Counsel, Labor & Employment

Primary Position Purpose

Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President of Legal and General Counsel at U.S. Xpress, the Counsel will provide labor and employment legal support to U.S. Xpress and its affiliates, which maintain locations and operations throughout the contiguous United States. While the position focuses on the application of federal and state labor and employment laws and regulations to the business, Counsel is likely to be called upon to provide services and support in a variety of areas, including litigation support, contract negotiations, regulatory compliance, etc.

Position Functions

• Advise on federal and state employment laws and regulations.
• Partner closely with Human Resources team on employment matters throughout the employee lifecycle including hiring and termination, employee relations, compliance training, disability and religious accommodation requests, federally and state-mandated leaves and paid time off, and wage and hour matters.
• Respond to charges, complaints, and inquiries from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Occupational Safety and Health Commission, and comparable state agencies.
• Monitor and interpret changes to and trends in federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Advises stakeholders on recommended changes to policies and practices.
• Assists with the development and management of corporate policies and corporate-wide compliance programs.
• Partners with management to proactively assess legal, regulatory, and business risk in proposed courses of action and/or policies.
• Develops and implements litigation strategies in collaboration with outside legal counsel, as well as business stakeholders.
• Reviews and investigates complaints and allegations, retains outside counsel, preserves documents and evidence, ensures litigation holds are established, reviews and/or drafts in conjunction with outside counsel various pleadings and/or discovery responses, assists in the identification and preparation of witnesses, and maintains litigation files.
• Counsel plan sponsors, the Human Resources benefits team, and fiduciaries on federal employee benefit laws, such as ERISA compliance, fiduciary duties, and government reporting obligations.
• Negotiates, prepares, reviews, and/or drafts vendor, employment, and independent contractor agreements, including non-disclosure agreements, third-party administrator agreements, and various transportation related contracts.
• Works with management to ensure that contracts appropriately protect the company, meet management objectives, and address customer or vendor issues.
• Maintain awareness and understanding of current laws and regulations pertinent to the trucking industry and other specific areas of responsibility.

What We're Looking For

• Education: Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school required.
• Experience: 5+ years of substantive working experience in the practice area of labor and employment required.
• Transportation, Logistics, and/or Tech industry experience a plus.
• Skills & Abilities: Proficient in Thomson Reuters legal professional products, proficient in Microsoft Office suite, superior written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills, strong problem-solving skills, ability to work independently, efficiently, proactively, and effectively on multiple projects under tight deadlines, exceptional strategic thinking with the ability to translate legal knowledge and insight into clear business advice, high comfort with ambiguity and complex matters that require analysis and judgment, excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to interact with personnel in all departments and at all levels, sound judgment and problem-solving skills, ability for multi-tasking and time management, current license to practice law in good standing, supervisory responsibility may be called upon to supervise or direct the work of legal assistants.

Work Environment / Physical Requirements

Normal Office Settings. This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected for this position. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities. Employees performing this job may be asked to perform other duties as required and the responsibilities of the position may change. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.