Assistant General Counsel

With eleven offices across the United States, 450+ professionals and 350+ staff professionals, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is a multidisciplinary, integrated national professional services firm known for quality and an extraordinary commitment to clients. The Firm’s groundbreaking approach—bringing together legal services, advocacy and business strategy—differentiates Manatt from its competitors and positions the Firm to provide a unique and compelling value proposition.

Manatt is a professional services firm committed to excellence in client service and the professional development of our attorneys, consultants and business professionals. We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Assistant General Counsel to work with the General Counsel in support of various business functions across the Firm.

Key Responsibilities

• Advise Firm attorneys and incoming professionals on resolution of conflicts of interest issues; and, possess and maintain knowledge of conflicts of interest rules.
• Communicate with and advise professionals, secretaries and other Firm personnel on established Firm policies and procedures.
• Assist with the onboarding new hires, including reviewing conflict reports, working with candidate to obtain additional information as needed, communicating with appropriate department chairs and the General Counsel regarding conflict issues, waivers and ethical walls.
• Work with Firm professionals and the General Counsel office to process, examine, propose, modify and ultimately finalize waiver letters, disclosures, and engagement agreements on matter-by-matter basis.
• Review attorney guidelines, outside counsel policies and contracts received from Firm clients and provide direction and options regarding items of concern, including working with Firm professionals regarding compliance as it pertains to conflicts and engagement terms.
• Support the Firm’s legal and administrative functions, including the following [sub bullets to follow]:
• Drafting and reviewing commercial contracts, including vendor contracts, employment contracts, and subtenant leases. 
• Supporting the Firm’s insurance programs, including support in the preparation of the Firm’s insurance renewal applications and reporting claims and circumstances to insurers.
• Working with outside counsel on various Firm legal matters. 
• Reviewing client security assessments and supporting IT security initiatives.
• Preparing annual registration documents for filing with the applicable States and the State Bar for the Firm’s LLP, various corporate subsidiaries, and individual professional corporations. 
• Supporting Fhe firm’s responses to third-party subpoenas for business records.
• Supporting the Firm’s compliance initiatives, including federal contracting requirements, FCPA, and HIPAA.
• Mentoring and counseling staff.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of combined legal experience with a law firm, in-house legal department.
• Juris Doctorate degree and licensed to practice in California.
• Prior experience in overseeing the core risk management and client intake functions for a law firm.
• Proven well-developed written and verbal communications skills.
• Proven excellent presentation skills.
• Proven success in collaborating across a matrixed business and legal environment.
• Proven ability to evaluate and determine appropriate legal course of action to meet business unit needs.
• Proven ability to build and maintain rapport with superiors, peers, subordinates, and external company contacts.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and translate complex concepts into information meaningful to business personnel.
• Strong negotiation, presentation, and facilitation skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills, and strong attention to detail.
• Proven collaboration skills and ability to build strong relationships across all different levels of the Firm.
• Possess strong stakeholder management skills and credibility in order to engage effectively with senior leaders and key stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and meet varying deadlines.
• Self-motivated with proven ability to anticipate problems and move things forward with limited direction.

The base annual pay range for this role is between $150,000-$225,000. The base pay to be offered will vary and depend on skills and qualifications, experience, location and will also take into account internal equity. A full range of medical, financial and/or other benefits dependent on the position will also be offered.

EEO/AA EMPLOYER/Veterans/Disabled

Manatt is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, color, physical or mental disability, religion, creed, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, sex or gender (including gender identity, gender expression, status as a transgender or transsexual individual, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), age (over 40), genetic information, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, sexual orientation, political activity or affiliation, genetic or and any other protected classes or characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Consistent with the American Disabilities Act, applicants may request accommodations needed to participate in the application process.

This employer will provide the Social Security Administration  (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security  (DHS), with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.

IMPORTANT: If the Government cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to provide you written instructions and an opportunity to contact SSA and/or DHS before taking  adverse action against you, including terminating your employment. 

Employers may not use E-Verify to pre-screen job applicants or  to re-verify current employees and may not limit or influence the  choice of documents presented for use on the Form I-9. In order to determine whether Form I-9 documentation is valid,  this employer uses E-Verify’s photo screening tool to match the photograph appearing on some permanent resident and employment authorization cards with the official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) photograph. If you believe that your employer has violated its responsibilities under this program or has discriminated against you during the verification process based upon your national origin or citizenship status, please call the Office of Special Counsel at 1-800-255-7688 (TDD: 1-800-237-2515).