Professional Responsibility Counsel

Role Overview

• Act as formally designated in-house counsel to the firm; conduct privileged discussions with and advise the firm’s lawyers and business professionals on complex legal ethics and professional responsibility matters, especially conflicts of interest.
• Serve as a primary subject matter expert and advisor on conflicts of interest arising in new business intake and lateral hiring and other contexts, providing guidance to firm lawyers and BIC on matters that require elevated analysis and judgment.
• In conjunction with other lawyers in the Office of the General Counsel, guide, train, and advise BIC leadership and team members— including conflicts analysts and conflict staff attorneys — on how to identify, analyze, and escalate complex conflicts situations; establish and model best practices for conflicts analysis across the department.
• Advise firm lawyers on complex and sensitive engagement situations, including matters involving multiple clients, adverse interests, prospective client issues, former client conflicts, positional conflicts, and other professional responsibility issues.
• Advise on the implementation of conflict resolution mechanisms, including ethical screens and conflict waivers; draft or review waivers and related correspondence as required for complex or sensitive circumstances.
• Assist the firm’s Assistant General Counsel – Client Engagement with the review of outside counsel guidelines and engagement letter terms in connection with the firm's client relationships.
• Advise firm lawyers on privilege, liability, confidentiality, conflicts, supervision, and other issues related to the retention of vendors or third-party service providers for specific client matters; review and negotiate related retainer agreements and engagement arrangements.
• Assist other lawyers in the Office of the General Counsel with review of marketing materials, client alerts, pitch materials, and other client-facing or public-facing firm communications for professional responsibility and risk management issues, including unauthorized practice of law concerns, advertising rule compliance, and other regulatory considerations.
• Collaborate with the Assistant General Counsel – Ethics and other members of the Office of the General Counsel on a broad range of professional responsibility matters.
• Work with others in the Office of the General Counsel to develop and lead conflicts and professional responsibility training programs for lawyers and business professionals across the firm, ensuring that training reflects current rules, case law, and ethics opinions and is tailored to the sophisticated practice environment of a large global law firm.
• Conduct ongoing legal research and monitor developments in legal ethics, professional responsibility rules, and regulatory requirements across jurisdictions; advise the Office of the General Counsel on emerging issues and prepare alerts and educational materials for firm lawyers.
• Assist with drafting correspondence, legal memoranda, and other written analysis related to complex ethics and professional responsibility questions.
• All other duties as assigned or required.

Requirements

• JD; active member in good standing of all applicable bars.
• 6+ years of experience as a practicing attorney, preferably with a large firm or as a lawyer for a state bar regulator or disciplinary committee, with a significant portion of that experience focused on legal ethics, professional responsibility, or risk management.
• Demonstrated experience handling complex conflicts of interest analyses and advising senior lawyers in connection with the rules of professional conduct.
• Experience advising on or negotiating outside counsel guidelines and engagement terms.
• Experience advising on vendor engagement structures, privilege issues, or other risk management matters in a law firm or comparable environment.
• After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications.
• Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required.

Benefits

• Medical
• Health savings account (with applicable medical plan)
• Dental
• Vision
• Health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Life insurance
• AD&D
• Long-term care coverage
• Backup care for children and/or adults
• Other parental support benefits
• Firm-paid life insurance
• Firm-paid AD&D
• Firm-paid LTD
• Firm-paid short term medical benefits
• 21 days of Paid Time Off (“PTO”)
• 10 paid holidays each year
• Generous parental leave and fertility benefits.
• Detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources