Contracts Counsel / General Counsel

Sonalysts, Inc. is an employee-owned technical services firm with 400-plus employees and approximately $90 million in annual revenue.  The company operates in twelve states.  Substantially all of the Company’s work is on contracts with the Federal Government directly, or indirectly via a prime contractor.

It seeks an in-house attorney for legal and business support in its Waterford, Connecticut, headquarters.  

The required in-house work touches all of the following areas, some of them to a significantly larger degree than others, with the result that Sonalysts uses outside counsel of regional and national scope on a regular basis to supplement its in-house staff, and to train its executive leadership, in the areas in which its own expertise is limited. 

• Federal Government contract negotiation (including non-disclosure agreements, teaming agreements, and subcontracts with prime contractors and subcontractors)
• Federal Government contract compliance oversight
• Federal Government proposal analysis and support
• Federal Government transaction analysis and review
• Federal Government subcontracting plan oversight
• Federal Government purchasing system oversight
• Federal Government incurred cost claim allowability analysis
• Employment law oversight, both Federal and state
  • Prevention of discrimination
  • Safety
  • Recruiting (including background investigations)
  • Compensation
  • Affirmative action compliance (Federal Government contract requirement)
  • FMLA, ADA, FLSA oversight
• Employee benefit plan law oversight, including
  • Pension operations
    • Employee Stock Ownership Plan is a major legal and business issue
    • 401(k)
  • Health and other insurance (life, disability, dental, etc.) benefits
  • Paid time off
• Other elements of corporate risk management, including insurance beyond benefits
  • General liability
  • Property and casualty
  • Employment practices
  • Fiduciary liability
  • Professional responsibility
  • Cyber
  • Crime
  • Workers’ compensation
  • Defense Base Act (foreign travel on Government contracts)
• Export control oversight (Federal Government contract requirement)
• Intellectual property law
• Support for security of classified information and controlled unclassified information
• Software licensing
• Office lease agreements
• General corporate matters

Required qualifications:

• Admitted to the Bar, and in good standing, in at least one jurisdiction relevant to the work of the company (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, the District of Columbia, Colorado, and Virginia are relevant; a few others may also be relevant depending upon experience and other credentials)
• Minimum of five years practicing law, which must be in either (i) private practice or another corporate setting with corporate client(s), or (ii) a Federal Government procurement / acquisition setting
• Strong academic record in college and law school
• In a cover letter accompanying your resume:
  • Specify your Grade Point Average and Class Standing, or state that these were not measured by the academic institutions,
  • Provide a description of any other relevant academic credentials such as law review participation, publication of professional journal articles, graduation with distinction, Latin honors, etc.,
  • Indicate where and when you were admitted to the Bar and, if not in Connecticut, your willingness to become admitted here, and
  • Supply any other information you consider relevant, particularly a discussion of your Federal Government contracting experience
• Excellent writing skills
• Excellent presentation skills
• Must be a U.S. citizen, eligible for a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) SECRET security clearance*

Strongly desired additional qualifications: 

• Admitted to the Bar in Connecticut
• Ten years of experience practicing law in either (i) private practice or another corporate setting with corporate client(s), or (ii) a Federal Government procurement / acquisition setting
• Extensive experience with Federal Government contracts and their compliance requirements
• Extensive experience representing employers
• Possessing an active Department of Defense security clearance

The expected position will be Contracts Counsel, with career potential to become General Counsel.  If a particularly strong candidate is identified, the individual could become General Counsel in the near term.

Compensation will vary significantly with qualifications.  Federal contract experience will be particularly important in this regard. 

A potential basic salary range of approximately $150,000 to $200,000 would be anticipated for the Contracts Counsel position.  In the event that a particularly strong candidate could become General Counsel in the near term, the range would increase to approximately $200,000 to $275,000.  These ranges are highly dependent upon qualifications and experience, and are subject to adjustment up or down in the company’s discretion if it deems adjustment to be appropriate.  The basic salary is separate from bonuses and company contributions to the Employee Stock Ownership Plan, which are highly variable decisions made annually depending upon various corporate business and individual considerations.

*Obtaining a U.S. Government security clearance involves a comprehensive background check.  Candidates are potentially eligible for a clearance if they are U.S. citizens, have demonstrated sound financial management (including good credit) over time, are free of criminal records, have limited foreign contacts or ties, and possess other personal attributes indicative of the highest degree of reliability so they can be entrusted by the Government with the protection of its most sensitive national security information. 

Sonalysts, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of, race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, disability, or other basis protected by law.

This job is not available to residents of New York City because of local law restrictions there.

 Drug Testing Employer

www.sonalysts.com