Description:

Position Overview:
The General Counsel (GC) serves as the firm's senior legal leader, responsible for the direct oversight, management, and execution of all legal matters across the enterprise. This role provides hands-on legal leadership while acting as a trusted advisor to the CEO, Executive Team, and Board of Directors.

The GC ensures the firm's legal posture protects enterprise value, supports disciplined growth, and enables informed decision-making. This role is both strategic and operational, requiring active involvement in litigation oversight, contracts, governance, employment matters, and risk management. The GC is expected to engage deeply in the work setting direction, making judgment calls, and personally handling complex legal matters while building legal infrastructure that scales with the firm.

Core Mandate
The General Counsel's mandate is to:

Provide practical, independent legal counsel to executive leadership and the Board
Maintain comprehensive oversight of enterprise legal risk, claims, and compliance
Ensure the firm's legal framework supports growth and stability.

Key Responsibilities:

Legal Advisory & Enterprise Risk Oversight

Serve as the primary legal advisor to the CEO and a key advisor to the Executive Team and Board of Directors
Deliver independent, confidential, and candid legal advice, including when that advice requires saying "no" or slowing initiatives that exceed acceptable risk
Establish, document, and actively manage the firm's enterprise legal risk profile
Exercise legal judgment and go/no-go authority on contracts, pursuits, and strategic initiatives

Litigation, Claims & Dispute Management

Directly manage all litigation, claims, and dispute matters, with particular depth in South Carolina and the Southeast
Manage professional liability, construction disputes, and other material legal exposures
Lead strategy, selection, and performance management of outside counsel, maintaining control over scope, cost, and outcomes
Collaborate strategically with insurers and brokers to reduce long-term risk and improve predictability
Focus on systemic risk reduction, consistency, and defensibility not reactive case-by-case decision-making

Corporate Governance & Fiduciary Advisory

Advise the Board and executive leadership on fiduciary duties, governance standards, and corporate compliance
Maintain working expertise in the South Carolina Business Corporation Act and applicable multi-state corporate law
Support governance processes that are rigorous yet practical, enabling timely and well-informed decisions
Act as a steady legal presence in sensitive, high-stakes, or confidential matters

Growth, Structure & Capital Readiness

Advise leadership on corporate entity structure, alignment, and long-term organizational evolution
Support legal readiness for acquisitions, reorganizations, ownership transitions, and strategic partnerships
Maintain working fluency with financial statements and P&Ls to inform legal, contractual, and risk decisions
Provide hands-on guidance on equity-related matters, including equity offerings, ownership structures, and compliance with applicable Blue Sky laws across the Southeast

Contracting & Commercial Judgment

Establish and enforce enterprise-wide contract standards, review protocols, and escalation frameworks
Personally review and approve high-risk, non-standard, or strategically significant contracts and commercial agreements
Balance legal protection with commercial practicality, ensuring risk is understood and intentionally accepted where appropriate
Serve as a thought partner to leadership on risk-adjusted opportunity

Employment & HR Legal Leadership

Partner closely with HR leadership on compliance, policy development, and complex employee relations issues
Provide direct legal guidance on disciplinary actions, terminations, investigations, and workforce risk

Legal Function Leadership & Execution

Build, lead, and actively manage a scalable internal legal function, including Assocate Counsel and Paralegal support
Define clear decision authority, escalation paths, and accountability within the legal function
Create legal systems and processes that reduce friction, increase consistency, and support operational efficiency
Foster a pragmatic, business aligned legal culture, supportive, firm, and confident in setting boundaries when risk exceeds tolerance

Qualifications & Experience:

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school
Active bar admission; South Carolina licensure or eligibility strongly preferred
12+ years of progressive legal experience, ideally within A/E, construction, environmental, or professional services organizations
Demonstrated hands-on experience in litigation oversight, corporate governance, employment law, and commercial contracting
Proven experience advising CEOs, Boards of Directors, and senior leadership

Leadership Attributes

Trusted legal counselor with strong judgment and executive presence
Confident and composed; willing to provide difficult or unpopular advice when necessary
High integrity, discretion, and professionalism
Business minded with an understanding of financial and operational realities
Collaborative, pragmatic, and decisive

Final Perspective
This role is designed for a hands-on General Counsel who wants meaningful responsibility, real accountability, and contribute thoughtful perspective to the firm's long-term trajectory

The GC operates close to the decision making table guiding, protecting, and enabling the business through sound legal judgment and disciplined risk management.

This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the position and is not a comprehensive list of duties, functions, or procedures that may be required. The organization reserves the right to modify this description and may, from time to time, reassign employees to alternate positions based on business needs. Such changes may occur without prior notice and are aimed at ensuring operational efficiency.