General Counsel

Texas Health Institute; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

CACTX, Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas, Inc., is seeking a General Counsel to lead all legal matters, governance, and regulatory compliance for the statewide network. You will advise the CEO, executive team, and board, and build a scalable framework with outside counsel to support CACTX and 70 local CACs.

You will identify legal risks, oversee contracts and grants, and foster ethical practices while guiding strategic initiatives in a complex nonprofit environment across Texas.

Qualifications

• JD from an ABA-accredited law school
• Active Texas State Bar license in good standing
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible legal experience
• Significant experience in nonprofit, corporate, association, regulatory, or in-house practice
• Experience advising executive leadership
• Strong contract drafting, negotiation, governance, and risk management experience
• Ability to communicate complex legal concepts to non-lawyers effectively
• Exceptional judgment, diplomacy, and problem-solving with influence without authority
• Demonstrated business or financial acumen
• Demonstrated interest in the mission of CACTX

Responsibilities

• Provide timely legal advice to the CEO, Executive Team, and Board, balancing risk with opportunity.
• Assess regulatory and governance implications of strategic initiatives and recommend risk mitigation.
• Collaborate with CACTX leaders to accomplish goals while managing risk and delivering results.
• Review, draft, and negotiate contracts; develop a contract management framework and templates.
• Review and advise on grant agreements and funder compliance (state and federal).
• Support compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
• Foster a culture of ethical behavior and risk awareness and management.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate legal and operational risk across CACTX programs.
• Advise on responses to subpoenas, public records requests, and government inquiries.
• Design and implement scalable legal resources for local CACs across Texas.
• Build and manage a bench of outside counsel; establish preferred relationships and budgets.

Skills

10+ years of legal experience

Nonprofit governance

Contract drafting & negotiation

Regulatory compliance

Executive leadership advisory

HIPAA familiarity

Open records / PIA knowledge

Business / financial acumen

Education

JD degree

Job description

Children’s Advocacy Centers™ of Texas, Inc.

Position Description: General Counsel

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

FLSA Status: Exempt

Commitment Type: Full-Time, Ongoing

Work Environment: Hybrid, 2-3 days a week in office

Base of Operations: 1501 W. Anderson Lane, Building B-1, Austin TX 78759

PHILOSOPHY

Since 1995, Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas (CACTX) has led efforts to effectuate change, empower communities, and make the safety of children a top priority in Texas. CACTX and our network of children’s advocacy centers (CACs) have helped over one million children and their families impacted by abuse and crime achieve safety, justice, and healing.

Our dual approach – responding to crimes against children and preventing child sexual abuse – safeguards childhood, building a future in which Texas children can thrive and reach their full potential.

Description

The General Counsel will serve as CACTX’s chief legal officer, responsible for all legal matters affecting the organization. The General Counsel will serve as an informed issue‑spotter for the statewide network of 70 local children’s advocacy centers who are members of CACTX. The General Counsel will provide strategic and practical legal guidance to the CEO, Executive Team and Board of Directors, serving as a trusted thought partner. This role is responsible for identifying emerging legal, regulatory, governance, and business issues affecting CACTX and the greater CAC network, developing practical legal resources and guidance, and establishing a network of qualified, specialized outside law firms to support both CACTX and our member CACs. The General Counsel will provide legal issue identification, educational guidance, and strategic recommendations to member organizations, but will not provide or coordinate legal representation to individual local CACs.

Relevant legal and regulatory frameworks in the CACTX environment include state and federal laws governing nonprofit corporations; contractual frameworks including vendor contracts, funding contracts, and pass‑through contracts with local CACs; HIPAA; federal grant compliance under VOCA, VAWA/FVPSA, OVW, and DOJ conditions; the Texas Public Information Act; inter‑agency MOUs and data use agreements with DFPS, law enforcement, prosecutors, and medical providers; NCA accreditation standards; Texas and federal employment law; and legislative/advocacy compliance.

Essential Job Functions

Legal & Strategic Advice and Execution

• Provide timely legal advice to the CEO, Executive Vice President, and Executive Team, balancing risk mitigation with business opportunity, on a range of organizational legal matters including, but not limited to, corporate & nonprofit governance, fiduciary responsibilities, intellectual property and other matters.
• Assess legal, regulatory, and governance implications of strategic initiatives and organizational priorities, and recommend risk mitigation measures including consultation with outside counsel as appropriate.
• Collaborate with, and serve as a thought partner to, CACTX leaders in external relations, operations, finance, program, and strategic initiatives teams to accomplish CACTX’s goals while effectively managing risk. In areas of legal responsibility, drive execution toward prompt, mission‑focused results.
• Review, draft, and negotiate contracts, agreements, and partnership arrangements. Develop a contract management framework, including standard templates, workflow review, approval thresholds, and compliance and renewal tracking.
• Review and advise on grant agreements and funder compliance requirements from state (HHSC, OAG) and federal (OVW, VOCA, DOJ) sources.
• Support compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
• Foster a culture of ethical behavior and risk awareness and management.

Risk Management & Legal Response

• Identify, assess, and develop strategies to mitigate legal and operational risk across CACTX programs and the CAC network.
• Advise on responses to subpoenas, Texas Public Information Act requests, open records obligations, and government inquiries made to CACTX, in consultation with outside counsel as appropriate.
• Develop and maintain organizational policies supporting legal compliance and risk mitigation, including document retention, records management, and critical incident response protocols.
• Maintain and communicate risk logs, escalation pathways, and legal status updates to the CEO and EVP.

Strategic Support to CAC Network

• Monitor legal, regulatory, and compliance developments affecting local CACs, and identify trends and risks.
• Provide high‑level legal issue identification and guidance to local CACs while maintaining clear boundaries regarding attorney‑client relationships.
• Design and implement a scalable model for delivering legal resources and guidance to local CACs across Texas — including templated agreements, legal FAQs, guidance documents, and referral pathways to outside counsel.
• Build and manage a bench of trusted outside counsel with expertise relevant to the CAC network (such as HIPAA, open records, employment, child welfare, nonprofit governance, government contracts).

Outside Counsel Management

• Identify, evaluate, and cultivate relationships with law firms and specialized legal service providers on behalf of both CACTX and member CAC organizations.
• Establish preferred counsel relationships and referral networks across relevant practice areas for the benefit of local CACs.
• Negotiate engagement structures, fee arrangements, and service expectations for firms representing CACTX.
• Evaluate outside counsel performance and maintain quality standards for firms representing CACTX.
• Manage legal budgets related to outside counsel engagements for CACTX.

Required

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an ABA‑accredited law school.
• Active license and membership, in good standing, with the State Bar of Texas.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible legal experience.
• Significant experience in nonprofit, corporate, association, regulatory, or in‑house legal practice.
• Demonstrated experience advising executive leadership.
• Strong contract drafting, negotiation, governance, and risk management experience.
• Ability to communicate complex legal concepts to non‑lawyers effectively.
• Exceptional judgment, diplomacy, and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Demonstrated business or financial acumen.
• Demonstrated interest in the mission and work of CACTX.

Preferred

• Experience serving as a General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, or senior in‑house attorney.
• Experience managing outside counsel and legal budgets.
• Experience working with distributed networks, coalitions, or statewide organizations.
• Familiarity with governance and operational issues facing nonprofit organizations.
• Familiarity with HIPAA, data privacy laws, or health information compliance in a service delivery context.
• Familiarity with legislative advocacy and government affairs activities.
• Exposure to Texas Public Information Act obligations, subpoena response or inter‑agency legal coordination.
• Exposure to child welfare, criminal justice, social services, behavioral health, or public health law.