General Counsel

About the role

The Counsel’s Office is involved in all aspects of the agency’s operations ranging from the negotiation of funding and operating agreements with major cultural institutions to internal matters such as potential conflicts of interest. The Counsel’s Office also monitors legal issues and matters of public policy relevant to the non-profit sector and the cultural community.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support for agency-wide activities, programs, initiatives, policies, transactions and business operations;
• Draft and negotiate legal agreements related to City-funded projects, agency programs and initiatives, including grants, contracts, funding agreements, licenses, agreements governing occupancy of City owned property, and agreements relating to real property, equipment purchases, construction, and capital projects;
• Under executive direction, with wide latitude for the exercise of independent initiative and decision, serve as legal advisor to the agency head, management, and staff in all business units;
• Provide legal counsel on a wide range of legal issues, including in the areas of contracts, non-profit law and governance, real property, legislation, construction and capital projects, intellectual property, art law, labor and employment, equal employment opportunity, ethics, free speech and censorship;
• Oversee the agency’s response to requests for records pursuant to city, state and federal regulations and FOIL;
• Serve as the agency’s lead liaison to the City’s Law Department and other City agencies to solicit guidance, advocate on behalf of the agency, and coordinate on litigation and review of various legal and regulatory matters;
• Advise on, and work with City colleagues to draft and/or negotiate, proposed legislation and research legal issues of interest to the agency and the non-profit cultural field;
• Work with staff to ensure agency compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and requests, such as those involving Department of Investigation, Conflicts of Interest Board or Law Department;
• Represent the Counsel’s Office and the agency in meetings internally, with City colleagues, and constituents;
• Serve as agency labor management liaison with Director of Human Resources;
• Lead all aspects of the Counsel’s Office practice, which include project management and responding to inquiries from the agency’s constituent organizations and the general public;
• Keep apprised of legal developments and relevant practice areas, and communicate highly technical legal guidance and information with clarity and skill;
• To the extent possible and relevant to skill set, lead the agency’s public-facing initiative around diversity, equity, inclusion, and access;
• Represent the interests of the agency and the City.

Qualifications

• Admission to the New York State Bar; and four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen months of which must have been in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work.
• Must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

Preferred Skills

• Experience working for City government and/or non-profit clients is preferred, in addition to a deep commitment to serving New York City’s non-profit cultural community.
• Ideal candidate is a creative problem solver who can navigate multiple points of view and bureaucratic hurdles to find a path forward.
• Candidate will work to foster a work culture of inclusion, transparency, and collaboration.
• Excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing.
• Experience managing other attorneys in a collaborative environment, and work with in-house and outside clients and constituents in addition to experience in a number of legal practice areas.
• Preference is for ten (10) years or more of relevant legal experience subsequent to bar admission in a variety of practice areas.
• Experience with labor management and managing a unionized workforce.
• Ability to successfully manage multiple priorities, work productively under pressure, both independently and as a team member, and possess tact and excellent judgment in confidential situations.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Strong computer skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint).
• Knowledge of the non-profit arts and culture field a plus, as is experience or interest in areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.
• Experience with current fieldwide issues including artistic freedom of expression is a plus.