Legal Counsel - Employment Law

Job description

This position provides legal advice and guidance to Human Resources to ensure legal risk related to employees is managed.


Impact on the Business
· Provide counsel and legal advice and guidance on employment law issues, which include ADA, FMLA, wage/hour, EEO, corrective action, Title VII, state employment laws, AAP’s, Diversity and HR policies
· Advise to the HR team by ensuring that commercially sensitive, pragmatic and practical legal support and advice is provided in a cost-effective manner.
Customers / Stakeholders
· Provide prompt, commercial, practical legal advice to assigned areas.
· Be pro-active in the provision of legal support and in advising the area/business promptly of material legal developments and their implications.
· Ensure legal management is fully briefed on major issues arising in relevant business area and major legislative changes in area of expertise.
· Liaise with panel law firms and other appropriate external parties as needed.
Leadership & Teamwork
· Maintain and develop positive and professional working relationships with all team members within Legal and assigned departments for which the jobholder is responsible.
· Participate effectively as part of the Legal Team.
· Share legal knowledge and best practices with legal colleagues.
· May manage internal support staff as appropriate.
Operational Effectiveness & Control
· Provide legal services in a cost-effective manner.
· Manage the approach to legal risk within assigned departments, to ensure that the interests of the HSBC Group are adequately protected.
· Assist the business to remain compliant with legal risk management requirements set out in the Group Standards Manual and Legal FIM.
· Awareness of the operational risk scenario associated with the role and to ensure that all actions during employment with HSBC take account of the likelihood of operational risk occurring.
· Leadership over all regulatory and compliance matters and the management of operational risk.
· Complete other responsibilities, as assigned.
Major Challenges
· Ability to prioritize workloads in terms of legal risk and commercial consideration.
· Maintain knowledge of HSBC Group operations and policies.
· Ability to handle tasks with less supervision.
· Enhanced relationship with higher levels of management inspiring confidence of customers/stakeholders.
Role Context
· The jobholder assists the Employment Legal Team and HR on legal matters to manage legal risk across the Lines of Business/Areas in accordance with established policies and procedures. The diversity of HSBC’s business, its geographic spread and the constant changes internally and externally means the diversity of matters which the jobholder is required to manage and advise on is very wide.
· The role requires an understanding of the structure of the HSBC Group and its culture and the ability to handle increasingly complex legal issues
· The jobholder must also establish close mutually supportive working relationships with other members of the Global Legal Function.
· Works under supervision of more senior lawyers, but will work independently on routine matters.
Management of Risk
· Ensure compliance, operational risk controls in accordance with HSBC or regulatory standards and policies; and optimize relations with regulators by addressing any issues.
· The jobholder is responsible for providing legal advice against the backdrop of both the external Legal framework and the internal Group Standards Manual and the Legal FIM. Assists assigned departments to manage legal risks associated with the initiatives they are undertaking.
Observation of Internal Controls
· Maintains HSBC internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators.

Desired profile

Qualifications :

·  Minimum of five years proven and progressive employment law experience.
·  Juris Doctorate degree as well as admission to applicable state Bar and pertinent levels of courts in applicable states.
·  Strong advocacy, negotiation, interpersonal, organizational, legal research and verbal and written communication skills.
·  Ability to quickly apply abstract concepts of law and make quick, innovative decisions to resolve problems.
·  Ability to defend the Company and Group affiliates from claims and advocate their interests while maintaining their reputation for honesty and integrity.
·  Proficiency with personal computers as well as pertinent mainframe systems and software packages.
EEO/AA/Minorities/Women/Disability/Veterans