Corporate Counsel, Litigation

Description

• Establish and maintain effective communication with outside counsel and insurance carriers to facilitate smooth claims reporting, coverage analysis, and payment of defense and settlement.
• Prepare, review, and/or coordinate discovery responses with Company employees and outside counsel.
• Provide training on construction contracts and construction law principles to support Project Managers and administrative support roles.
• Make outside counsel more effective and more efficient by serving as the Company’s in-house expert for litigating insured claims.
• Respond to business-records subpoenas on the Company’s behalf.
• Serve as the Company’s corporate representative at selected hearings, arbitrations, and/or trials.
• Serve as the Company’s primary point of contact and subject matter expert for affirmative collection actions, and for the claims handling process for insured claims. This position may be involved in the selection of outside counsel (including panel counsel). This position continuously monitors outside counsel’s performance, efficiency, billing practices, and adherence to Company litigation strategy and guidelines.
• Assist with corporate matters including the review, drafting and administration of Company contracts policies and procedures.
• Facilitate decision making by preparing concise briefing documents with conclusions and recommendations.
• Using the Company’s software, establish and maintain robust processes for tracking, analyzing, and reporting on the status, financial exposure, reserves, and historical trends of all covered litigation. Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) for outside counsel and internal metrics to manage litigation budgets effectively, providing regular, detailed updates to senior management, the legal department, and the risk/finance teams on potential liabilities, and making data-driven recommendations for process improvements and risk mitigation strategies.
• Supervise the Company’s defense against litigation matters, primarily those covered by the Company’s traditional insurance portfolio (e.g., General Liability, Auto, Workers’ Compensation). This includes making critical decisions on case strategy, responsive evidence, risk assessment, budget approval, and settlement authority recommendations. This function also involves coordinating all aspects of the litigation process with internal stakeholders, claims adjusters, and outside counsel to ensure optimal legal outcomes and cost-effective resolution.
• Assist the Company in implementing improvements to Company processes using “lessons learned” from resolved claims.
• Legal research and prepare opinions that may have significant impact to the Company.
• Prepare Company witnesses for depositions, and prepare Company documents for review and/or production, while working efficiently with outside counsel.
• Draft, review and negotiate agreements with the Company’s customers and vendors in the construction industry, including master agreements, change orders, and professional service agreements. The position may oversee the work product of others in their review of legal agreements.
• Support the legal department as requested and assigned. Such assignments may include briefing documents, preparation of materials for Board and Committee meetings (including resolutions and minutes), preparing, managing and implementing corporate policies.
• Create and maintain in-house legal library of forms and agreement templates.

Requirements

• Some domestic travel will be required.
• Motivated to partner/collaborate with internal and external teams, building relationships to accomplish shared objectives in a dynamic and complex environment.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct quick, accurate legal research on matters outside the attorney’s primary area of expertise.
• J.D. from an ABA-approved law school, and an active member in good standing of the Bar in California.
• Excellent writing skills. Excellent draftsmanship of contracts and policy documents.
• Big Picture: Understands and contributes to organizations’ short- and long-term business strategy. On a personal level has independently developed a vision for short- and long-term career success.
• Understanding of construction law, including statutory remedies, and drafting and reviewing construction contracts.
• Strong decision-making ability, with a significant sense of ownership and accountability.
• Problem-Solver: Ability to identify, analyze, and solve a problem in support of personal, group, department, or organizational objectives.
• Excellent proficiency using information technology tools of a modern in-house legal team, including Gmail, Google Drive, Smartsheet, Box, Microsoft Office suite, Westlaw, OneLegal, etc.
• Effective interpersonal and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively (both oral and written) with others at all levels of the Company.
• Supervise the Company’s construction litigation claims, focusing primarily on collection actions. This position requires expertise in using statutory remedies available to construction subcontractors to preserve their payment rights.
• Engagement: Shows a knack for using emotion and logic to communicate a persuasive vision and connect with people.
• Proactivity / Initiative: Recognizes what needs to be done and accomplishes it in a manner appropriate for one’s level/position and with minimal supervision.
• Proven record of successful leadership, strength of character and ability to articulate and objectively defend business approaches.
• Insight: The ability to gather and make sense of information that suggests new possibilities.
• Standing, walking, hearing and listening, typing, viewing screens and reading documents in print and electronic format. Accurate reading comprehension, vision, using hands and fingers to manipulate software outputs.
• Minimum 4+ years of substantive experience as a practicing construction attorney with civil litigation experience – construction industry experience and in-house experience a plus.
• Self-driven, motivated and results oriented.
• Teamwork: The ability to effectively work toward common goals with others by supporting, encouraging, and sharing information in an authentic and approachable manner.

Benefits

Training + Development

Interview process

Visa Sponsorship

Security clearance