Associate General Counsel

Position Summary

The Associate General Counsel oversees legal matters of the business, with a heavy emphasis on labor, employment, worker’s compensation and wage and hour matters, including acting as the company’s legal representative and agent for service of process. The Associate General Counsel is engaged in all aspects of legal matters, including but not limited to pre-litigation and litigation, corporate contracts and negotiations, managing outside counsel, bill review, overseeing the handling and reserves for open workers’ compensation claims, and  collaborating with Human Resources on personnel matters pertaining to H&S Energy, LLC and its affiliates, a multi-site gas station and convenience store operator with over 165 locations in California and Nevada and a proprietary c-store brand, Power Market and its affiliate, H&S Energy Venture Group and HASCO Holdings, with over 260 marketer served locations in Oregon and Northern California.  

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Internal handling of pre-litigation matters with emphasis on achieving a pre-filing resolution.
• Advise executive members on law and policy as it pertains to employment law in the oil and retail industry
• Provide legal and compliance advice across a wide range of issues, including, for example, employee relations; restructuring, redundancies, and outsourcing; equal opportunities and diversity; employee accommodations and interactive processes; employment litigation; mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; employee discipline, grievances, and termination; drafting of employment separation agreements; wage & hour obligations and compliance
• Retain and work effectively with outside counsel where required, and manage external counsel contracts to reduce costs, secure value-added services as appropriate 
• Train Human Resources and business partners on key employment and compliance risk areas 
• Keep abreast of relevant legal developments across the US, specifically focused in California and Oregon labor law. Drive consistent enterprise wise standards for Labor and Employment support
• Develop, assess, and negotiate contracts on non-disclosure, consulting, service, consignments, terms and conditions and commercial documents for business units in many areas
• Ensure consistency of contract terms with company policies and goals
• Expedite and review contracts from the Company’s suppliers, customers, and parties.
• Review, update and negotiate corporate contracts, agreements and policy
• Evaluate and reduce the Company’s contract risk
• Work under the supervision of the Company’s General Counsel and company business units to develop contract strategies.
• Review best practices to enhance contracts review processes.

Education and Work Experience

• Must be an active member of and in good standing with the State Bar of California
• Minimum of 10+ years of labor & employment experience and transactional experience. Preferably has prior in-house experience, and experience at a major-sized law firm. 
• Extensive “hands-on” legal experience with proven ability to provide practice advice and solutions that balance legal risk and business priorities 
• Substantial experience and success in working with HR and management at all levels of the organization; and experience with counseling clients on L&E issues, litigation, and training. 
• Prior experience working with a family-owned business preferred 
• Background with franchise law, customer service locations, gas stations, or convenience store industry preferred 
• Graduate of an ABA-accredited law school

Skill Set

• Superior advocacy skills, including the ability to communicate in writing and orally effectively and efficiently, an aptitude for practical negotiation, the capability to think clearly and quickly under pressure, and the composure to satisfy multiple and often competing interests
• A strong commitment to integrity and professionalism, and passion for excellence
• Strong project management and prioritization skills. 
• Record of dedicated and successful teamwork, excellent interpersonal abilities
• Advanced computer and research skills, spreadsheet experience.

Physical Demands and Work Environment        

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successful perform the essential functions of this position.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this position, the incumbent is regularly required to talk or hear. 
• The employee will be required to be onsite 100% of the time, at the corporate offices in Orange, California.  Remote work should be on a case by case basis, including evening & weekend work, but regular hours (40+) must be done at the Corporate Office. 
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• The employee frequently is required to use hands, fingers, handle or feel objects, tools and controls. 
• The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. 
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.   
• Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.