Assistant/Associate General Counsel

We seek a litigator to join the team in Ithaca, New York. It is anticipated that the chosen candidate will be an experienced attorney with at least five years of litigation experience. The position will be either an Assistant General Counsel or an Associate General Counsel, and will be filled at the assistant or associate general counsel level depending on qualifications and experience.

The attorney will represent Cornell in litigation in state and federal court, and occasionally in administrative proceedings, assist with supervising and managing outside counsel in select litigation matters, engage in preventative lawyering and investigations, and collaborate with colleagues in other areas of service that the office provides. Candidates should have experience handling a wide variety of litigation tasks, from the initial stages of a case through appeal.

Required Qualifications:

Excellent academic credentials and a J.D. or L.L.B. degree required. Candidates must be a member of, or eligible to obtain prompt reciprocal admission to, the New York State Bar.

Candidates must have a minimum of five years of litigation experience and an exceptional record of relevant legal experience and accomplishment. Candidates being considered for the Asst. General Counsel position should generally have at least 5 years of relevant work experience; candidates being considered for the Assoc. General Counsel position should generally have at least 10 years of relevant work experience.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate well-honed legal research and superior written and oral communication skills, as evidenced by experience drafting briefs and presenting oral arguments in court. Candidates must demonstrate strong multi-tasking skills, the ability to work independently, and a commitment to teamwork in a fast-paced, deadline driven legal office environment.

Demonstrated experience across a broad range of civil litigation matters will be an important criterion in assessing candidates, but we are also seeking someone with experience in employment litigation and with experience in New York state courts.

Preferred:

• Litigation experience on behalf of institutions of higher education, including private universities.
• Litigation experience in New York state courts, including Article 78 proceedings.
• Experience responding to EEOC, OCR, and DHR investigations.
• Experience responding to government and civil subpoenas.
• Experience advising clients on legal and risk mitigation.
• Experience with internal investigations.

Substantive expertise in one or more of the following areas: employment law, including discrimination, reasonable accommodation, and/or civil rights matters; student affairs; contract and vendor disputes; personal injury; intellectual property rights; privacy and data protection; and governmental regulation.