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Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Hybrid
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Job Description
Position Title: Associate General Counsel – Litigation & HSE
Position Summary
The Company is seeking an experienced, business-oriented Associate General Counsel – Litigation & HSE to manage complex litigation, regulatory disputes, pre-litigation matters, and HSE/environmental legal matters across the Company’s operations. This senior role will provide strategic, risk-based advice to business and legal stakeholders, oversee outside counsel, and help protect the Company’s commercial, operational, governance, environmental, and reputational interests.
What You Will Do
Key Responsibilities
Manage a portfolio of complex civil litigation, arbitration, regulatory, administrative, and pre-litigation matters involving the Company and its subsidiaries or affiliates.
Develop and execute litigation strategies that align with the Company’s legal, business, operational, and reputational objectives.
Handle commercial disputes, contract claims, business torts, regulatory matters, environmental and natural resources-related disputes, energy sector litigation, HSE matters, corporate governance disputes, and other matters relevant to the Company’s business.
Supervise and manage outside counsel, including counsel selection, case strategy, budgets, work product, and matter performance.
Provide practical, risk-based advice to internal business clients on litigation exposure, dispute avoidance, settlement strategy, contractual risk allocation, HSE/environmental risk, regulatory risk, and related business considerations.
Lead pre-litigation dispute resolution efforts, including demand letters, negotiations, mediation, fact development, and early case assessment.
Partner with internal stakeholders to identify, assess, and mitigate litigation, commercial, HSE, environmental, and regulatory risks arising from operations, transactions, compliance issues, and strategic initiatives.
Support corporate governance and compliance matters as needed, including disputes involving boards, officers, subsidiaries, governance processes, investigations, internal controls, and HSE or environmental compliance issues.
Manage litigation holds, document preservation, e-discovery, data collection, document review, privilege issues, and coordination with IT, records management, compliance, and business teams.
Oversee responses to subpoenas, third-party discovery requests, government inquiries, regulatory requests, and other compulsory legal processes.
Conduct and support internal investigations related to litigation, regulatory, HSE, environmental, compliance, employment, commercial, operational, or governance matters.
Prepare and review key litigation materials, including pleadings, briefs, motions, settlement agreements, position statements, witness outlines, and board or executive-level updates.
Advise on settlement authority, litigation reserves, case valuation, insurance coverage, remediation obligations, and other financial or operational implications of disputes.
Monitor relevant legal, HSE, environmental, and regulatory developments and support legal department initiatives, including process improvements, outside counsel management, compliance enhancements, and dispute-related training.
What You Will Bring
Required Qualifications
Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
Active license to practice law and good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
Minimum of 10 years of litigation experience, gained in a law firm, in-house legal department, government agency, or a combination of these environments.
Significant experience managing complex civil litigation, commercial disputes, regulatory matters, arbitration, administrative proceedings, investigations, or other high-stakes adversarial matters.
Demonstrated ability to develop litigation strategy, supervise outside counsel, assess risk, and advise senior legal and business stakeholders.
Strong understanding of litigation procedures, discovery obligations, privilege, evidence preservation, settlement strategy, and dispute resolution processes.
Subject matter expertise relevant to the Company’s business, such as commercial litigation, regulatory enforcement, energy and natural resources, environmental disputes, HSE compliance, infrastructure, corporate governance, compliance, or other industry-related litigation.
Excellent legal research, writing, analytical, communication, and negotiation skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex matters independently.
It’d be great if you also have:
Preferred Qualifications
Prior in-house litigation experience within a corporate legal department.
Litigation experience in the energy, utilities, infrastructure, mining, natural resources, environmental, manufacturing, or other heavily regulated sectors.
Experience handling disputes involving federal, state, or local regulatory agencies.
Experience with environmental, permitting, land use, operational, safety, incident response, remediation, or regulatory matters affecting energy or natural resources businesses.
Experience advising on corporate governance, board-related matters, internal investigations, compliance programs, or enterprise risk management.
Experience managing large-scale e-discovery, litigation holds, outside counsel budgets, alternative fee arrangements, litigation reporting, or matter management systems.
Trial, arbitration, mediation, deposition, or significant motion practice experience.
Licensed to practice law in at least one US jurisdiction.
Skills & Competencies
Litigation Strategy: Ability to develop and execute strategies that balance legal risk, business objectives, cost, timing, precedent, and reputation.
Business Acumen: Strong understanding of how disputes, HSE matters, and environmental issues affect operations, commercial relationships, regulatory posture, and enterprise risk.
Sound Judgment: Ability to make practical, risk-based recommendations in complex, uncertain, or time-sensitive situations.
Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex legal issues clearly to legal, executive, and business audiences.
Leadership and Matter Management: Ability to manage a significant litigation portfolio, supervise outside counsel, coordinate stakeholders, and drive matters to resolution.
Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with legal colleagues, business teams, HSE professionals, compliance, finance, risk management, operations, and senior leadership.
E-Discovery and Information Governance: Strong understanding of litigation holds, preservation, collection, review, production, privilege, and e-discovery workflows.
Professionalism and Integrity: Highest standards of ethics, discretion, confidentiality, and professional responsibility, including when handling sensitive incidents, investigations, and regulatory matters.
Reporting Structure
This position reports to the VP, Deputy General Counsel, M&A, Litigation, and Joint Ventures and works closely with the legal department, compliance team, business leadership and professionals, HSE professionals, and outside counsel.
Location & Work Arrangement
This position is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and will follow the Company’s applicable office, hybrid, or flexible work policies.
Benefits of Joining Albemarle
Competitive compensation
Comprehensive benefits package
A diverse array of resources to support you professionally and personally.
We are partners to one another in pioneering new ways to be better for ourselves, our teams, and our communities. When you join Albemarle, you become our most essential element and you can anticipate competitive compensation, a comprehensive benefits package, and resources that foster your well-being and fuel your personal growth. Help us shape the future, build with purpose and grow together.
