Assistant General Counsel - Employment Attorney

About the Role

U.S. Bank is seeking an employment attorney to join the Bank's Legal Department. This role requires sound judgment, strong relationship-building skills, and a practical, business-oriented approach to problem solving. This is primarily an employment counseling position focused on providing day-to-day legal advice to Human Resources professionals, Employee Relations partners, business line managers, and senior business leaders across U.S. Bank's national footprint.

The successful candidate will advise on a broad range of employment law issues, balancing legal, regulatory, and employee-relations risk with business objectives in a highly regulated environment. While the position may support employment disputes and litigation strategy, its primary focus is providing proactive, day-to-day employment law counseling rather than managing litigation or conducting extensive legal research.

The ideal candidate will be comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, delivering practical, actionable guidance, often in real time. Success in this role requires the ability to think critically under pressure, communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, and serve as a trusted strategic advisor on complex employee matters.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day legal advice on employment law issues, including hiring, terminations, performance management, discrimination, leaves of absence, disability accommodations, restrictive covenants, workforce restructuring, investigations, and wage & hour issues.
• Advise on workplace investigations involving employee misconduct, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and other employee relations matters.
• Monitor legal developments and advise stakeholders on implementation of new federal, state, and local employment law developments.
• Create and deliver practical employment trainings to Human Resources professionals.
• Influence and drive strategy on pre-litigation, including correspondence to plaintiffs’ attorneys, separation agreements, and other employment-related documentation.
• Develop creative approaches to managing legal risks and resolving disputes.
• Provide practical, business-focused legal advice that appropriately balances legal, regulatory, reputational, and employee-relations risk.
• Work collaboratively across Human Resources, Employee Relations, Compliance, and Law Division stakeholders.

Requirements

• Juris Doctorate.
• License to practice law in state of residence.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal and state employment laws and related compliance issues.
• Ability to work efficiently in a very fast-paced environment.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• 7+ years of employment law experience in-house or at a law firm.
• Strong employment law counseling background.
• Experience interpreting and applying employment laws in multiple states.
• Experience advising on or supporting workplace investigations.
• Experience monitoring legal developments and advising on implementation.
• Experience creating and delivering employment trainings.
• Experience influencing and driving pre-litigation strategy.
• Ability to develop creative approaches to managing legal risks and resolving disputes.
• Proven ability to provide practical, business-focused legal advice.
• High degree of discretion and judgment.

Location Requirements

This role requires working from a U.S. Bank location three (3) or more days per week.

Benefits

• Healthcare (medical, dental, vision).
• Basic term and optional term life insurance.
• Short-term and long-term disability.
• Pregnancy disability and parental leave.
• 401(k) and employer-funded retirement plan.
• Paid vacation (from two to five weeks depending on salary grade and tenure).
• Up to 11 paid holiday opportunities.
• Adoption assistance.
• Sick and Safe Leave accruals of one hour for every 30 worked, up to 80 hours per calendar year unless otherwise provided by law.

Pay

The salary range for this role is $149,515.00 - $175,900.00, reflecting figures based on the primary location. In addition to salary, U.S. Bank offers a comprehensive benefits package, including incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase, 401(k) contribution, and pension (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements).