Sr. Employment Counsel (Remote)

Inspira Financial Trust, LLC; Oak Brook (IL); Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Inspira Financial Trust, LLC seeks a Senior Employment Counsel to provide strategic and practical legal guidance to the HR team and business leaders across the full employee lifecycle, from hiring through separation.

The role covers a wide range of employment and labor law areas, including equal opportunity, leave and accommodation laws, wage and hour, pay equity, benefits, policy development and training, investigations, agency matters, and supervision of litigation.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic advice to HR and business stakeholders on a broad range of U.S. employment issues, including recruiting and hiring; onboarding; performance management; disciplinary actions; leave of absence; accommodations; wage and hour compliance; compensation and benefits; pay transparency; employee classification; reorganization and redundancies; restrictive covenants; and separations and terminations.
• Advise HR regarding investigations of employee complaints and perform investigations as needed.
• Investigate, respond to, and mediate agency matters (EEOC, state civil rights agencies, Department of Labor).
• Investigate, respond to, and negotiate pre-litigation claims.
• Handle employee litigation and arbitrations or supervise outside counsel.
• Draft, review, and negotiate employment-related documents and templates, including offer letters, employment agreements, severance agreements, and release agreements.
• Advise HR and business leaders on background check issues, including adverse action processes and rescission of offers.
• Provide legal analysis of new and emerging employment-related laws and updates.
• Assist HR in reviewing and updating HR policies and employee handbooks to ensure compliance with laws.
• Support and assist HR and the Deputy General Counsel on a variety of employment matters.

Job description

The Sr. Employment Counsel will provide strategic and practical legal advice to the Company's Human Resources department and relevant business leaders on the full employee life cycle, from hiring through separation. This position will provide legal advice in a wide variety of employment and labor law areas, including but not limited to: equal opportunity laws, leave and accommodation laws, wage and hour laws, pay equity, benefits law, internal policy development and training. This position will also handle threatened and pending employment litigation and negotiation with opposing counsel; agency administrative charges; and supervision of litigation and arbitrations.

1. 1. Provide strategic advice to HR and business stakeholders on a broad range of U.S. employment issues, including recruiting and hiring; onboarding; performance management; disciplinary actions; leave of absence; accommodations; wage and hour compliance; compensation and benefits; pay transparency; employee classification; reorganization and redundancies; restrictive covenants; and separations and terminations.
2. 2. Advise HR regarding their investigation of employee complaints and also perform investigations depending on the nature of the complaint.
3. 3. Investigate, respond to, and mediate agency matters (EEOC, state divisions of civil rights, Department of Labor).
4. 4. Investigate, respond to, and negotiate pre-litigation claims.
5. 5. Handle employee litigation and arbitrations or supervise outside counsel in doing so.
6. 6. Draft, review, and negotiate employment-related documents and templates, including offer letters, employment agreements, separation and severance agreements, and release agreements.
7. 7. Advise HR and business leaders on background check issues, including adverse action processes and rescission of offers.
8. 8. Provide legal analysis of new and emerging employment-related laws, such as credit check restrictions, pay transparency requirements, and the use of AI tools in recruiting and employment practices.
9. 9. Assist HR in reviewing and updating HR policies, employee handbooks, and related materials to ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
10. 10. Provide support and assistance to HR and the Deputy General Counsel on a variety of employment matters, as directed.
11. 11. Work effectively with HR, business leaders, and outside counsel in a fast-paced environment covering a broad range of employment law issues.
12. 12. Communicate proactively with internal clients and outside counsel to resolve issues and disagreements.
13. 13. Perform other duties as assigned within the nature and level of work.