Legal Counsel

Los Angeles, CA, United States

About Us

At The Huntington, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to support and promote the appreciation of the humanities, the arts, and botanical science. The Huntington is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.

The Huntington

Founded in 1919, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is a collections-based research and educational institution open to the public, housing world-class library, art, and botanical collections. Its mission is to support research and promote education in the arts, humanities, and botanical science and to display and interpret its extraordinary resources for diverse audiences.

The Culture

Here we are committed to the highest of standards in all that we do – from preserving and protecting the collections, to exhibitions, educational and scholarly programming, visitor and reader services, and beyond. Achieving excellence across these pursuits requires a diversity of perspectives, expertise, experience, and methodologies. We are better together. We believe an explicit commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion directly impacts and improves staff and audience engagement and experience.

Job Description

About the Role

The Huntington is seeking to hire a dynamic attorney to provide legal services across the organization. This is the first in-house legal role for The Huntington, and the successful candidate will play a crucial role in providing legal guidance across various facets of our organization, consulting on a wide range of legal matters, overseeing a risk management program, and negotiating and drafting agreements.

Legal Counsel will serve as the in-house expert on legal matters affecting the institution, its policies, and its day-to-day operations. Reporting to the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, this position will actively handle a broad range of responsibilities including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements, oversee the risk management program, participate in corporate governance matters, and general legal consultation and support. Legal Counsel will also liaise with external attorneys engaged for matters related to specialized areas including labor, information technology, planned gifts, and major construction contracts.

Essential Duties

Review, draft, and negotiate a variety of contracts related to the institution’s operations, which may include but not limited to art acquisition and loan agreements, artist and commission agreements, donor gift agreements, sponsorship agreements, exhibition agreements (incoming and traveling), real estate leases, building project agreements, event agreements, licensing agreements, rights and royalties, intellectual property, performer and consulting agreements; work closely with internal stakeholders to assure that all such documents meet institutional objectives and protect the Huntington’s interests

Consult and liaise with various outside counsel requiring specialized legal expertise, such as labor, estate gifts, and major construction;

Identify and mitigate legal risks to the organization, recommending appropriate remedies, monitoring compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and suggesting changes, as necessary

Assist in designing, drafting, consulting on, and monitoring institutional policies relating to conflict of interests, employee and human resources matters, collections management, legal and regulatory compliance, ethics, and overall corporate governance

Consult and work closely with internal teams to manage legal agreements for projects and initiatives across the organization

Supervise Risk Manager and oversee annual insurance renewals and institutional insurance coverage and insurance requirements of partnering entities; provide support for the resolution of claims and litigation and respond to requests from regulatory authorities

Manage the Huntington’s overall legal budget, and review and approve invoices for legal services

Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations related to the Huntington’s collections and collecting activities

Maintain familiarity with broad range of laws affecting the institution, including but not limited to tax, intellectual property, contract, employment, insurance, real property, and California nonprofit laws

Other duties as assigned

Experience

Candidate Requirements and Experience

JD from an accredited law school

Admitted to practice in good standing with California State Bar

Minimum 3 to 5 years of relevant experience

Experience working with a museum, cultural institution, or nonprofit organization is a plus

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

Knowledge of a broad range of laws to effectively perform essential job functions

Strong communication skills – oral, written and presentations; including the ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders and others at all levels of the organization

Excellent business and contract negotiation skills

Exceptional contract drafting and review skills

Ability to balance business needs with legal needs and to provide pragmatic advice to internal partners

Ability to conduct legal research

Ability to balance multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively across departments; proactively seek input and timely responses from stakeholders to expedite decisions

Working Conditions

This position is based at The Huntington’s offices in San Marino, CA. Working hours will be 37.5 hours per week. Additional hours may be needed occasionally based on project needs.

Occasional travel, as needed, will be required.

Work is primarily performed in an office environment; prolonged periods of sitting, use of computers and standard office equipment required to accomplish work objectives.

Remote work up to two days per week may be possible.

Compensation & Benefits

We provide competitive compensation, generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees including:

Pay Range: $160,000 - $190,000. Commensurate on experience.

Medical, Dental, Vision

403(b) retirement plan and matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match

Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and holidays

Discounts for staff in The Huntington Store and restaurants

Free admission to various museums and cultural institutions

Free passes each month to welcome family and friends to visit the grounds

The Application Process

Please submit a cover letter and CV/resume as a single PDF attachment.

You will have the opportunity to submit additional documents on the “My Experience” section of the application.

EEO IS THE LAW

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