Chief Legal Officer

Jackson Lewis P.C.

$500K+*
Legal & Accounting
15+ years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • JD from ABA Accredited Law School
  • 20+ years of progressively responsible legal experience
  • Active member in good standing with state bar
  • Experienced business/commercial lawyer
  • Background in professional services law firms
  • Adept in strategic legal counsel within large organizations
  • Prior experience with multi-jurisdiction employers

Responsibilities

  • Develop and lead legal strategies and compliance programs
  • Serve as trusted advisor to senior leadership and board
  • Identify and manage legal regulatory risks
  • Advise on firm policy development and governance
  • Manage all legal matters, including contracts and litigation
  • Maintain relationships with outside counsel and regulators
  • Oversee a team in daily execution of legal functions
  • Support internal investigations of policy violations

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Flexible Spending & Health Savings Account
  • Firm-paid holidays, vacation, and sick time
  • Employee assistance program and other firm benefits.
Full Job Description
Summary

Responsible for overall firm risk management and compliance, theChief Legal Officer willserve as a key member of the firms leadership team. This individual willoversee a team of attorneysinprovidinglegal support and guidance to thefirmintheoversight andmanagement of 60+ national offices. Thissuccessful incumbentwillbe responsible forprovidingstrategic guidance on variousinternal and client specificlegal matters, includingrelatedbusiness decisions, compliance programs andgovernance programs, protection of firm assets and ensuringaccurateandtimelylitigationand managementofemployment issues.This person should understand and be experienced with understanding the scope of managing a variety of issues in a law firm setting in the General Counsel function.Reporting toourChief Operations Officer,theChief Legal Officerwill collaborate withfirm leadership, the board, andcross-functional teams and stakeholders,inprovidingproactive legal advice to mitigate risk.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Develop and leadfirmlegal strategies, and compliance programsto support the mitigation of firm-wide legal and reputational risks, including but not limited to, malpractice exposure, ethicalissuesand regulatory compliance

Serve as trusted advisor tosenior leadership including the firm chairand firm managing principal,board of directors,principalsandacross-functionalteam ofchiefs on matters of significance

Adept in understanding all operating matters in a law firm setting from a GC function and being proactive in identifying issues and solutions quickly.

Identify,assessand manage legal regulatory risk across the firm

Adviseonthe development and implementation of firm policies, provide guidance onappropriate auditand governance structures to mitigate risk

Manage all legal matters including contracts, outside counselguidelines, litigation, intellectual property, and corporate transactions.

Effectively manage relationships with outside counsel, opposing counsel and regulatory bodies

Provide guidance to attorneys and practice leaders on professional responsibilities; oversee compliance with applicable rules of professional conduct,andbarregulationsacrossjurisdictions

Oversee a team of attorneysand other professionalsin the day-to-day execution of the OGC functions

Adept in defining processes,implementingappropriategovernance/ controlsandoperationalizing a cadence to review and update firm-wide policies,while building team structure and overseeing key functions such as risk management.

Support the resolution of conflicts governance and process matters

Support internal investigations and confidential matters involving policy violations or professional conduct

Collaborate with HR, IT,Riskand Finance teams to ensure integrated governance and compliance oversight.

Skills and Educational Requirements:

JD fromABAAccredited Law School

Working in house at a large multi office AMLAW 200 law firm as the General Counsel (Or Deputy General Counsel if the remit is broad enough) is required.

20+years of relevantand progressiveexperience; Active member in good standing withthe state bar

Must beawell-versedandexperiencedbusiness/commercial lawyer

Law firm experiencerequired; preferred industries include professional services

Proven ability to provide strategic business-oriented legalcounselin a largematrixed organizationwith experienceoperatingwithin billion-dollar enterprises and navigating the complex, sophisticated challenges inherent to large-scale environments

Excellent attention to detail

Excellent written and oral communication,negotiationand judgement skills

Strong organizational and project management skills

Strong understanding of Microsoft Wordand Microsoft Excela plus

#LI-LM1

#LI-Hybrid

For New York Metro, California and Colorado, the expected salary range for this position is between $700,000 and $800,000. This position is also eligible for annual bonuses.

The actual compensation will be determined based on experience and other factors permitted by law.

Jackson Lewis offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

Flexible Spending & Health Savings Account

Firm-paid holidays, vacation, and sick time

Employee assistance program and other firm benefits.

This job will be posted on 5/18/2026 and we anticipate it will remain open for at least 60 days.

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