Assistant General Counsel - Canada/US

C&W Services (S); Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

C&W Services is seeking an Assistant General Counsel – Canada/US to provide strategic legal counsel across the Americas region within a matrixed legal department. The role acts as an embedded advisor, building fluency in the business’s personnel, operations, deal flow, and risk profile, focusing on judgment-intensive, business-critical work.

The successful candidate will partner with business leaders, advise on complex contracts and regulatory matters, support litigation and M&A activities, and

Qualifications

• J.D. and active bar admission in the US.
• Licensed to practice law in Ontario or another Canadian province is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary legal point of contact for the assigned region/business and translate business strategy into legal risk assessments.
• Review and advise on non-routine, high-value or precedent-setting agreements with risk considerations.
• Identify legal and regulatory risk and escalate to centralized teams with context and recommended action.
• Support internal audits, investigations, and compliance reviews with business context.
• Assist with litigation coordination, evidence gathering, and liaison with outside counsel while avoiding case strategy responsibilities.
• Provide due diligence and business context to the M&A team on transactions affecting the region.

Education

J.D. and active bar admission in the US

Job description

Job Title

Assistant General Counsel - Canada/US

Job Description Summary

Job Description

Position Summary

This role provides strategic legal counsel to an assigned region and/or line of business within a matrixed legal department. The lawyer operates as an embedded advisor - building deep fluency in the business’s personnel, operations, deal flow, and risk profile - rather than as a transactional resource. The role is deliberately scoped to keep the lawyer focused on judgment-intensive, business-critical work, with routine and specialist functions carried out by centralized teams (as detailed below).

Reporting & Matrix Structure

Reports on a solid line to the Associate General Counsel for the Americas region, with alignment to the business unit(s) supported. Coordinates regularly with centralized Centers of Excellence and/or Functions: Contracts COE, Litigation & Risk, M&A/Corporate, Legal Operations, Ethics & Compliance, and EHS.

Core Responsibilities - In Scope

Strategic Business Partnering

Serve as the primary legal point of contact for an assigned region/business, maintaining working knowledge of its organizational structure, key personnel, revenue drivers, and operating risks.
Attend business leadership meetings as a standing advisor to spot legal issues early and shape decisions before they become problems.
Translate business strategy and objectives into legal risk assessments and practical, actionable recommendations.
Build trusted relationships with business leaders so legal is consulted proactively, not after the fact.

Complex & Business-Critical Contract Guidance

Serve as an escalation point and advisor to the centralized commercial contracts team on agreements that are non-routine, high-value, precedent-setting, or carry elevated risk.
Review and advise on deal structure, unusual terms, indemnification/liability positions, and regulatory considerations for business-critical agreements.
Determine, in consultation with the centralized contracts team, when an agreement should be escalated from routine handling to direct counsel involvement.
Do not perform first-line drafting, redlining, or negotiation of routine commercial contracts - that work stays with the centralized contracts COE.

Risk Identification, Escalation & Governance

Identify legal and regulatory risk within the assigned business and elevate to the appropriate centralized group (Litigation & Risk, Ethics & Compliance, EHS) with context and recommended action.
Advise business leaders on the practical application of company policy, delegation of authority, and approval protocols.
Support internal audits, investigations, and compliance reviews touching the assigned business by supplying business context and coordinating with the business.

Supporting Role in Litigation

Act as the business liaison for litigation matters affecting the assigned region/business: gathering facts, coordinating witnesses, and managing document/data collection requests.
Provide business and operational context to the centralized Litigation & Risk team and outside counsel; flag new claims or disputes as they arise.
Do not manage case strategy, retain or direct outside counsel, or own litigation budgets - that responsibility sits with the centralized Litigation & Risk team.

Supporting Role in M&A

Provide business intelligence, personnel context, and operational due diligence support to the centralized M&A/Corporate team on transactions involving the assigned region/business.
Flag region or business-specific risks (contracts, regulatory, personnel) relevant to a deal early in the process.
Do not lead deal structuring, negotiate transaction documents, or own the M&A workstream - that responsibility sits with the centralized M&A team.

Training, Communication & Process

Deliver periodic legal training and policy updates tailored to the assigned business's operations and risk areas.
Maintain awareness of jurisdiction-specific legal and regulatory developments relevant to the assigned region.
Contribute to the continuous improvement of legal playbooks, escalation triggers, and matrixed working protocols.

Explicitly Out of Scope

These functions are intentionally excluded from this role and are owned by other teams. Regional/business counsel should redirect these matters rather than take them on directly:

Excluded Function [Owned By]

Routine commercial contract review, negotiation, and drafting [Centralized Contracts team]

Legal entity management (incorporations, filings, corporate secretarial) [Outsourced entity management vendor]

Litigation management: strategy, outside counsel direction, budgets [Centralized Litigation & Risk team / outside counsel]

M&A deal leadership and transaction document negotiation [Centralized M&A / Corporate team]

Required Qualifications

J.D. and active bar admission in the US; 10+ years' combined law firm and/or in-house experience; licensed to practice law in Ontario or another Canadian province, a plus.
Demonstrated ability to oper