Junior Legal Counsel

Description:

Build the future of food
At An In-House Firm, we're shaping the future of the food supply chain. Our warehouses and transport network connect the world's major food manufacturers with retailers and food service providers.

Join a collaborative team of doers, innovators, and engineers who are dedicated to making a real impact. Together with advanced robotics and cutting-edge technology, we're not just keeping up with the times —we're pioneering smarter, more sustainable operations to keep the world's food fresh and safe.

To support our rapid growth, we're constantly looking for talented people to join our team. Want to be a part of a dynamic, forward-thinking environment? Join us!

Your role as a Junior Legal Counsel

Key Responsibilities:
Salary:
$110,000 - $125,000 plus bonus

About the Job:
An In-House Firm is seeking a dynamic and highly motivated Legal Counsel to join its North American legal team at the company's regional headquarters in Chicago, IL. This role offers a rare and exciting opportunity for an attorney to gain broad, hands-on experience across a wide range of legal disciplines within a fast-paced, high-growth, and global organization. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Legal, North America, the Legal Counsel will serve as a strategic legal partner to the business, supporting the development and expansion of An In-House Firm's state-of-the-art, automated, temperature-controlled logistics facilities across North America.

This role will provide critical legal support for the company's North American operations, with responsibilities spanning commercial contracts, M&A, construction, labor & employment, finance, corporate governance, and particularly, construction matters—including site acquisition and development. This is a high-impact position for an attorney eager to play a central role in the continued growth of an innovative and mission-driven organization.

Position Responsibilities:

• Strategic Legal Partnership. Serve as a trusted legal advisor to An In-House Firm's North American leadership and operational teams, delivering practical, business-oriented legal guidance across a wide range of matters.
• Commercial Contracts. Draft, review, and negotiate a variety of commercial agreements, including vendor, customer, logistics, and technology contracts to support daily operations and growth initiatives.
• Real Estate Acquisition & Development. Manage the full legal process for site acquisition and development of new automated cold storage facilities, including land purchase agreements, zoning, title, and permitting.
• Construction & Infrastructure. Provide legal oversight on construction-related matters, including the negotiation of design-build agreements and EPC contracts for large-scale infrastructure projects.
• Mergers & Acquisitions. Support strategic transactions, including mergers & acquisitions, with a focus on due diligence, and post-closing integration.
• Labor & Employment. Advise on employment-related issues such as workplace safety, compliance, internal investigations, policy modernization, and dispute resolution in close collaboration with HR.
• Corporate Governance & Compliance. Support governance and compliance efforts, including entity formation and maintenance in collaboration with global legal teams.

Required Skills:

• Business Savvy & Pragmatism. Strong commercial awareness and the ability to provide practical, solutions-oriented legal advice that aligns with business goals and operational realities.
• Ownership Mentality. A proactive, self-starting mindset with the confidence to take initiative, own workstreams end-to-end, and drive matters forward with limited oversight.
• Effective Communication. Clear and confident communicator, capable of translating complex legal concepts into accessible guidance for non-legal stakeholders at all levels.
• Project Management & Organization. Proven ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, track key deadlines, and work efficiently under pressure in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Client-Service Orientation. Internal client-focused with a strong desire to build trust, anticipate needs, and deliver timely, actionable legal guidance tailored to the audience.
• Attention to Detail with Commercial Focus. Strong drafting skills with the ability to simplify, clarify, and negotiate contractual terms in a way that safeguards the business without over-lawyering.

#NCAJ

Who we are looking for:
We are seeking motivated and forward-thinking individuals who thrive in collaborative and fast-moving environments. Our ideal candidate has:

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