Deputy General Counsel, New York, NY (1007-SLS)

Solutus Legal Search; New York (NY); On-site; USD 300,000 - 340,000; Full time

Job summary

Our client, a leading charter school network in New York City, is seeking a Deputy General Counsel to lead its growing legal function. The role reports to the Chief Legal Officer and will oversee a team of attorneys, manage corporate matters, and modernize operations with AI and contract management systems.

The ideal candidate is a sophisticated corporate generalist with at least 8 years of experience, J.D., and strong leadership, drafting, and negotiation skills.

Qualifications

• Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• 8+ years of significant legal experience, including in-house and at a leading law firm.
• Strong corporate generalist with governance, finance, IP, real estate, and other enterprise matters.
• Proven leadership, mentoring, and process-improvement capabilities.
• Experience implementing legal technology and AI-enabled workflows.

Responsibilities

• Serve as senior advisor to the Chief Legal Officer and set strategic priorities for the legal department.
• Oversee corporate legal matters including commercial agreements, procurement, finance, IP, tax, governance, and enterprise transactions.
• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of attorneys and legal professionals.
• Advise on complex corporate structures, governance, and relationships among entities and boards.
• Provide guidance on financing, real estate, facilities, and strategic initiatives including geographic expansion.
• Partner with executives to deliver practical, commercially-oriented legal advice.
• Lead modernization of legal operations via contract management systems, intake processes, workflow automation, and AI tools.
• Develop scalable processes and knowledge management to track matters and drive data-driven decisions.
• Establish clear responsibilities and coordination across legal functions.
• Manage outside counsel and represent legal in senior leadership discussions.

Skills

Corporate generalist

Executive presence

Drafting & negotiation

Team leadership

Legal tech adoption

Education

J.D. from a top law school

Tools

Contract management systems

AI-enabled workflows

Job description

Our client, one of the nation’s leading and highest-performing public charter school networks, is seeking a Deputy General Counsel to help lead its legal function during a period of significant growth and expansion. This is a highly visible leadership position reporting directly to the Chief Legal Officer. This attorney will also lead a team of high performing attorneys.

The Deputy General Counsel will oversee the organization’s corporate legal function, including commercial transactions, corporate governance, finance, intellectual property, real estate, procurement, and other enterprise-level legal matters. The successful candidate will also play an important role in managing and developing the legal team and modernizing the department’s operations through technology, automation, and artificial intelligence.

The organization is founder-led, entrepreneurial, and intensely mission-driven, with a culture characterized by high expectations, intellectual rigor, direct feedback, accountability, and a strong bias toward action. The ideal candidate will be a sophisticated corporate generalist and proven legal leader who thrives in a fast-moving environment and brings the judgment, adaptability, and operational mindset to help build a highly effective legal function.

Responsibilities include:

• Serve as a senior advisor and key partner to the Chief Legal Officer, helping lead the legal department and establish its strategic and operational priorities.
• Oversee the organization’s corporate legal matters, including commercial agreements, procurement, finance, intellectual property, tax, corporate governance, and other enterprise-level transactions.
• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of attorneys and legal professionals, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and collaboration.
• Advise on complex corporate structures, governance matters, and relationships among affiliated entities, foundations, and boards.
• Provide legal guidance on significant financing, real estate, facilities, philanthropic, and strategic initiatives, including geographic expansion.
• Partner with senior executives and business leaders to provide practical, commercially oriented legal advice that supports organizational objectives.
• Lead the modernization of legal operations through contract management systems, legal intake processes, workflow automation, and AI-enabled tools.
• Develop scalable processes, reporting systems, and knowledge-management tools to improve efficiency, track legal matters, and support data-driven decision-making.
• Help establish clear responsibilities and effective coordination across legal functions.
• Manage outside counsel and represent the legal function in senior leadership discussions, contributing to broader organizational strategy and decision-making.

Qualifications:

• J.D. from a highly regarded law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• At least 8 years of significant legal experience, including in house experience and training at a leading law firm.
• Strong background as a corporate generalist, with meaningful experience across commercial transactions, corporate governance, finance, and other business-related legal matters.
• Demonstrated experience managing, mentoring, and developing attorneys and other legal professionals.
• Experience helping lead or manage a legal department, including responsibility for improving processes, workflows, and organizational effectiveness.
• Hands-on experience implementing legal technology, automation, or AI-enabled workflows to improve legal department efficiency and service delivery.
• Strong commercial judgment and the ability to advise senior executives on complex legal and business issues.
• Experience with sophisticated corporate structures, financing transactions, real estate, intellectual property, or related enterprise legal matters is highly desirable.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Strong executive presence, communication skills, and the ability to develop credibility with senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, operate independently, and deliver results in a demanding, fast-paced environment.

Prior experience in education, charter schools, or the nonprofit sector is not required. Our client is particularly interested in accomplished corporate attorneys from sophisticated business environments who bring strong legal training, broad commercial experience, and a demonstrated ability to lead people and improve legal operations.

This position is based in New York City, at the organization’s offices in the Wall Street area of Lower Manhattan. The role requires in-office attendance three days per week.

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $300,000–$340,000 plus an annual bonus, depending on experience and qualifications. The organization offers a competitive employee benefits package.

This is an opportunity to join a highly successful, mission-driven organization at a pivotal stage in its development. With an established presence in New York City and ambitious plans for geographic expansion, the organization is investing in the leadership, infrastructure, and capabilities necessary to support its continued growth.

For an accomplished corporate attorney who values excellence, embraces an entrepreneurial culture, and is motivated by the opportunity to make a lasting impact, this is a distinctive leadership opportunity.