Associate General Counsel

Description

Who we are:

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.

Role Description

You will provide the Animal Legal Defense Fund with guidance and counsel to internal stakeholders on a range of matters, which may include general operations and administration, nonprofit governance, contracts, fundraising, labor and employment, litigation, intellectual property, tax, data privacy and cybersecurity, and lobbying. You will work closely with the General Counsel and other Associate General Counsel at ALDF to protect and support the organization.

You will report to: General Counsel

How You Will Make a Difference

• Advising ALDF on all aspects of day-to-day legal issues, including labor and employment, contracts, insurance, intellectual property, nonprofit corporate governance, lobbying, privacy and security, and lobbying.
• Establishing, implementing, and updating ALDF policies and procedures to mitigate risk and ensure compliance with various legal requirements and best practices.
• Providing timely and comprehensive advice on labor and employment matters to the human resources department, to facilitate compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a variety of contracts and other agreements requested by various departments across the organization, and overseeing the contract management function.
• Providing counsel and drafting and reviewing agreements related to charitable fundraising, to ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing charitable solicitation, tax issues, and bequests.
• Drafting memoranda, correspondence, standard operating procedures, policy documents, and other written materials.
• Conducting timely legal research into unique legal issues that arise in the course of operating a nonprofit animal advocacy organization.
• Assisting with various administrative tasks from time to time, including updating internal monitoring systems relating to contracts and lobbying.
• Advising and counseling on various intellectual property matters relating to trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and licensing.
• Consulting, coordinating with, and supervising outside counsel as needed.
• Working with the General Counsel manage the in-house legal department, assisting the General Counsel with the development and management of the annual department budget and developing and implementing new practices to improve efficiency.
• When requested, providing services to the Animal Legal Defense Legislative Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization.
• Performing other duties as assigned.
  
  

Additional Information About The Role

• Full-time, Exempt Position
• Remote within the United States
• Occasional Travel may be required for organizational retreats or other functions
  
  

We Offer Competitive Compensation With Excellent Benefits, Including

• Starting annual salary of $111,386 for most geographic locations.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of Washington D.C, Cotati, CA, and Los Angeles, starting pay is $117,248.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of New York City and San Francisco, starting pay is $123,110.
  
  

To ensure salary equity, we do not negotiate salary outside of the published starting rate. Rate is determined by role using set geographical factors.

• Comprehensive health care, dental, life and vision benefits (100% employer paid); Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA) are also available.
• 192 hours of PTO.
• 19 paid holidays.
• 1-month paid sabbatical after 5 years of continuous employment.
• 16 weeks paid parental leave.
• 401k plan with a maximum 5% employer contribution match after one year of employment.
• Alternative work schedules (at manager’s discretion).
  
  

Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is a core value for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

ALDF is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and an inclusive, multicultural environment. We are currently an anonymizing tool for applications that will redact personal information from submitted applications — including name, location, and contact details — to reduce potential for bias and increase fairness in our process. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, parenting status (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, uniformed service member status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We are asking all staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as defined by the CDC and present acceptable proof of vaccination by the date of hire as a condition of employment. We will consider requests for accommodations or exemptions on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with applicable laws.

Requirements

• J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school and admitted to practice in at least one jurisdiction
• At least 5 years of experience in the practice of law, with prior in-house counsel experience preferred
• Excellent judgment, prioritization, and time management skills necessary to manage competing requests from a variety of internal stakeholders
• Thorough working knowledge of labor law, lobbying, litigation, and/or nonprofit tax, governance, and compliance preferred
• Ability to work with minimal guidance and a solutions-oriented mindset
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace
• A clear understanding of and commitment to the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission
• Strong attention to detail, integrity, and high ethical standards
• Experience with basic software applications
  
  

Additional Information

Term: Full-Time, Exempt

Reports to: General Counsel

Location: Remote

Consistent with the organization’s mission, our offices and events are free of animal products and byproducts.

The application deadline for this position has been extended to September 16, 2024. ***

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage applicants to apply early as we may make a decision before the deadline closes.