Senior Counsel - Litigation

USG is an industry-leading manufacturer of building products and innovative solutions. For over 120 years, Chicago-based USG has developed award-winning wall, ceiling, flooring, sheathing, and roofing products that enable customers to build outstanding spaces where people live, work, and play. With over 8,700 employees across North America and operations around the world, we are steadfastly committed to our core values: safety, innovation, quality, integrity, service, diversity, and efficiency.

We’re big enough that our professionals have the resources to make a difference, yet small enough that you’re not just a number. You’ll work on key initiatives and build strong relationships across the company that will position USG for growth into the future.

USG offers work-life balance, specialist and general/managerial career paths, promotion from within, exceptional benefits, and incredible long-term career opportunities for the right professional. Each year, we have hundreds of employees who celebrate milestone anniversaries with us.

Overview: 

The Senior Corporate Counsel – Litigation will report directly to the Assistant General Counsel – Litigation and support senior level attorneys in the Legal Department, including the General Counsel, and business client groups within the company. The position’s primary responsibilities will be to handle a wide variety of litigation matters, with a focus on employment matters. Other matters will include product liability and construction, personal injury, and contracts. The Senior Corporate Counsel will also assist in USG’s Compliance Program, which includes staying up-to-date on and providing training in Antitrust, FCPA, trade sanctions, and export controls. The Senior Corporate Counsel should also have experience with, or the desire to learn, other areas including commercial contracts, advertising law, insurance, and product safety.

Qualifications & Skills:

This position requires an accomplished attorney with a distinguished professional record and a strong business orientation. Candidates must be self-motivated and exhibit a passion for understanding the business and contributing in a meaningful way to its strategy and long-term strategic goals. In addition to possessing the requisite legal and technical skills, the successful candidate must approach this role from a business perspective and demonstrate a high degree of ethics and integrity, willingness to interact directly with business partners within the company, as well as strategic/conceptual thinking capabilities. Successful candidates will also be invested in the company’s Legal Department and actively seek ways to improve processes, mitigate risk for the company, and consider new ways to improve the legal services provided to our business clients.

• Law Degree with a minimum of five years of experience as a litigation attorney at a first-tier law firm and/or in-house legal department
• The successful candidate will have 5-7 years of relevant litigation experience in a first-tier law firm or corporate legal department.
• Bar: Licensed to practice in Illinois.
• Experience with employment law is strongly preferred, including: Employment disputes, litigation, and arbitration
• EEOC charges and discrimination claims
•  Fair Labor Standards Act matters
• Wage and hour claims
• Experience with Corporate Compliance Program is also preferred, including in Antitrust, FCPA, trade sanctions and export control, and records management and retention
• Experience with, or desire to learn, other areas including:
•  Reviewing and drafting commercial contracts
•  Advertising and Marketing Law
•  Labeling laws and requirements
• Product Safety
• Insurance
• Familiarity with technology, including software and tools used to improve the legal function
• Ability to quickly and accurately recognize areas of risk/opportunity
• Strong problem-solving skills and business instincts
• Engage in and thrive in collaborative environment
• Strong business acumen; can spot issues and proactively problem solve with the business leaders to arrive at a better outcome
• An outstanding work ethic and client service orientation
• An entrepreneurial mindset and dedication to Continuous Improvement, with the desire to proactively think about ways to improve legal operations and efficiently provide legal guidance to our business clients

USG employees enjoy a number of benefit options for themselves and their families. These include two medical insurance options, as well as vision and dental coverage. The cost of these optional programs varies based on coverage level - employees generally pay 25% of the monthly premium cost, USG pays the rest. These coverage options are offered on the first day of employment with no waiting period.

Additionally, USG employees enjoy both a 401(k) Investment Plan with company match and a pension plan. Beyond these main features, employees may also choose from a number of additional programs like life insurance, accident insurance, legal insurance, even pet insurance, just to name a few. USG also offers Quarterly (hourly) / Annual (salary) bonus potential for all employees based on performance metrics tied to safety, quality, and productivity.  USG also provides employees with paid time off and paid holidays.

Since 1902, Chicago-based USG has been a leader in producing innovative, award-winning products and systems to build everything from major commercial developments and residential housing to home improvements. USG's employees are committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and quality in everything we do. Our steadfast commitment to the company's core business values – innovation, quality, integrity, service, diversity, efficiency and safety – have helped us become the company we are today.

 EOE including disability/veteran