Counsel/Senior Counsel Litigation

Guaranteed Rate, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Vacation benefits

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Flexible spending accounts

Life and accidental insurance

Commuter benefits

Paid time off and leave programs

Legal planning assistance and identity

Employee well-being resources

Job summary

Guaranteed Rate, Inc. is seeking a Litigation Counsel to lead strategic litigation efforts with minimal outside counsel reliance. You will work with senior leadership, supervise team members, and contribute legally across a variety of matters related to mortgage transactions and regulatory investigations.

The role demands independent prioritization, strong judgment, and the ability to manage complex disputes while maintaining urgency and business focus.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of hands-on litigation experience, including hearings and arbitrations.
• Experience handling employment, restrictive covenants, contracts, and customer disputes is preferred.
• Prior experience in financial services or real estate matters is advantageous.
• Experience managing attorneys and legal professionals, with strong leadership skills.
• Excellent writing, oral communication, and organizational abilities.

Responsibilities

• Represent the company in hearings, arbitrations, and settlement negotiations.
• Manage discovery, draft responses, collect documents, and defend depositions.
• Conduct legal research and draft memoranda, complaints, briefs, and motions.
• Draft cease and desist and demand letters; respond to letters as needed.
• Negotiate and resolve pre-litigation disputes and mitigate risk.
• Supervise internal litigation team and coordinate with outside counsel.
• Flag matters to regulatory/compliance teams and handle other assigned matters.

Skills

Litigation experience

Employment litigation

Contract law

Discovery

Legal research

Management of attorneys

Written communication

Oral advocacy

Regulatory investigations

Job description

Litigation Counsel

Guaranteed Rate is building a winning team to reinvent the mortgage experience through innovation, technology and a relentless focus on providing industry-leading mortgage products and superlative customer service. The role goes beyond traditional in‑house litigation management, regularly handling a wide variety of litigation matters with little or no outside counsel involvement.

Job Summary

Ready to litigate on day one, this position requires a strategic thinker who can work independently, prioritize tasks, and exercise sound business judgment while operating with a sense of urgency. The incumbent will work closely with leadership and support all levels of management and will both contribute legally and supervise other members of the litigation team.

Responsibilities

• Represent the company in hearings, administrative proceedings, arbitrations, other litigation, and settlement negotiations.
• Handle all aspects of discovery, including drafting and responding to discovery requests, collecting and reviewing documents, and taking and defending depositions.
• Conduct legal research and draft memoranda, position statements, complaints, answers, briefs, motions, and other filings.
• Draft and respond to cease and desist letters and demand letters.
• Negotiate and resolve pre-litigation disputes.
• Assess, manage, and mitigate risk as needed.
• Conduct internal investigations when appropriate.
• Manage outside counsel for complex litigation and more specialized matters.
• Flag and elevate matters to other subject‑matter experts, including the regulatory compliance team.
• Handle other legal matters as assigned by senior management.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of hands‑on litigation experience, including courtroom and arbitration experience.
• Strong preference for experience litigating employment and restrictive covenant matters, commercial contracts, customer disputes, or unfair competition.
• Prior financial services or real‑estate industry experience, especially with mortgage transactions and regulatory investigations, is preferable.
• Experience managing attorneys and other legal professionals.
• Positive, team‑first attitude and a can‑do mindset with the willingness to learn the business and build strong internal relationships.
• Detail‑oriented with excellent organizational, writing, and oral communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities, able to work efficiently with changing priorities.
• Resilient, driven, and possessing a sense of humor.

Compensation

$130,000 – $170,000 annually, based on experience and qualifications.

Benefits

• 401(k) participation with company match
• Vacation benefits
• Medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care
• Life and accidental insurance
• Critical care and personal accidental insurance
• Commuter benefits and pet insurance
• Paid time off, leave of absence, and other supplemental benefits (e.g., legal planning assistance, identity theft protection)
• Well‑being resources, including an employee assistance program

Rate is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages all applicants to apply regardless of age, race, sex, religion, color, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or parental status, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic.