Senior Counsel, Legal

WM is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

WM, a Fortune 250 company, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste and environmental services in North America. We are strongly committed to a foundation of operating excellence, professionalism, and financial strength. WM serves nearly 25 million customers in residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal markets throughout North America through a network of collection operations, transfer stations, landfills, recycling facilities, and waste-based energy production projects.

The Sr. Legal Counsel focus will be transactional work and particularly the negotiation and drafting of complex contracts and service agreements related to facility development, equipment, material and labor acquisition, and commercial matters generally. Independently handles more complex legal matters and projects using advanced techniques and theories. Provides counsel to the company on legal rights and obligations pertaining to specialization in areas of law such as Commercial, Employment, Labor Relations, Litigation, Environmental and Regulatory, Corporate Securities/M&A, Sustainability etc. Responsible for providing counsel and legal support in a given area of legal specialty including direct responsibility for negotiating and drafting required legal documentation and advising clients.

Bilingual (English and French) useful but not required. Your skills in these areas, along with your solid counsel background, will be instrumental in the success of this role. Your specialized knowledge in contract, corporate, joint venture, and partnership law will be greatly utilized along with your excellent relationship-building skills.

The Sr. Legal Counsel reports to the Assistant General Counsel and is located in Toronto, Ontario area.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must have the skills and be able to satisfactorily perform the duties and responsibilities set forth below. Other minor duties and responsibilities may be assigned.

• Prepares, reviews, and negotiates legal documents on the Company's behalf, and assists management in representing the organization in legal disputes and transactions.
• Specialized knowledge as to contract, corporate, joint venture, and partnership law.
• Provides general legal advice and counsel to management (Corporate, Market Area and/or District level) for strategy and policy development. Reviews legal publications and pending legislation and advises management of changes that impact the Company, business, and industry.
• Conducts risk assessment in connection with customer, vendor, operations, industry, and/or business issues. Advises management on the most appropriate response or action.
• May be responsible for management of outside counsel activities as necessary including determining effective business and legal strategy to address litigation and/or other specific operations or Company needs.
• May work at the Corporate level or as directed within an Area.
• Ability to provide proactive legal and practical business advice to internal clients.
• Ability to negotiate, draft, and close purchase and sale, joint venture, investment, and project financing and other transaction agreements with minimal outside counsel support.
• Interfaces with numerous departments and functions within the Company to work effectively and provide a high level of service to our business partners.

This job has no supervisory duties but may occasionally act as a team lead and manage work of less experienced attorneys.

The requirements listed below are representative of the qualifications necessary to perform the job.

Juris Doctorate and eight (8) or more years of previous experience.

Intellectual Property

Patent Application and prosecution, Post Grant Proceedings, Trademarks/Copyright, IP Portfolio Management, Licensing, Patent Litigation, General IP Legal Counseling, Due Diligence.

Data Privacy

New Privacy Laws such as GDPR and California Consumer Privacy Act, Operationalizing the legal requirements, Emerging Privacy and Technology Issues, Data Security Breach and Cyber Risk, Workplace Privacy, Sustainability Related Matters such as greenwashing, recycling, and renewable natural gas.

State/Provincial Bar Licensure.

Listed below are key points regarding environmental demands and work environment of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Normal setting for this job is: office setting.

At WM, each eligible employee receives a competitive total compensation package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, and Short-Term Disability. As well as a Stock Purchase Plan, Company match on RRSP, and more! Our employees also receive Paid Vacation, Holidays, and Personal Days. Please note that benefits may vary by site.

If this sounds like the opportunity that you have been looking for, please click “Apply”.