Legal Counsel

As a member of a dynamic legal team, the attorney in this position will serve as a business partner and legal adviser, reporting to the Director of Brand Threat Litigation and Employment. Legal Counsel primarily partners with Pizza Hut U.S., Pizza Hut Global, and Pizza Hut Field and Training Human Resources Business Partners and the Franchise Administration team on a variety of initiatives. Legal Counsel also supports critical litigation matters, monitors compliance and leads other matters associated with an established restaurant brand in an evolving business environment. The successful candidate will have a  growth mindset and a passion for providing legal support by collaboratively working across business units while consistently modeling Pizza Hut of America, LLC’s cultural values. Legal Counsel will also perform other essential Law Department functions and responsibilities as assigned. Over time, there could be opportunities to work in additional areas within the legal department and/or business.

Key Responsibilities: 

Litigation: Assist with litigation matters, including management of and coordination with outside and insurance counsel with strategic defense of litigation matters nationwide. Caseload will primarily focus on consumer protection, employment, franchise, and personal injury litigation, but could also be as varied as real estate, anti-trust, patent infringement and data privacy. Litigation may be brought as single plaintiff or class and/or collective actions. Legal Counsel additionally monitors Brand-threat and franchisee litigation, recommending involvement when necessary to protect the Pizza Hut Brand and System. 

Responsibilities also include: 

• Coordinating with Litigation Paralegal to collect and supply responsive, non-objectionable information and documentation to outside counsel in support of discovery responses.
• Reviewing and revising draft pleadings, discovery responses, and motions prepared by outside counsel; 
• Managing e-discovery.
• Drafting state/federal agency position statements, responses to AG and BBB complaints, and other formal requests for information.
• Assisting Director to forecast and manage Pizza Hut legal budget per period and annually.
• Coordinating as appropriate and necessary with YUM! Risk/Insurance Team, Asset Protection, sister brands, and cross functional partners.
• Overseeing Litigation Paralegal’s response to subpoenas. 

Employment, Crisis Management and Compliance: Provide key legal support to cross functional partners, including consistent advice, counsel and training on a variety of legal touchpoints. Develop, review and revise policies and processes, including compliance training, new hire applications and onboarding (including background checks) processes, performance management, forms and correspondence, and severance agreements. Assist Director in managing, mitigating, and responding to crisis. Monitor compliance, including reviewing evolving legal trends and developments, advising on any actions required as a result, and implementing aligned solutions.  

• Partnering with Field HR Business Partners on a variety of advice and counsel and compliance matters related to Company-owned restaurants.
• Support Director in managing labor relations procedure, training, and action plan for Corporate-owned restaurants.
• Drafting and reviewing training materials and other Company documents for compliance with local, state, and federal laws.
• Facilitating Company-wide education on employment-related matters.
• Partnering with Pizza Hut US HR Business Partners to review various internal and franchisee-facing documentation for compliance.
• Partnering with and advising and counseling Pizza Hut U.S. and Global HR Business Partners regarding internal investigations and complex employee-related issues. 

Brand Enforcement: Assist franchise administration team with brand standards enforcement and other compliance issues. 

• Coordinating enforcement efforts aimed at remediating franchise agreement and/or brand standards violations.
• Leading annual updates to Pizza Hut brand standards designed to drive revenue growth, ensure franchise network uniformity, and improve customer experience, including drafting of standards, coordination with internal stakeholders and rollout to franchise system.
• Providing legal guidance to cross-functional team of Brand leaders to create and implement solutions to systemwide or franchisee/licensee-specific enforcement issues.
• Guiding business through any required store closures, including assistance with de-identification issues. 

Required Qualifications

• You will be required to attend the Plano, TX office 3 days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
• Education: Juris Doctor Degree from an ABA accredited law school.
• Licensed to practice law in Texas with at least five years of general litigation and employment experience in a law firm or in-house legal department.
• Strong grasp of federal civil procedure.
• Strong background in client counseling or other client-facing engagements.
• Solution-oriented and collaborative mindset, including ability to work successfully in a team environment.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to listen and effectively explain complex legal issues to non-lawyers in one-on-one and large presentation formats.
• Ability to self-start and work proactively to advance business objectives to completion.
• High personal and professional integrity, including the ability to establish personal credibility within the department and Company.
• A team player and relationship builder, with the ability to adapt and respond in a fast paced and rapidly changing environment.

Salary Range: $122,100 to $143,600 annually + bonus eligibility. This is the expected salary range for this position. Ultimately, in determining pay, we'll consider the successful candidate’s location, experience, and other job-related factors.