Associate Counsel - Clinical Research

About St. Jude

There’s a reason St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital consistently earns a Glassdoor Employee Choice Award and is named to its "Best Place to Work" list. At our world-class pediatric research hospital, every one of our professionals shares our commitment to make a difference in the lives of the children we serve. There is a unique bond when you are part of a team that gives their all to advance the treatments and cures of pediatric catastrophic diseases. The result is a collaborative, positive environment where everyone, regardless of their role, receives the resources, support, and encouragement to advance and grow their careers.

This position may be eligible for the possibility of remote work.

Position Overview

The Associate Counsel – Clinical Research will provide legal advice to faculty and staff regarding clinical research contracting and regulatory compliance, including but not limited to:

• Draft, present, negotiate and finalize contracts and agreements for various departments, including research collaborations with other institutions, pharmaceutical and biotech industry collaborators, and research consortia and networks.
• Identify risks and benefits associated with clinical research activities, including both domestic and multi-national clinical trials.
• Draft and/or revise institutional policies and departmental playbooks in accordance with best practices and within the bounds of applicable laws and regulations.
• Provide or participate in legal analysis of compliance issues and development of responses to governmental investigations or claims, and implementation of corrective action plans, policies, and procedures as needed.
• Represent Office of Legal Services in cross-departmental and study team meetings.
• Keep current on new and emerging laws and policy developments (e.g. life sciences, research, grant compliance, anti-bribery/corruption and health care fraud and abuse).
• Perform other duties as assigned to meet the goals and objectives of the department and institution.
• Maintains regular and predictable attendance.

Minimum Education and/or Training:

• Doctorate of Jurisprudence (JD) degree required from an accredited law school.

Minimum Experience:

• Minimum Experience: 5+ years of experience in at least one or more specialized areas of the law, such as technology matters, international/foreign law matters, medico-legal advising, labor and employment, academic programs, clinical research, insurance, privacy/data protection, health care compliance, grants and contracting, intellectual property, medical staff relations, non-profit tax issues, animal care and use, environmental health and safety, and accreditation matters.
• Experience with investigator-initiated research matters preferred. 
• Experience with multinational clinical research and research data matters preferred. 

Licensure, Registration and/or Certification Required by Law:

• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction required.
• License to practice law in the State of Tennessee is required within nine (9) months from date of hire into the position. Registration as in-house counsel in lieu of a full license to practice is an option but must be obtained within six (6) months of date of hire into the position.

Special Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

• Breaks down complex legal issues effectively and identifies key underlying legal questions/issues to enable effective analysis.
• Independently researches, compiles, interpretes, and analyzes complex case law within own specialized area of law.
• Summarizes critical observations from analysis into legal materials for diverse set of stakeholders.
• Supports institutional teams around complex legal matters (e.g., litigation, administrative, and regulatory proceedings) and proposes/implements suitable courses of action.
• Understands changing laws and regulations within own specialized area, and advises business teams accordingly.
• Leads provision of legal services (e.g., review, defense, and resolution of legal claims/disputes; policy design) within own area.

Compensation

Explore our exceptional benefits!

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has a diverse, global patient population and workforce, built on the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our founder Danny Thomas envisioned a hospital that would treat children of the world—regardless of race, religion or a family’s ability to pay. Learn more about our history and commitment.

Today, we continue the mission to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. As we accelerate this progress globally, we believe our legacy of diversity, equity and inclusion is foundational to success. With the commitment of leaders at all levels of the organization, we strive to ensure the St. Jude culture, leadership approaches and talent processes are equitable and culturally responsive. View our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report to learn about the hospital’s roots in diversity, equity and inclusion, where we are today and our aspirations for an even better future.

No Search Firms

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. Please do not call or email. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee or other representative at St. Jude via email, the internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place and approved by HR will result in no fee being paid in the event the candidate is hired by St. Jude.