Corporate Counsel

Overview

This role is for Corporate Counsel supporting an industrial lithium recovery and recycling business. The position is broad and commercially focused, with direct reporting to the General Counsel and substantial exposure to legal, commercial, regulatory, and strategic matters involved in building and operating an industrial enterprise.

Responsibilities

Working under the direction of the General Counsel, Corporate Counsel will provide legal support across company operations, including:

Commercial Contracts and Business Operations

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, including supply, purchase, sale, services, equipment, technology, logistics, consulting, confidentiality, and other operating agreements.
• Provide practical day-to-day legal advice to commercial, operations, finance, engineering, procurement, and other business functions.
• Identify legal and commercial risks and develop practical solutions that balance risk with business objectives.

Battery Recycling, Environmental and Regulatory Matters

• Advise on legal and regulatory matters affecting acquisition, transportation, storage, processing, and recycling of lithium-ion batteries and battery materials, and the production and sale of black mass, lithium carbonate, and related materials.
• Support compliance with applicable federal and state environmental, waste-management, transportation, permitting, and related regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate with operational personnel, technical consultants, and outside counsel regarding environmental permits, regulatory inquiries, compliance matters, and facility-related issues.

Government Programs and Government-Funded Projects

• Support matters involving federal and state grants, incentives, government-funded projects, and other governmental programs.
• Review and advise on contractual, compliance, reporting, and flow-down requirements tied to government funding.
• Help manage legal requirements arising from interactions with federal, state, and local governmental authorities.

Corporate Transactions and Governance

• Support acquisitions, dispositions, investments, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and other corporate transactions.
• Assist with transaction structuring, due diligence, negotiation, documentation, closing, and post-closing matters.
• Support corporate governance for a privately held, investor-backed company, including Board and stockholder matters, corporate approvals, entity management, and maintenance of corporate records.
• Assist with equity-related matters and other corporate transactions as required.

Real Estate and Major Projects

• Advise on industrial real-estate matters, including acquisitions, leases, site development, easements, access arrangements, and related agreements.
• Support development, construction, expansion, and operation of industrial and processing facilities.
• Coordinate with environmental, engineering, construction, and real-estate specialists as appropriate.

Compliance, Trade and Foreign Investment

• Help develop, implement, and administer a practical, risk-based corporate compliance program.
• Advise on policies, training, investigations, and compliance controls, including anti-bribery and corruption, conflicts of interest, and third-party compliance.
• Support U.S. import/export and trade compliance matters, including export controls, sanctions, customs, and supply-chain compliance.
• Assist with legal issues involving foreign investors, foreign counterparties, and cross-border transactions, including CFIUS and other foreign-investment or national-security considerations where applicable.

Insurance and Risk Management

• Assist in managing the company’s insurance and risk-management program.
• Work with management, insurance brokers, carriers, and outside counsel on placement and renewal of coverage, contractual insurance requirements, claims, and risk mitigation.
• Review contractual indemnification, limitation-of-liability, insurance, and related risk-allocation provisions.

Disputes and Litigation

• Manage or assist with commercial disputes, claims, litigation, regulatory proceedings, and other contested matters.
• Develop dispute strategy with the General Counsel and relevant business stakeholders.
• Select, instruct, and manage outside counsel as appropriate, emphasizing effective outcomes and disciplined management of legal spend.

General Legal Support

• Assist the General Counsel with employment, intellectual property, financing, privacy, and other legal matters as needs arise.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments relevant to the business and translate them into practical recommendations.
• Develop templates, policies, processes, and tools to support efficient business growth.
• Manage outside counsel and other legal service providers when appropriate.
• Perform other legal responsibilities typical of a small and growing in-house legal department.

Required Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant legal experience (law firm, corporate legal department, government agency, or a combination thereof).
• Active and in-good-standing license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Strong commercial contracting and legal drafting skills.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze unfamiliar legal issues and provide clear, practical, and commercially useful advice.
• Ability to manage multiple matters simultaneously and work effectively in a fast-moving environment with limited administrative infrastructure.
• Strong judgment, communication skills, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently while recognizing when issues should be escalated to the General Counsel.

Preferred Qualifications (Experience in one or more areas)

• Lithium-ion battery recycling, battery materials, critical minerals, chemical processing, metals, waste management, or similar industrial businesses.
• Production, processing, purchase, or sale of black mass, lithium carbonate, or other battery materials.
• Federal or state environmental, waste-management, or permitting laws applicable to industrial or recycling operations.
• Government procurement, federal grants, cooperative agreements, government incentives, or other government-funded projects, particularly in energy, manufacturing, critical-minerals, or infrastructure sectors.
• Industrial real estate, facility development, construction, or major capital projects.
• Mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic investments, or other private-company transactions.
• Corporate governance of private or private-equity/venture-backed companies.
• Insurance coverage, insurance placement, claims, and corporate risk management.
• Establishment or administration of corporate compliance programs.
• Export controls, economic sanctions, customs, trade compliance, or other cross-border regulatory matters.
• CFIUS, foreign investment, foreign ownership/control, or related national-security considerations.
• Management of commercial litigation, regulatory proceedings, investigations, or significant claims.

Compensation & Benefits

The employer intends to offer a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience and the responsibilities of the position, including base salary and participation in applicable employee benefit programs. Depending on the company’s compensation structure and the successful candidate’s level of experience, the package may also include an annual incentive opportunity and/or equity participation.

Location & Working Arrangements

• This position may be performed remotely from within the United States, subject to reasonable availability for meetings and business needs.
• Periodic travel to company facilities, meetings, transaction sites, and other locations may be required.
• The company’s lithium recovery facility is located in Covington, Georgia.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The employer is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants without regard to characteristics protected by applicable law.