Associate General Counsel - Litigation & HSE

Albemarle Corporation; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 260,000 - 420,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Comprehensive benefits package

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Albemarle Corporation, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, seeks an experienced Associate General Counsel for Litigation & HSE. This senior role will manage complex litigation, regulatory disputes, and environmental matters across the Company.

You will provide strategic, risk-based advice to business and legal stakeholders, oversee outside counsel, and protect commercial, operational, and reputational interests.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Minimum of 10 years of litigation experience.
• Experience managing complex civil litigation, regulatory matters, arbitration, or investigations.
• Ability to supervise outside counsel and manage budgets and strategy.
• Strong knowledge of discovery, privilege, and e-discovery workflows.
• Experience advising senior leadership on litigation risk and strategy.
• In-house litigation experience and energy/natural resources sector exposure are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of complex civil litigation, arbitration, regulatory, and pre-litigation matters across the Company.
• Develop and execute litigation strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Supervise outside counsel, select firms, set budgets, and monitor performance.
• Provide risk-based advice on litigation exposure, settlement strategy, and regulatory risk.
• Lead pre-litigation dispute resolution, including demand letters and negotiations.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to mitigate litigation, HSE, and regulatory risks.
• Support governance and compliance matters and internal investigations as needed.
• Oversee document preservation, e-discovery, and data collection efforts.
• Prepare and review pleadings, briefs, and settlement documents.
• Report on litigation reserves, insurance, and financial implications.

Skills

Litigation strategy

Leadership & matter management

Risk assessment & advising

Communication & negotiation

Collaboration across functions

E-discovery & information governance

Policy & regulatory understanding

Corporate governance & compliance

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

Job Description

Be an essential element to a brighter future.

We work together to transform essential resources into critical ingredients for mobility, energy, connectivity and health. Join our values-led organization committed to building a more resilient world with people and planet in mind. Our core values are the foundation that make us successful for ourselves, our customers and the planet.

Position Title: Associate General Counsel - Litigation & HSE

Position Summary

The Company is seeking an experienced, business-oriented Associate General Counsel - Litigation & HSE to manage complex litigation, regulatory disputes, pre-litigation matters, and HSE/environmental legal matters across the Company's operations. This senior role will provide strategic, risk-based advice to business and legal stakeholders, oversee outside counsel, and help protect the Company's commercial, operational, governance, environmental, and reputational interests.

What You Will Do

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of complex civil litigation, arbitration, regulatory, administrative, and pre-litigation matters involving the Company and its subsidiaries or affiliates.

• Develop and execute litigation strategies that align with the Company's legal, business, operational, and reputational objectives.

• Handle commercial disputes, contract claims, business torts, regulatory matters, environmental and natural resources-related disputes, energy sector litigation, HSE matters, corporate governance disputes, and other matters relevant to the Company's business.

• Supervise and manage outside counsel, including counsel selection, case strategy, budgets, work product, and matter performance.

• Provide practical, risk-based advice to internal business clients on litigation exposure, dispute avoidance, settlement strategy, contractual risk allocation, HSE/environmental risk, regulatory risk, and related business considerations.

• Lead pre-litigation dispute resolution efforts, including demand letters, negotiations, mediation, fact development, and early case assessment.

• Partner with internal stakeholders to identify, assess, and mitigate litigation, commercial, HSE, environmental, and regulatory risks arising from operations, transactions, compliance issues, and strategic initiatives.

• Support corporate governance and compliance matters as needed, including disputes involving boards, officers, subsidiaries, governance processes, investigations, internal controls, and HSE or environmental compliance issues.

• Manage litigation holds, document preservation, e-discovery, data collection, document review, privilege issues, and coordination with IT, records management, compliance, and business teams.

• Oversee responses to subpoenas, third-party discovery requests, government inquiries, regulatory requests, and other compulsory legal processes.

• Conduct and support internal investigations related to litigation, regulatory, HSE, environmental, compliance, employment, commercial, operational, or governance matters.

• Prepare and review key litigation materials, including pleadings, briefs, motions, settlement agreements, position statements, witness outlines, and board or executive-level updates.

• Advise on settlement authority, litigation reserves, case valuation, insurance coverage, remediation obligations, and other financial or operational implications of disputes.

• Monitor relevant legal, HSE, environmental, and regulatory developments and support legal department initiatives, including process improvements, outside counsel management, compliance enhancements, and dispute-related training.

What You Will Bring

Required Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.

• Active license to practice law and good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.

• Minimum of 10 years of litigation experience, gained in a law firm, in-house legal department, government agency, or a combination of these environments.

• Significant experience managing complex civil litigation, commercial disputes, regulatory matters, arbitration, administrative proceedings, investigations, or other high-stakes adversarial matters.

• Demonstrated ability to develop litigation strategy, supervise outside counsel, assess risk, and advise senior legal and business stakeholders.

• Strong understanding of litigation procedures, discovery obligations, privilege, evidence preservation, settlement strategy, and dispute resolution processes.

• Subject matter expertise relevant to the Company's business, such as commercial litigation, regulatory enforcement, energy and natural resources, environmental disputes, HSE compliance, infrastructure, corporate governance, compliance, or other industry-related litigation.

• Excellent legal research, writing, analytical, communication, and negotiation skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex matters independently.

It'd be great if you also have:

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior in-house litigation experience within a corporate legal department.

• Litigation experience in the energy, utilities, infrastructure, mining, natural resources, environmental, manufacturing, or other heavily regulated sectors.

• Experience handling disputes involving federal, state, or local regulatory agencies.

• Experience with environmental, permitting, land use, operational, safety, incident response, remediation, or regulatory matters affecting energy or natural resources businesses.

• Experience advising on corporate governance, board-related matters, internal investigations, compliance programs, or enterprise risk management.

• Experience managing large-scale e-discovery, litigation holds, outside counsel budgets, alternative fee arrangements, litigation reporting, or matter management systems.

• Trial, arbitration, mediation, deposition, or significant motion practice experience.

• Licensed to practice law in at least one US jurisdiction.

Skills & Competencies

• Litigation Strategy: Ability to develop and execute strategies that balance legal risk, business objectives, cost, timing, precedent, and reputation.

• Business Acumen: Strong understanding of how disputes, HSE matters, and environmental issues affect operations, commercial relationships, regulatory posture, and enterprise risk.

• Sound Judgment: Ability to make practical, risk-based recommendations in complex, uncertain, or time-sensitive situations.

• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex legal issues clearly to legal, executive, and business audiences.

• Leadership and Matter Management: Ability to manage a significant litigation portfolio, supervise outside counsel, coordinate stakeholders, and drive matters to resolution.

• Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with legal colleagues, business teams, HSE professionals, compliance, finance, risk management, operations, and senior leadership.

• E-Discovery and Information Governance: Strong understanding of litigation holds, preservation, collection, review, production, privilege, and e-discovery workflows.

• Professionalism and Integrity: Highest standards of ethics, discretion, confidentiality, and professional responsibility, including when handling sensitive incidents, investigations, and regulatory matters.

Reporting Structure

This position reports to the VP, Deputy General Counsel, M&A, Litigation, and Joint Ventures and works closely with the legal department, compliance team, business leadership and professionals, HSE professionals, and outside counsel.

Location & Work Arrangement

This position is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and will follow the Company's applicable office, hybrid, or flexible work policies.

Benefits of Joining Albemarle

• Competitive compensation

• Comprehensive benefits package

• A diverse array of resources to support you professionally and personally.

We are partners to one another in pioneering new ways to be better for ourselves, our teams, and our communities. When you join Albemarle, you become our most essential element and you can anticipate competitive compensation, a comprehensive benefits package, and resources that foster your well-being and fuel your personal growth. Help us shape the future, build with purpose and grow together.