Legal Counsel (Claims)

ARCO Companies; Downers Grove (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESOP

Traditional and Roth 401k

Tuition reimbursement

Scholarship for associates’ children

1-month paid sabbatical after every 5 

$5,000 travel stipend

1-week paid volunteer leave

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

100% paid 12-week maternity leave

Job summary

ARCO Companies seeks a service-oriented Attorney to join our Downers Grove, IL office. The Legal Counsel (Claims) analyzes and resolves pre-litigation disputes, oversees litigated and arbitrated claims, and collaborates with senior attorneys on risk management.

About 10–15% transactional work negotiating owner and subcontractor agreements. As part of a national team, you will manage claims, implement best practices, and report on data.

Qualifications

• Licensed attorney with 5+ years of litigation experience.
• Experience in a construction organization, construction-focused law firm, or large law firm preferred.
• First- and second-chair trial and arbitration experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the legal team across U.S. offices to manage pre-claim disputes and litigated/arbitrated claims.
• Partner with senior attorneys, project managers, and business leaders on claims resolution.
• Implement enterprise-wide claims management and litigation best practices.
• Identify business risks with Safety, HR, and Finance teams and advise mitigation strategies.
• Manage outside counsel and coordinate with insurance partners.
• Present reports on claims-related data and trends.

Skills

Litigation experience

Construction industry experience

Contract negotiation

Oral and written communication

Trial and arbitration experience

Education

Bar admission in good standing

Job description

Chicago, IL, US; Dallas, TX, US; Downers Grove, IL, US; Nashville, TN, US; St. Louis, MO, US

About You: We are looking for a service-oriented Attorney to join our team in our Downers Grove, IL office. The Legal Counsel (Claims) is primarily responsible for analyzing and helping resolve pre-litigation disputes, overseeing litigated and arbitrated claims, and partnering with senior attorneys and business leaders on claims handling and risk management strategies. This position also requires 10-15% transactional work primarily negotiating owner and subcontractor agreements.

A Day in the Life:

• Collaborate with other members of the legal team located in our offices across the U.S. to address pre-claim disputes and manage litigated and arbitrated claims, including payment disputes, mechanic’s liens, safety incidents, subcontractor performance and licensing issues, and day-to-day project management issues.
• Partner with senior attorneys, project managers, and business leaders to understand business objectives in addressing and resolving claims.
• Implement enterprise-wide claims management and litigation best practices.
• Collaborate with members of the Safety, HR, and Finance teams to identify business risks and strategies for mitigation.
• Manage outside counsel and collaborate with insurance industry partners.
• Manage and present substantive reports on claims-related data.
• Remain informed of new laws, regulations, judicial opinions, and industry trends affecting the enterprise.

Necessary Qualifications:

• Licensed attorney with 5-plus years of litigation experience.
• Experience in a construction organization, construction-focused law firm, or large law firm preferred, including substantive familiarity with standard Owner contracts, subcontracts, and mechanic’s lien processes.
• First- and second-chair trial and arbitration experience preferred.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, strategic and business acumen, and conflict resolution skills.
• Flexible, with effective and timely communication skills.

What We Can Offer You:

We are dedicated to the well-being of our associates and are proud to be consistently recognized as a Best Place to Work. Our compensation and benefits package not only supports our associates and their families but benefits local communities and communities around the world.

• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Traditional and Roth 401k
• Tuition reimbursement for associates
• Scholarship for associates’ children up to $28,000 per child
• 1-month paid sabbatical after every five years of employment, plus $5,000 for travel
• 1-week paid volunteer leave each year
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage
• 100% paid 12-week maternity leave

At ARCO, our first core value is to treat people fairly and do the right thing. We are proud to be a drug-free workplace and an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

From recruiting, training, and hiring practices to selecting our subcontractors, we understand that the diversity of all those involved in the construction process enhances our ability to deliver the best solutions to our customers. We hire the best and the brightest from across the country – constructing a team of experts in architecture, design, engineering, project management, and business services.

MAKE YOUR MOVE

We are proud to be one of the fastest-growing, privately-owned companies in America, celebrating over 30 years of experience as design-build experts. We have completed over 7,500 design-build projects nationwide. We ranked #9 on ENR’s Design-Build Firms list and #34 on ENR's Top 400 Contractors list of 2026. Most importantly, our clients like us, trust us, and want to do business with us. We are looking for people with the same enthusiasm, passion, and respect for the hard work that brought us to where we are today. Are you a person who can make a difference at ARCO? If the answer is “Yes!” we look forward to meeting you.

ARCO does not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third-party recruiting agencies without pre-approval from ARCO’s Human Resources team. Pre-approval is required before any external candidate can be submitted. ARCO will not be responsible for fees related to unsolicited resumes and for candidates who are sent directly to our hiring managers. Agencies must have a fully executed vendor agreement in place as well as written approval to submit candidates from an ARCO TA Manager for a specific position before submitting candidates.