Description:
About Noble SchoolsNoble Schools' mission is to provide all students with equitable and positive educational experiences that prepare them to complete college and lead fulfilling, choice-filled lives. Serving over 12,000 students and 28,000 alumni across 17 open-enrollment, free public charter schools in Chicago, Noble is nationally recognized for its achievements in college access and persistence. With an annual operating budget of $235 million and approximately 1,700 employees, Noble proudly celebrates a college acceptance rate of 98% among graduates, with the Class of 2023 securing over $632 million in college scholarships.
Role Overview:
Noble Schools is seeking a General Counsel to lead a team of legal professionals who, together with the General Counsel, provide guidance to the Board of Directors, leadership team, and staff on a broad range of legal, regulatory, and compliance matters critical to Noble's operations. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the General Counsel will set and implement Noble's legal strategy, actively manage organizational risk, and provide steady and informed leadership in crisis situations.
Responsibilities:
- Corporate Governance Oversight: Oversee all legal aspects of corporate governance, including compliance with Noble's Charter Agreement with the Chicago Board of Education, annual filings for corporate entities, maintenance of and advice relating to corporate bylaws, and adherence to Open Meetings Act requirements for board and committee meetings.
- Litigation and Disputes: Lead and manage all active litigation and disputes, including overseeing pre-suit demands, subpoenas, state and federal complaints, discovery, settlement negotiations, dispositive motions, and hearings.
- Employment: Offer strategic legal counsel to Noble's People team on a wide range of employment matters, including hiring and termination practices, wage and hour compliance, investigations, discrimination and harassment issues, and labor relations.
- Education: Advise and support Noble's campuses and Education team on education-specific legal matters, including compliance with special education requirements, Title IX obligations, third-party investigations, and student discipline under SB100.
- Privacy and Cybersecurity: Provide legal guidance to Noble's Operations and Data teams on privacy and cybersecurity matters, including policy development, data processing agreements, data transfers, breach response protocols, and regulatory investigations.
- Intellectual Property: Manage Noble's intellectual property portfolio, including oversight of trademarks and related licensing agreements to ensure brand protection and compliance.
- External Vendor Management: Select, retain, and oversee a high-performing roster of specialized external legal vendors, ensuring effective support for complex legal matters and maximizing vendor performance and efficiency.
- Vendor Contract Development and Oversight: Oversee the development, negotiation, and management of vendor contracts across the organization, ensuring compliance with legal standards, protecting Noble's interests, and establishing clear terms for vendor compliance, performance, and accountability.
- Crisis Management and Incident Response: Develop and oversee crisis management protocols, ensuring preparedness for significant legal or reputational challenges and providing strategic guidance during incidents.
- Budget Oversight: Develop and manage the annual legal budget, aligning resources with organizational priorities to ensure cost-effective and efficient operations.
- Team Management: Lead, mentor, and support a team of direct reports—including two attorneys and one legal operations professional/analyst—fostering professional growth, high performance, and clear pathways for advancement.
- Legal Operations Management: Oversee all legal operations functions, including annual strategic planning for the department and the implementation of legal technology solutions.
Skills & Commitment
- Deep commitment to Noble's mission and its work in Chicago, with a passion for advancing educational equity and fostering community impact.
- Exceptional judgment and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance risk management and organizational needs.
- Excellent advocacy, oral, and written communication skills, able to clearly explain complex legal matters to non-legal stakeholders, facilitate discussions, and secure buy-in when necessary.
- Superior strategic thinking, legal reasoning, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
- Detail-oriented, highly organized, and capable of effectively managing multiple projects simultaneously.
- Maintains the highest standards of integrity, demonstrating discretion and sound judgment in handling sensitive and confidential information.
- Ability to build trust and collaborate effectively with internal teams, the Board of Directors, and external partners.
- Proven project management skills, with a track record of ensuring follow-through on priorities and compliance requirements.
- Committed to professional development, staying current with legal trends and developments, and continuously improving legal services provided to Noble.
Educational and Experience Requirements
- Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited U.S. law school, with a history of strong academic performance.
- Minimum of 10 years of legal experience, with a strong preference for candidates with substantial, relevant experience in a law firm setting.
- Prior in-house experience is preferred, especially for candidates with backgrounds in the nonprofit or education sectors and a demonstrated record of success.
- Active license to practice law in Illinois.
Statement of Non Discrimination
Noble is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, making all employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status or any other characteristic or classification protected by law.
