Lead Counsel, Labor & Employment

About the role

The Lead Counsel, Labor & Employment reports to the USA Chief Legal Officer (USA CLO) and provides strategic advice to Human Resources personnel and other divisional managers on labor and employment law matters.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day counsel to HR staff on employment and labor relations matters including hiring, discipline, termination, compensation, benefits, and wage and hour laws.
• Counsel HR and management on ADA, FMLA, FLSA, NLRA, FCRA, drug testing, restrictive covenants, and employment discrimination claims.
• Create strategy for major business initiatives affecting employees in partnership with HR leadership team.
• Develop, review, and update policies and procedures to ensure compliance with complex and rapidly changing federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Draft responses to the EEOC, NLRB, and other government agencies related to business employees.
• Manage and oversee compliance hotline.
• Manage the lifecycle of all employment-related concerns and claims, including responding to administrative claims and inquiries from governmental agencies; responding to claims raised in attorney letters and claims; developing litigation strategy, conducting discovery, drafting position statements, and supervising outside counsel (if engaged).
• Develop and execute labor strategy, including leading preparation efforts and negotiations of union collective bargaining agreements in partnership with Human Resources, business leaders, and outside counsel.
• Deliver training programs on a wide variety of employment law matters.
• Support the company's commitment to a discrimination- and harassment-free workplace by leading cross-functional employment law compliance projects.
• Anticipate potential issues related to employees and offer practical, creative solutions to internal business partners.
• Respond to and process subpoenas, personnel file requests, wage garnishments, demand letters, and other employee-related inquiries.
• When required for specific expertise, manage outside Labor and Employment counsel.

Requirements

• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school.
• At least one bar admission in Illinois, California, or New York.
• Experience with state employment law in California, New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Tennessee, Idaho, New Hampshire, Arizona, and Vermont, a plus.
• Shows initiative and the ability to work independently and exercise good judgment in a complex business environment.
• A self-motivated strong teammate with the ability to identify and get out ahead of problems.
• Demonstrates strategic ability, anticipates legal issues and estimates legal risks, develops creative, proactive, and practical solutions to mitigate legal risks in support of the business.
• Models high ethics and integrity, possesses an eagerness and ability to understand the business, possesses excellent interpersonal, organizational, and communication (verbal and written), relationship management, and internal client service skills.
• Acute attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects at a given time.
• Demonstrates excellent negotiation skills, operates well in multi-functional teams and a fast-paced environment, is committed to continuous improvement, company mission and values, training, and continued education on changing laws and regulations, creates processes and procedures that effectively mitigate legal and regulatory risk, is a quick and flexible learner: intellectually curious, open-minded, adaptable, comfortable with ambiguity and risk, and excited by dynamic change.
• Can make sound, complex cost/benefit assessments, inspires trust, forges relationships quickly, builds consensus and earns the confidence and cooperation of divisional business partners.