Associate Attorney

Salary Grade

060

Basic Qualifications

• JD required.
• Four to six years of experience in corporate and transactional law practice. Judicial clerkships may count toward years of experience.
• Admission to practice in Massachusetts or readiness to obtain admission to practice within one year.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

Strong research, analytical, and writing skills; ability to manage a high-volume docket and time-sensitive matters; good judgment and ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with others; fluency in contract negotiations with sophisticated counterparties; willingness to devote substantial portion of working time to advising on University programs and activities, researching and analyzing a broad range of legal problems, handling compliance and policy work, and drafting and reviewing various legal documents; ability to manage a variety of legal matters that may arise at a large research university in addition to corporate and transactional matters; ability to provide legal advice on a timely basis, sometimes based on limited information and precedent; ability to adapt existing approaches to novel issues.

The successful candidate will join a 17-lawyer office handling a wide range of legal and policy issues for Harvard University.

Additional Information

Harvard University regrets that it cannot provide Visa Sponsorship for this position.

Position Description

In particular, the Associate Attorneys duties include:

• Providing legal advice/counsel on corporate law, business and transactional matters, intellectual property, tax, and other areas of law relevant to the Universitys mission and operations (e.g., data privacy and security, copyright infringement, compliance, charitable organizations, University governance, research administration), at times under tight deadlines.
• Structuring, drafting, negotiating and/or approving legal contracts, letters of agreement, policies, and other documents.
• Representing the University in contract negotiations with foreign and domestic counterparties and before government agencies or other legal authorities.
• Supervising outside counsel in handling transactional matters and negotiations in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
• Providing advice to University clients regarding legal risks and implications of communication strategies with media.
• Liaising between internal clients and external legal counsel on complex legal matters as necessary.
• Researching, analyzing, and interpreting proposed and existing laws, statutes, and regulations.
• Identifying, evaluating, and addressing issues of legal risk, including with respect to emerging legal areas and novel or unusual factual situations.

EEO Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Job Summary

The Associate Attorney position is primarily responsible for providing legal counsel directly to University clients on a wide range of matters related to corporate, transactional, governance and regulatory issues. The successful candidate will handle contract negotiations with sophisticated counterparties independently, advise on research compliance and regulatory matters, interact with governmental agencies, provide research on a broad range of legal topics, and partner with other OGC lawyers on a variety of legal matters. The successful candidate will join a 17-lawyer office handling a wide range of legal and policy issues for Harvard University.

This is a fully benefited, full-time Harvard University position that has been funded for one year, with an expectations of two one-year renewals, contingent on funding, university priorities and satisfactory job performance.

About Us

Harvard Universitys Office of the General Counsel is responsible for all legal work in furtherance of Harvards teaching and research mission. The Office strives to render timely and thoughtful advice on the broad range of legal issues that Harvard leadership, administrators, and faculty confront in their work on behalf of the University. The Office is organized on the model of a small law firm, comprising attorneys with experience in private practice, higher education, and government, who are both generalists capable of handling a wide variety of legal matters and specialists with expertise in key areas. The Office embraces a team culture, collaborating and consulting with their colleagues and with outside counsel as appropriate.