Description:

The General Counsel, Commercial reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for mitigating legal risk across the company in contract compliance oversight/prevention, and merger and acquisition activity. Working in tandem with the General Counsel, Employment and Risk, s/he serves as a hands-on primary legal contact for external counsel on referenced commercial matters including contracts, licensing, and acquisitions and s/he manages these relationships. As an integral part of the Company's leadership team, the General Counsel, Commercial provides advice on a wide variety of legal-related matters, including contractual and regulatory issues; and potential acquisitions; and vendor and client contracts. matters, as well as establishing processes and best practices for the Legal Department.

Principal Job Duties:

Drafts, reviews and negotiates a variety of complex commercial documents contracts including master service agreements, partnership deals, NDAs, and a wide array of other agreements with clients, vendors and other business partners.
Manage relationships with outside counsel related to commercial and M&A activity and oversee billable hours spent by attorneys hired to represent the company.
Manages real estate transactions including office leases and other license agreements
Provide guidance/advice and interpretation in situations that arise as needed related to obtaining necessary permits, contracts or any other legal-related matters.
Participate in legal due diligence for potential acquisitions and assist in contract drafting and document preparation for closing(s) as appropriate.
Ensure contractual and regulatory compliance on a wide variety of topics including privacy laws, CCPA, and other pertinent regulatory matters.
Prepares and manages budget on internal and external matters for legal department.
Establishes templates and/or other processes, standards and best practices for contract formation, review and maintenance.
Develops and implements an annual strategic plan for the Legal department aligned to the company's overall business initiatives.
Liaises to insurance brokers and carriers as needed on cases related to cyber insurance, umbrella coverage and/or any other insurance-related matters.
Creates and maintains ongoing reports for the Executive Committee about legal issues including open/pending litigation.
Lead/manages various members of he Legal department and partners with General Counsel, Litigation, Employment and Risk and Chief Operating Officer on the strategi plan for the Department as the Company grows.
Reviews and analyzes legal and regulatory developments and trends and determines potential impact and applicability as necessary.
Acts as Corporate Secretary for board meetings and actively participates in Executive Committee planning.
Manages oversight and compliance to leases, operating and management agreements and other complex commercial arrangements.
Manages corporate finance documents including banking agreements and other legally binding financial arrangements.
Other duties as needed.

Requirements:
Travel:

Up to 10%, based on business needs.

Education:

Juris Doctor Degree required.
Member of CT Bar Association required.

Experience:

At least 7-15 years of corporate law practice with a focus on transactional commercial law including contract negotiations, review and drafting.
Experience in negotiating contracts and closing deals
Experience leading M&A full-cycle activity including complex deal structures such as asset purchases
Intellectual property issue oversight.

Skills:

Change management savvy and ability to drive strategies that change employee behavior/culture.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects in high-growth organization
Ability to communicate professionally and effectively with all levels of the organization.
Ability to encourage open expression of ideas and opinions.
Ability to influence results in a multi-site, multi-state environment.
Excellent interpersonal skills.
Ability to effectively manage up.
Ability to document policies, procedures and standard business practices.
Demonstrates a sense of urgency and timeliness.
Knowledge of Word, Power Point and General Microsoft Office Applications.