Ace Hardware Corp

Corporate Counsel

Ace Hardware Corp$137K — $160K *
Legal & Accounting
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Juris Doctor degree and active bar admission
  • Minimum of 5 years law firm or corporate law department experience
  • Ability to provide clear, business focused legal advice
  • Strong judgment and problem-solving skills
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities with attention to detail

Responsibilities

  • Draft, review, and negotiate a range of commercial contracts
  • Develop and maintain contract templates
  • Provide legal advice on marketing, franchising, and corporate matters
  • Support activities related to franchise disclosure documents
  • Partner with internal stakeholders to identify and mitigate legal risk
  • Assist business clients with commercial disputes
  • Manage outside counsel and legal spend as needed

Benefits

  • Incentive opportunities based on role and company growth
  • Generous 401(k) retirement plan with full vesting in the first year
  • Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental, and vision
  • 21 days of vacation immediately available plus paid holidays
  • Career development resources including tuition assistance and classes
  • Opportunities for community involvement and volunteering
  • Employee discounts on Ace merchandise and various services
Full Job Description
The Corporate Counsel plays a critical role in supporting business operations by providing practical, risk balanced legal guidance across multiple functions. This position partners closely with business leaders and external counsel to ensure compliance, mitigate risk, and enable strategic decision making. You will draft and negotiate contracts, advise on and support marketing, franchising, and other corporate matters, such as mergers and acquisitions and business licensing. This role requires sound judgment, strong communication skills, and the ability to build relationships with business partners. You will report to senior legal leadership and contribute to enterprise-wide initiatives that protect and advance the organization.

What You'll Do
  • Draft, review, and negotiate a range of commercial contracts
  • Develop and maintain contract templates
  • Provide legal advice regarding marketing, franchising, and other corporate matters, such as mergers and acquisitions and business licensing.
  • Support activities relating to franchise disclosure documents
  • Partner with internal stakeholders to identify and mitigate legal risk
  • Assist business clients with contract and other commercial disputes
  • Manage outside counsel and legal spend as needed
  • Communicate effectively with business partners and members of the legal department
  • Perform special assignments or projects as assigned.


Who You Are

You are a pragmatic legal advisor who balances risk with business needs. You communicate clearly, build trusted partnerships, and navigate ambiguity with confidence.

Required Skills
  • Juris Doctor degree and active bar admission
  • Minimum of 5 years law firm or corporate law department experience
  • Ability to provide clear, business focused legal advice
  • Strong judgment and problem solving skills
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities with attention to detail


Preferred Skills
  • Experience working in a retail, distribution, or corporate environment
  • Experience supporting multi state operations
    #LI-MS1


Compensation Details:

$137700 - $160000 per year

In addition to providing our employees a great culture, Ace also offers competitive benefits* that address life's necessities and perks, many of which expand and improve year after year, including:

  • Incentive opportunities, based on role/grade level (company growth over the past 5 years resulted in incentives being paid out at an average of 122% of your target opportunity!)
  • Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with a fully vested matching contribution the first year in addition to quarterly contributions and annual discretionary contribution (once eligibility requirements have been met). Over the past 5 years, company contributions (matching, quarterly & discretionary) for fully eligible employees have averaged 10% of total eligible compensation
  • Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision and disability - up to 26 weeks short-term disability and long-term disability) & life insurance benefits for you and your dependents
  • 21 days of vacation immediately available (prorated in the first year) and up to 6 paid holidays depending on the month of hire
  • Company Car, phone and fuel card are provided for field-based positions
  • Your career at Ace is more than just a job. It's a chance to be part of something meaningful. We help locally-owned businesses thrive and make an impact in their communities - and we support our employees in doing the same by offering an annual Ace Cares Week, 20 hours off work per year to volunteer at an organization of your choice, opportunities to help Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and the Ace Helpful Fund through the Ace Foundation
  • Ace invests in every employee we hire, with a key focus on development and coaching. We offer on-site classes, facilitator-led courses, and a generous tuition assistance program, plus a performance management approach that goes beyond the typical annual review
  • We know the work environment matters. That's why Ace holds frequent campus events like Employee Appreciation Week, vendor demos, cookouts, and merchandise sales
  • We bring them to you! Services such as mobile spas, auto maintenance, car wash and detailing, dry cleaning, dentists, eye doctors, flu shots, recycling and more!
  • Employee discounts on Ace merchandise (including top brands like Weber, Traeger, Yeti, Craftsman, DeWalt and more), travel, fitness, computers and thousands more


  • Birth/Adoption bonding paid time off
  • Adoption cost reimbursement
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - access to free visits to therapists and lawyers, guidance on financial matters, elder and childcare, and assistance with tickets to entertainment events
  • Identity theft protection


* Benefits are provided in compliance with applicable policies.

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We want to hear from you!
When most people think of career opportunities with Ace Hardware, they often think of the helpful cashiers and sales associates at their local store. However, have you also considered the people behind the scenes who select, promote, ship and process the invoices for more than 75,000 products? Maybe you haven't, but we'd like you to. Because together we help our customers take care of their homes. Come find out why a career with the Ace Hardware Corporation is one of America's best kept secrets.

About Ace Hardware Corp

Ace Hardware Corporation is a hardware retailers' cooperative based in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States. It is the world's largest hardware retail cooperative, and the largest non-grocery American retail cooperative.
Learn more about Ace Hardware Corp
Size
13,849 employees
Industry
Founded
1924
NASDAQ

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