Senior Corporate Counsel

Desert-Financial-Credit-Union; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Desert-Financial-Credit-Union is seeking a Senior Corporate Counsel to provide advanced legal support across a wide range of regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters. The role reports to the General Counsel and includes mentoring junior attorneys within the Legal Department, handling complex negotiations, and guiding enterprise-wide policies.

The ideal candidate has a JD from an ABA-accredited school, 5+ years of relevant experience in commercial transactions and litigation, and Arizona

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from ABA-accredited law school is required.
• 5+ years of attorney experience with focus on commercial transactions, litigation, financial institutions, banking, or consumer protection law is required.
• 1+ years of banking/fintech experience preferred.
• 1+ years of payments, lending, money movement experience preferred.
• Law firm experience preferred.
• Regulatory requirements knowledge of credit unions, retail banking, or fintech preferred.
• Excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills; ability to multitask under deadlines required.
• Strong research, writing and negotiation skills required.
• Business acumen to distill complex legal requirements into actionable advice required.
• Ability to identify and mitigate legal and operational risk required.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal, compliance, regulatory, and risk management advice to the credit union and subsidiaries, including drafting, negotiating, and advising on high-risk contracts and complex transactions.
• Lead litigation and pre-litigation efforts, manage outside counsel, direct discovery, and represent the credit union in mediations and arbitrations.
• Advise on employee and leave matters in compliance with ADA, FMLA, and local regulations.
• Mentor and guide attorneys, paralegals, and staff on contract negotiation and regulatory issues.
• Collaborate to develop and implement enterprise-wide legal and compliance policies and procedures; identify risk areas and mitigation strategies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Drafting contracts

Negotiation

Litigation handling

Regulatory compliance

Legal risk assessment

Financial industry knowledge

Research and writing

Communication skills

Mentoring juniors

Business acumen

Education

Juris Doctorate (JD) from ABA-accredited law school

Arizona Bar in good standing

Admitted to District of Arizona

Admitted to Supreme Court of Arizona

Eligible for pro hac vice in federal/other jurisdictions

Job description

The Senior Corporate Counsel reports to the General Counsel and functions under the direction and supervision of more senior attorneys in the Department. Serving as a member of the Legal Department for the credit union and each of its subsidiaries. The Senior Corporate Counsel is responsible for providing advanced legal support across a wide range of operational, transactional, and regulatory matters and represents the company in complex contract negotiations, regulatory exams, and dispute resolution. The Senior Corporate Counsel provides experienced legal advice on a wide range of topics, including regulatory compliance, employment, corporate governance, litigation, and privacy, while contributing to strategic decision-making and mentoring junior counsel. .

What you will do here:

Provide legal, compliance, regulatory, and risk management advice and recommendations to the credit union and its subsidiaries on all areas of operations, exercising independent legal judgment, including (a) drafting, negotiating, and advising on moderate to high-risk contracts, commercial real estate acquisitions and leases, construction agreements, marketing and sponsorship agreements, software and licensing agreements, and other complex transactions; (b) drafting and revising corporate formation and organization documents; (c) researching and drafting developing and advising on policies and procedures to ensure legal compliance and best practices; and (d) advising on legal, risk and compliance issues related to credit union products and operations.

Independently lead litigation and pre-litigation disputes, including managing outside legal counsel, developing and recommending case strategy, directing discovery, advising business stakeholders, and representing the credit union and its subsidiaries in mediations, arbitrations, and other dispute cannels to resolve matters efficiently.

Provide legal advice on employee and leave matters in compliance with ADA, FMLA, state and local regulations.

Provide mentorship and guidance to other attorneys, paralegals, and staff on contract negotiation, legal risk assessment, and regulatory issues, promoting a consistent and efficient approach across the department.

Collaborate with attorneys to develop, update, and implement enterprise-wide legal and compliance policies and procedures; identify areas of potential improvement and risk mitigation in contracting, procurement, and operations.

Perform other duties as assigned.

What you will need:

Juris Doctorate (JD) degree from an ABA accredited law school required.

5+ years of experience as a practicing attorney with a focus in commercial transactions, litigation, financial institution, banking, or consumer protection law required.

1+ years of Banking, fintech, and financial institution experience preferred.

1+ years of Payments, lending, money movement experience preferred.

Law firm experience preferred.

Working knowledge of regulatory requirements of credit unions, retail banking, or other financial institutions or fintech companies preferred.

Excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to multitask, focus, and prioritize multiple projects under pressure to meet deadlines required.

Strong research, writing and negotiation skills required.

Seasoned business acumen with the ability to distill complex legal requirements into actionable advice to further business objectives required.

Ability to identify, advise on, and mitigate legal an operational risk required.

Working knowledge of the business requirements and risks associated with marketing, lending, retail banking, commercial banking, consumer banking, information technology, or data privacy preferred.

Experience managing commercial litigation matters, including case strategy, discovery management, motion practice, and negotiating directly with opposing counsel; sound judgment in evaluating litigation risk and exposure and recommending resolution strategies (settlement, trial, or otherwise) to senior leadership required.

Licensed in the State of Arizona OR must be eligible to practice in the State of Arizona within 3 months required.

Member of the Arizona Bar (in good standing) required.

Admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the State of Arizona, and all other Arizona State Courts required.

Admitted to practice in the District of Arizona required.

Eligible to be admitted to practice pro hac vice in the federal and state courts of other jurisdictions required.

Job Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Job Type: Hybrid

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.