Description:
As employment counsel at Accession A Leading Specialty Risk Management Consultancy (“Accession”) you are a key member of our shared services in-house employment law team, providing employment law advice to our rapidly expanding family of companies, with 5,000 employees and growing. Broadly, you will provide day-to-day employment advice to a variety of assigned business regions/units across our organization of companies, working collaboratively with other members of the Legal team, HR, Finance, and business unit managers. Reporting to the Associate General Counsel of Employment & Benefits, you will provide daily counsel and advice related to compliance with various federal, state and local employment laws, (as described below), while exercising good judgment and discretion with respect to risk mitigation.Primary Responsibilities and Duties:
- Advises on compliance with state/local employment laws and assists with developing compliance plans and policies related to such laws.
- Provides employment law advice related to assigned business regions/unit's hiring decisions.
- Reviews and advises on restrictive covenants with respect to hires and exists.
- Advises on performance management and exits, including providing advice related to employment agreements and separation agreements.
- Advises employment agreement amendments, and compensation adjustments, including drafting complex variable compensation language.
- Advises on immigration related matters, liaising with outside immigration counsel and working closely with the Employment Law & Compliance Operations Associate on the Company's Immigration Compliance Program.
- Advises on employee/1099 classification decisions and drafts 1099 consulting agreements.
- Advises on employment-related investigations within counsel's assigned business regions/units.
- Provides day-to-day employment law advice to HR Business Partners related to personnel issues within counsel's assigned business regions/units.
- Handles employment law litigation and administrative actions within counsel's assigned business regions/units.
- Reviews results of adverse background checks for compliance with insurance industry standards and employment laws.
- Performs FLSA reviews and liaises with Talent Acquisition team, Compensation Director, and HR Business Partners for positions within counsel's assigned regions/units.
- Provides other employment related advise and drafting, as needed, at the direction of manager.
Qualifications & Skills:
- Qualified candidate must hold a J.D. and be licensed and in good standing in at least one U.S. State or D.C. with at least three years of private practice or in-house employment law experience.
- Ability to evidence familiarity with employment laws at a federal, state, and local level.
- Ability to evidence skill at spotting employment law related risks.
- Experience drafting contracts and/or employment-related documents.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to judge when to call versus email and visa-versa.
- High comfort level providing inter-departmental advice.
- Ability to craft practical compliance solutions over academic compliance solutions to employment law compliance.
- Flexibility, particularly the ability to pivot when default forms or standard practices don't fit the business need.
- Ability to be a good partner to the business, Finance team, HR team, and other corporate functions.
- Ability to work independently, exercise good judgement, spot risks, and know when to escalate matters to manager is essential.
- Ability to wield legal privilege effectively.
- Familiarity with and/or experience within the insurance industry, a strong plus.
- Ability to engage in ethical decision making even in the face of pressure.
- Strong typing skills required.
