: Support the Chief Compliance Officer in managing and resolving legal disputes and claims.  Provide timely legal advice to project teams throughout the project lifecycle, particularly during review of contract documents.
• Training & Education: Provide legal training and guidance to leaders and managers on relevant legal and compliance topics.
• Liaison with External Counsel: Assist in managing relationships with external law firms and other legal service providers as needed. 

What You'll Contribute
You have a keen legal mind, with exceptional research and analytical abilities, clear and persuasive communication skills, and a proven track record in negotiation. You’re deeply familiar with contract law and the Architecture, Engineering, & Construction (AEC) environment, and you know how to translate legal insights into practical business solutions.

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (JD) Degree: A law degree from an accredited law school is required.
• Bar Admission: Must be admitted to practice law in the relevant jurisdiction(s).
• Experience: Experience in a law firm or in-house legal department specializing in the AEC industry is strongly preferred.  Experience in such areas as contract law, construction law, and AEC agreements is particularly relevant. 
• Understanding of the Architecture, Engineering, & Construction (AEC): Must have strong understanding of and experience with the AEC industry. 
• Strong Analytical and Research Skills: Ability to conduct thorough legal research and analysis is essential.
• Excellent Communication and Negotiation Skills: Must be able to clearly and effectively communicate legal advice to both legal and non-legal professionals. Must enjoy mentoring technical leaders with legal guidance.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Must be able to identify legal issues and develop creative solutions that create win-win scenarios.
• Attention to Detail: Accuracy and attention to detail are crucial in drafting and reviewing legal documents.

• Candidate must be able to pass a drug screen, background check, and have a satisfactory driving record in accordance with the company’s driving (MVR) policy.  

Corporate Information:

ESP is a multi-discipline engineering design and consulting firm providing our clients with civil engineering, surveying, planning/landscape architecture, geosciences, environmental, subsurface utility engineering, and construction engineering inspection.

Through years of dedicated service to our clients, ESP has received a designation of 195 on the 2025 ENR Top 500 Design Firm rankings. For the firm's primary territory, the ENR Texas & Southeast Top Design Firms, ESP received a 2025 ranking of 52.

ESP offers an excellent employee benefits package including:   

• Competitive compensation with yearly performance reviews and discretionary annual bonuses
• 401(k) (Traditional & Roth plans) with a guaranteed employer match of 100% up to the first 3% and 50% on the next 2% (eligibility after 60 days) 
• PTO (Paid Time Off) & 10 Paid Holidays
• Tiered Health, Vision & Dental Insurance Options (eligibility after 30 days) 
• Behavioral Medicine through Teladoc
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Education Reimbursement Opportunities
• Flexible and Dependent Benefits Plan
• Referral Bonuses