Closing Date: 26th March, 2025

Description:

The Opportunity:
We are seeking an experienced attorney to serve as general counsel. This is the perfect job for someone who wants to move away from billable hours and mundane legal work and is seeking to apply their skills in a fast-paced entrepreneurial setting, and to use their law degree to make a difference in the world.

While nobody will have the perfect background for the diverse set of legal issues that arise within A Reducing the Worlds Carbon Footprint, the ideal candidate will have significant contracting experience, and the desire and confidence needed to figure out anything that may arise in the course of pursuing our mission.

The role will report directly to the CEO and participate as part of the executive leadership of the company but will interact with and support everyone throughout our staff of roughly 60 people.

While A Reducing the Worlds Carbon Footprintis based in Chicago, we have offices and team members around the world. The general counsel will work remotely but must be based in the United States and licensed to practice law in at least one state (with a preference for Illinois). Candidates must be available, able and willing to travel occasionally, including internationally, as needed.

Applications for this position will be accepted through March 26, 2025. Please include as part of your application a cover letter detailing your interest and experience with respect to this role.

Key Responsibilities include:

Drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and executing contracts on behalf of A Reducing the Worlds Carbon Footprint, covering a wide array of business activities, from non-disclosure agreements to contracts for the sale of carbon offset credits to landowner access agreements for orphaned oil and gas well projects.
Develop templates and internal review, approval, and signature processes for more efficient and effective contracting throughout the company.
Maintain systems to keep contracts organized and deadlines and other deliverables tracked, including our contract life cycle management software.
Ensure A Reducing the Worlds Carbon Footprint's regulatory compliance with applicable domestic governing bodies, including the U.S. EPA, Department of Transportation, City of Chicago, and OSHA.
Coordinate with counsel in Thailand and Costa Rica to ensure the regulatory compliance of A Reducing the Worlds Carbon Footprint's foreign affiliates.
Support other departments within the company to ensure compliance with labor and employment laws, both domestically and internationally, as well as marketing regulations and data and privacy rules and compliance obligations.
Monitor business activities for legal and regulatory risk and provide business-oriented solutions for mitigating risk.
Build an expertise and track developments in relevant domestic and international carbon markets and other related policy initiatives, including the California and Washington state compliance markets, the Paris Agreement, the Montreal Protocol, the Basel Convention, and other regional and international refrigerant, methane, and climate change regimes.
Identify areas in which lobbying efforts might be needed to protect or advance A Reducing the Worlds Carbon Footprint's business goals.
Protect A Reducing the Worlds Carbon Footprint's intellectual property.
Develop the capacity to navigate state laws and regulations governing orphaned oil and gas wells, as well as associated topics such as property rights, mineral rights, and long-term liability for plugging activities.
Support the corporate legal needs of A Reducing the Worlds Carbon Footprint's ownership.

Requirements:

Law degree from an accredited law school in the United States and a license to practice law in at least one state (with a preference for Illinois).
At least 10+ years of experience in the practice of law including at least 5+ years of experience drafting, reviewing, negotiating, or litigating contracts.
Experience in at least one of the following subject areas is a big plus: environmental policy, supply chain and logistics, regulatory compliance, human resources, refrigerant management, intellectual property, oil and gas, international law, climate change, privacy and data security.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Excellent negotiation skills.
Keen attention to detail.
Fearlessness in the face of learning new areas of law and technical subject areas, including chemistry, engineering, and hazardous waste handling.
Fluency in a second language is a plus, with a special emphasis on Spanish, French, or Arabic.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Demonstrated passion for sustainability and a deep commitment to our mission.
Capacity and dexterity to work with a wide range of cultural styles.