Counsel

Overview

A large non-profit organization is seeking a practical, collaborative lawyer with 3-5 years of experience to serve as in-house Counsel. This role provides day-to-day legal support for divisions and programs, including general and federal contract review, start-up business legal support, public and private fundraising/development, conflicts of interest, and litigation support. Experience in election law, lobbying rules, and tax-exemption compliance is a plus. The position works closely with senior legal staff and paralegals, as well as organizational staff at various levels, elected and appointed leaders, governance bodies, outside counsel, and external parties to provide timely, strategic, and accurate corporate counsel and risk management advice.

Salary range: $107,000 - $149,000

The organization operates on a 37.5-hour work week with one-hour lunch breaks each day. Salaries are based on years of relevant experience, budgetary parameters, education level, and previous staff or governance experience.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a day-to-day legal resource for divisions and business units, providing guidance, compliance support, first-line review, and risk management strategies on operational matters.
• Triage incoming legal questions to appropriate legal workflows and assist internal clients in understanding compliance requirements, decision points, and escalation procedures.
• Manage the contract lifecycle for assigned matters, including review, drafting, and occasional negotiation of program agreements, vendor and consulting engagements, service agreements, event contracts, NDAs, data agreements, and other operational contracts.
• Partner with revenue-generating teams to identify legal and business risks, recommend revisions, and drive timely contract review.
• Provide ongoing program counsel and operational approval.
• Collaborate on governance compliance and risk management, including conflicts of interest.
• Provide legal support for government contracts, government grants, and private grants, including review of funding agreements, grant terms, compliance obligations, flow-down requirements, reporting obligations, certifications, and operational risks.
• Support compliance efforts by flagging legal issues in staff grant and contract administration.
• Provide litigation support including fact development, document collection coordination, discovery support, subpoena management, preservation and information gathering, and liaison work with outside counsel.
• Serve as first point of contact within legal office for staff, divisions, programs, elected and appointed leaders, and governance participants on division legal matters.
• Collaborate across the organization on projects within assigned practice areas and represent legal office on internal committees and work groups.
• Coordinate with outside counsel on assigned matters including litigation, subpoenas, grants, and contracts.
• Support fellow lawyers on special projects and cross-functional legal priorities as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Active member in good standing of the District of Columbia Bar, or eligibility for waiver into D.C.
• Three to five years of progressive legal experience in one or more of the following areas: non-profit, association, governance, contracts lifecycle management, grants (including governmental and private), corporate compliance, and litigation support.
• Familiarity with election law, tax-exempt organization law, and general legal counseling preferred.
• Strong generalist instincts, sound judgment, and ability to address legal issues involving multiple subjects under deadline.
• Comfortable learning new areas of law quickly as business needs arise.
• Exceptional analytic and critical thinking skills.
• Strong interpersonal, negotiating, and collaborative skills.
• Clear, concise communicator, both written and verbal, able to translate complex legal concepts into practical guidance for organizational stakeholders, executive leadership, board members, governance bodies, and volunteer leaders.
• Experience working in a small, fast-paced general counsel’s office.
• Experience providing legal guidance, project planning, compliance, risk assessment, operational approvals, and issue escalation.

Computer Skills

• General fluency with Microsoft Office, remote meeting programs such as Teams and Zoom, contract management systems, project management tools, approved AI tools, and other business, workflow, and collaboration software.
• Ability to adapt quickly to new systems and use technology to organize intake, track matters, summarize issues, prioritize projects, and manage legal workflows.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with federal exempt-organization law for Section 501(c)(3) and Section 501(c)(6) organizations and political action committees applicable to compliance obligations.

Compensation & Benefits

• Remote work and flexible scheduling options (subject to approval).
• 401(k) plan with employer match up to 4%.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance options including outpatient mental health benefits.
• Paid personal/vacation time plus 12 paid holidays.
• Family/Medical Leave.
• Tuition assistance.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Short- and long-term disability insurance.

Location

This is a remote position. Remote work eligibility is subject to approval and excludes employees working from the following states or U.S. territories: Alaska, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, Wyoming.