Legal Counsel

NewCold

$145K — $165K *
Legal & Accounting
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of post-JD legal experience, ideally with both in-house and law firm backgrounds
  • Jurisdictions covering labor & employment, workplace safety, and commercial contracts
  • Active Illinois law license and JD from an accredited institution
  • Proven ability in drafting, negotiating, and simplifying contracts
  • Strong communication skills, with an emphasis on accessibility for non-legal stakeholders
  • Project management skills to handle multiple priorities under pressure
  • Demonstrated business acumen and proactive ownership mentality

Responsibilities

  • Serve as a trusted legal advisor to North American leadership on various legal matters
  • Collaborate with HR on employment-related issues like hiring, compliance, and investigations
  • Lead workplace safety compliance and incident management across automated facilities
  • Draft and negotiate a variety of commercial agreements crucial for business operations
  • Support M&A transactions from evaluation to closing, including deal structuring and due diligence
  • Assist in securing financing arrangements and managing related corporate matters

Benefits

  • Full range of competitive benefits, including health insurance and retirement plans
  • Life and disability insurance programs available
  • 4 weeks of accrued Paid Time Off and paid holidays
  • Programs for both paid and unpaid time away from work
  • Benefit options may vary based on geographic location and eligibility
Full Job Description
Legal Counsel

Your role as a Legal Counsel

Key responsibilities:

Pay Range

The typical pay range for this role is:

$145,000 - $165,000

This position is eligiblefor a bonus in addition to the base pay range listed above.

This pay range represents the base hourly rate or baseannual full-time salary for all positions in the salary band within which thisposition falls. The actual base salaryoffer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education,geography and other relevant factors.

Benefits

NewCold also provides eligible employees with an opportunityto enroll in a full range of competitive benefit programs, generally includinghealth insurance, retirement savings plans, life and disability insuranceprograms, and programs that provide for both paid and unpaid time away fromwork. In addition, we offer employees 4 weeks of accrued Paid Time Off as wellas paid holidays throughout the calendar year.
The specific programs and options available to any givenemployee may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location,and date of hire.

Position Overview
NewCold 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 NewCold'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, labor & employment, compliance, workplace safety, finance, and corporate
governance. 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.
Roles and Responsibilities
• Strategic Legal Partnership. Serve as a trusted legal advisor to NewCold's North American leadership and
operational teams, delivering practical, business-oriented legal guidance across a wide range of matters
and disciplines.
• Labor & Employment. Partner with HR and business leaders on the full spectrum of employment matters,
including hiring, wage and hour compliance, terminations, accommodations, leaves, restrictive covenants,
and internal investigations. Modernize policies, resolve disputes efficiently, and help shape a workplace
culture that supports NewCold's rapid North American growth.
• Workplace Safety. Serve as legal lead on workplace safety matters across NewCold's automated cold
storage network, advising on federal and state OSHA compliance, incident response, root cause
investigations, citation defense, and regulator interactions. Collaborate with QESH leadership, operations,
and outside counsel to strengthen safety programs.
• Commercial Contracts. Draft, review, and negotiate a broad portfolio of commercial agreements that
power NewCold's daily operations and growth, including customer warehousing and logistics contracts,
vendor and supplier arrangements, technology and SaaS agreements, equipment leases, and services
agreements. Partner directly with business stakeholders to balance legal risk with commercial objectives,
streamline contracting processes, and build practical playbooks that scale with the business.
• Mergers & Acquisitions. Support execution of corporate M&A transactions from initial evaluation through
closing, including due diligence, deal structuring, drafting and negotiating purchase agreements and
ancillary documents, and managing post-closing integration matters.
• Financing. Support the financing that fuels NewCold's expansion, including construction loans, term
facilities, refinancings, and equipment leases, along with state and local economic incentives such as tax
abatements and grants. Provide day-to-day legal support to treasury, accounting, and the controller's office
on financing compliance, reporting, and related corporate matters.

#NCAJ

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

Requirements
• 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.
• 5-7 years of post-JD legal experience, ideally with a combination of in-house and law firm experience.
• Hands-on experience advising on labor and employment issues, with exposure to workplace safety and
OSHA compliance.
Education/Certification
• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and active license to practice law in Illinois.

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