In-House Counsel – Contracts & Compliance

Outdoor Cap Company; Bentonville (AR); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Outdoor Cap Company in Bentonville, Arkansas, seeks an Associate Counsel to work with the Head of Corporate Responsibility on contracts, compliance, and business risk. This hands-on, in-house role starts with supervised work and grows toward leadership of the company's legal and compliance function.

You will draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, advise on intellectual property and advertising, handle disputes, and coordinate with outside counsel to protect the company while

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor from ABA-accredited law school.
• Active bar admission in at least one U.S. state.
• 0–3 years of in-house, firm, or compliance experience.
• Experience in contracts, IP, international trade, or regulatory law is a strong plus.
• Experience in manufacturing, consumer products, retail, licensing, or apparel is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, including supplier and manufacturing agreements, customer vendor agreements and retailer terms, NDAs, licensing agreements, distributor and sales rep agreements, influencer and creator agreements, and services and software agreements.
• Identify legal and business risk, prepare redlines and issue summaries, and recommend a position.
• Manage the contract lifecycle: intake, approval workflow, execution, storage, and tracking of renewals, notice deadlines, and key obligations.
• Build and maintain contract templates, a clause library, and a negotiation playbook so routine agreements move fast.
• Serve as the first point of contact for legal questions from sales, product, marketing, e-commerce, and operations teams; resolve routine issues and elevate significant ones with a clear recommendation.
• Advise on intellectual property matters, including trademark clearance and filings, copyright, and licensed property approvals.
• Advise on advertising, marketing, and e-commerce matters, including product claims, origin claims, influencer disclosures, website terms, and consumer privacy.
• Handle demand letters, customer and supplier disputes, chargebacks, and claims; manage litigation holds; coordinate and manage outside counsel and legal spend.
• Review and manage license agreements and licensor requirements; support royalty reporting, product approvals, and licensor audits.
• Track licensor compliance obligations and deadlines and flag changes to account leads and management.
• Research and advise on tariff programs, classification, country of origin, customs protests and refunds, and forced labor import rules (including UFLPA).
• Advise on product safety and chemical regulations (including CPSIA, Prop 65, and state PFAS laws), labeling requirements, and customer-specific compliance requirements.
• Research legal and regulatory requirements for new markets as the company expands outside the U.S. and into apparel.
• Draft and update internal policies and procedures, including codes of conduct, supplier standards, and records management.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments and prepare clear, practical summaries for management.
• Support the legal side of the supplier compliance program, including supplier code of conduct terms, audit findings, corrective action plans, and supply chain due diligence.
• Support emerging ESG and sustainability reporting and disclosure requirements.
• Provide legal guidance and training to the Corporate Responsibility team and other internal teams.
• Take on progressively greater responsibility, including direct work with executive leadership, ownership of key customer and licensor relationships on legal matters, and leadership of compliance programs.

Skills

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Legal research

Plain language

Time management

Integrity

Business mindset

Independence

MS Office

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Bar admission (US)

In-house/commercial law exposure

Licensing/IP/retail knowledge

Manufacturing/consumer products experience

Tools

Contract management tools

E-signature tools

SharePoint/OneDrive

Job description

Outdoor Cap Company in Bentonville, Arkansas, seeks an Associate Counsel to work with the Head of Corporate Responsibility on contracts, compliance, and business risk. This hands-on, in-house role starts with supervised work and grows toward leadership of the company's legal and compliance function.

You will draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, advise on intellectual property and advertising, handle disputes, and coordinate with outside counsel to protect the company while