Assistant General Counsel

Responsibilities

• Manage contract review process in reviewing and negotiating all contracts, including customer, supplier, distribution, licensing, marketing, and other commercial agreements, both domestic and international
• Anticipate and guard against legal risks in commercial transactions and business operations and develop practical solutions consistent with business objectives
• Create and manage contract templates, processes, and supporting tools
• Provide appropriate legal counsel on a broad range of legal matters to the Performance Surfaces Segment, including commercial, operational, regulatory, compliance, and intellectual property matters
• Serve as primary legal advisor to segment leadership and provide clear, practical legal recommendations
• Support international operations, including advising on cross-border transactions, distribution arrangements, and coordination with outside counsel on local law requirements
• Provide legal guidance on consumer-facing products, including product liability risk, advertising and marketing compliance, warranty frameworks, and related matters
• Manage intellectual property matters for the Performance Surfaces Segment, including patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and other proprietary rights
• Cook with outside counsel on patent prosecution, trademark registration and protection, and enforcement matters
• Manage claims and litigation involving the Performance Surfaces Segment, including lawsuits, customer and supplier disputes, and other claims
• Retain and manage outside counsel as directed by General Counsel and manage claims handling strategy and case resolution
• Assist in legal aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and other business development activities, including due diligence, transaction support, and integration efforts
• Help to ensure ethical business practices and corporate compliance, including Apogee’s Code of Business Ethics and Conduct
• Provide appropriate legal support to procurement, marketing, finance, HR, and other functional areas as needed
• Perform other legal-related duties as assigned by the General Counsel

  Qualifications

  • Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school, admitted to Minnesota State Bar, current license and in good standing to practice law in Minnesota
  • Minimum of 8-10 years of practice as an attorney either in private practice or in-house, including a minimum of five years of directly relevant work experience working with legal contracts and agreements, product defect, and/or warranty claims, and litigation
  • Comprehensive knowledge of contract law and commercial transactions
  • Ability to identify legal risks and provide practical, business-oriented solutions
  • Demonstrated leadership skills, fostering support of company mission, strategies, and objectives
  • Demonstrated experience being responsive and timely for requests/inquiries and internal/external customer needs
  • Effective communication, interpersonal, and negotiating skills
  • Effective reasoning ability, define problems, gather information, establish facts, conduct legal analysis, and draw valid conclusions to provide counsel on legal matters
  • Experience resolving conflict between groups with opposing perspectives and agendas
  • Knowledge of employment law and experience with employment matters preferred
  • Experience managing litigation and outside counsel preferred
  • Experience with international business transactions and cross-border legal matters preferred
  • Experience with consumer product-related legal issues, including product liability and marketing compliance, preferred
  • Experience supporting or leading merger and acquisition activities preferred
  • Fluency or working proficiency in Spanish or German preferred