Assistant General Counsel

Job Purpose

Under the direction of the General Counsel, the Assistant General Counsel is responsible for handling a variety of routine to moderately complex legal projects. 

Position Summary

The Assistant General Counsel is a member of a three-person Legal Department consisting of General Counsel, Associate General Counsel, and Assistant General Counsel. The Assistant General Counsel provides comprehensive legal guidance across all aspects of AFT’s nonprofit operations including: Corporate and Governance; Programs; Government Relations/Advocacy; Development; Communications/Marketing; and Land Projects. The Assistant General Counsel plays a critical role in ensuring legal compliance, mitigating risk, and supporting AFT’s mission through sound legal strategy and counsel.

Duties and Responsibilities 

General Program Support

• Act as legal liaison for AFT’s programs.
• Draft, review, and negotiate programmatic-related legal documents, and ensure that these documents are in accordance with laws, public policy, and internal policies and protocols.
• Provide advice related to AFT’s advocacy and lobbying efforts, and compliance with local, state and federal lobbying and ethics laws. 
• Provide advice on nondisclosure agreements.
• Provide advice and support to departments with legal research needs.
• Manage entity formations, management, and dissolutions.

Contracts

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of contracts, subawards, MOUs, donor agreements, and other agreements between AFT and partners, consultants, governmental entities, and others.
• Advise staff on federal and state grant compliance, including OMB Uniform Guidance requirements. 
• Advise development staff on commercial co-ventures, corporate sponsorships, and other fundraising matters. 
• Support management of contract templates and contracting processes across the organization.

Intellectual Property

• Advise on the protection and management of AFT’s intellectual property, including trademarks and copyright.
• Review and negotiate licensing agreements for use of AFT’s intellectual property.
• Oversee trademark registration, maintenance, and infringement matters.

Administration

• Advise management and human resources on employment law matters, including National Labor Relations Act and collective bargaining. Coordinate with outside employment counsel on complex matters.
• Advise management and human resources on employment policies. Ensure compliance with federal and state employment laws, including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and state wage and hour laws.
• Support workplace investigations and advise on appropriate remedial action.
• Provide legal support for internal controls and policies. Address data privacy and cybersecurity matters. Advise on records retention.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

• Manage litigation, including engagement and oversight of outside litigation counsel.
• Evaluate legal claims and defenses and provide strategic recommendations.
• Coordinate discovery responses and document preservation efforts.

Land Projects

• Support and advise program staff on land projects, including agricultural conservation easement acquisitions; Buy-Protect-Sell plus transactions; Farm Legacy transactions (real property gifts); leasing; and other real property transactions.
• Draft agreements and contracts for land projects and review partner documentation.
• Advise staff in conservation easement stewardship matters, including easement enforcement and defense.
• Support program staff preparation and review of materials for the Land Projects Committee of AFT’s Board of Directors. 
• Research real property law issues.

General Legal Counsel

• Serve as a trusted legal advisor to all departments and provide practical, mission-aligned counsel.
• Conduct legal research and analysis on issues affecting AFT.
• Develop and deliver training programs for staff on legal compliance topics.
• Support special projects and initiatives requiring legal input.
• Stay up to date on relevant developments in the areas of tax-exempt organizations law, real estate law, and others.
• Perform other legal duties as assigned.

This is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions. While this is intended to be an 
reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned.