General Counsel

Associate General Counsel

The Associate General Counsel provides strategic and operational legal support across the Company, partnering closely with the Chief Legal Officer and cross-functional leaders. This role delivers expert guidance on corporate, regulatory, employment, healthcare,and real estate matters, ensuring legal compliance, mitigating risk, and supporting business objectives. A significant portion of this role includes providing in-house real estate legal services to reduce outside counsel costs and strengthen internal expertise.

Essential Functions:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Legal Advisory & Strategy: Provide expert counsel on employment law, healthcare regulation, litigation, corporate governance, contract law, and general business matters.
• Contract Negotiation & Review: Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements to ensure legal compliance and alignment with Company interests.
• Litigation Management: Assist in managing litigation, including strategy development, coordination with outside counsel, and oversight of case progress.
• Regulatory Compliance: Support compliance with federal and state healthcare laws, including HIPAA, ACA, and other applicable regulations.
• Employment Law Guidance: Advise on hiring, employee relations, investigations, terminations, and compliance with labor and employment laws.
• Policy Development: Assist in drafting, updating, and implementing Company policies to reduce legal exposure and support operational consistency.
• Corporate Governance: Provide guidance on governance matters, including corporate structure, board matters, and entity management.
• Risk Management: Identify legal risks and recommend mitigation strategies to protect the Company.
• Legal Research: Conduct legal research and provide clear, concise recommendations to the Chief Legal Officer and executive leadership.
• Cross-Department Collaboration: Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure business initiatives align with legal requirements.
• Legal Representation: Represent the Company in negotiations, administrative matters, and other legal proceedings as assigned.

In addition to the above, provide Real Estate legal services as follows:

• Draft and negotiate leases, amendments, letters of intent, and related real estate documents.
• Prepare documentation for new and existing stores, offices, and facilities.
• Review due diligence materials and assess impacts on transactions.
• Supervise and review work prepared by paralegals, including memoranda of lease, estoppel certificates, and SNDA documents.
• Manage landlord-tenant disputes, prepare demand letters, negotiate resolutions, and draft settlement agreements.
• Provide legal opinions on lease terms, proposed changes, and issues raised by the Property Management Division.
• Coordinate and oversee outside counsel as needed.
• Draft real estate documents such as deeds, escrow instructions, corporate resolutions, and lien releases.
• Maintain and update templates, forms, and standardized real estate documents for Company use.
• Develop policies and procedures for the creation, handling, and storage of real estate legal documents.

Requirements:

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (JD) and active membership in good standing with the California State Bar.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in commercial real estate transactions (retail/shopping center experience preferred).
• Experience in transactional real estate, document drafting, litigation, and business/corporate law.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects independently and prioritize effectively.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word; basic proficiency in Excel and Outlook.
• Commitment to maintaining continuing legal education requirements, with emphasis in real estate, construction, environmental, business, and corporate law.

• Experience in healthcare law, HIPAA, and regulatory compliance.
• Prior in-house counsel experience.
• Experience supporting multi-site or multi-state operations.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Strong understanding of healthcare law, HIPAA, and compliance requirements.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to foster open dialogue and maintain strong working relationships.
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Results-driven with the ability to focus on key priorities.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, including coaching, delegation, and accountability.
• Strategic planning ability, including setting objectives and anticipating obstacles.
• Effective collaborator who shares best practices and supports team success.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment with limited information.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, sometimes ambiguous environment.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements:

This role is primarily office-based with typical office conditions and minimal exposure to hazardous substances. The noise level is generally low to moderate.

• Regular sitting, standing, walking, and keyboard use.
• Frequent lifting/carrying of materials up to 20 pounds.
• Occasional stooping, kneeling, or crouching.
• Sufficient dexterity to operate standard office equipment.

Additional Information:

This job description reflects the general nature and scope of responsibilities but is not an exhaustive list. Management reserves the right to modify duties or assign additional responsibilities as needed.