General Counsel

ABOUT THE LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ARTOpening in September 2026, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is dedicated to illustrated storytelling.  Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum’s collection features works by artists including Norman Rockwell, Kadir Nelson, Jessie Willcox Smith, N. C. Wyeth, Beatrix Potter, Judith F. Baca, Frida Kahlo, and Maxfield Parrish; as well as comic art legends such as Winsor McCay, Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta, Alison Bechdel, Chris Ware, and R. Crumb; and photographers Gordon Parks, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Dorothea Lange. The Museum also houses the Lucas Archives, containing models, props, concept art, and costumes from Lucas’s filmmaking career.  Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with a landscape by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA, the Museum is in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, on an 11-acre campus that includes new green space and a 300,000-square-foot building with galleries, two theaters, a library, restaurant, café, retail store, and community spaces.   

POSITION SUMMARY 

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art seeks a General Counsel to lead and oversee all legal matters of the Museum. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the General Counsel will serve as an integral member of the organization and a trusted advisor across the Museum.  

The General Counsel will be an experienced attorney responsible for overseeing all of the Museum’s legal issues, including contract negotiations; compliance with exempt organization law; tax, trust and estate matters; intellectual property issues; employee and labor relations employment and labor law matters in close consultation with the Chief People & Culture Officer; business or other strategic agreements; and legal issues related to exhibitions, art acquisitions, dispositions, loans; and other aspects of museum and nonprofit operations.  

The General Counsel will be a strategic partner to the executive team and a critical and creative thinker with strong problem-solving skills, able to devise solutions that support the Museum’s institutional goals, operational needs, and strategic initiatives. This role will provide expert legal advice, consultation, and support to the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, and executive team on all legal matters. 

Responsibilities

Legal Affairs and Risk Management 

• Advise the Board of Directors and Museum leadership on all legal matters impacting the Museum, various ethical issues, risks and industry requirements to inform strategic decisions and ensure compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, and institutional policies 

• Oversee all institutional governance matters, including the conduct of Board and Committee meetings; counsel Directors on their fiduciary obligations and advise on potential conflicts of interest; draft resolutions and other Board documents as needed 

• Oversee the selection, hiring and management of outside legal counsel for institutional strategic needs where specific expertise is needed 

• Manage outside counsel on litigation and other matters 

• Structure, review, draft, support and/or lead the negotiation of general business contracts and agreements, art related contracts, strategic partnerships, and other business agreements 

• Review wills, trusts, and other gift instruments; provide guidance on gift acceptance rules and policies; and advise on fundraising rules and rules related to restricted funds, endowments, and other assets 

• Provide advice and guidance on legal issues related to exhibitions and collections, including the negotiation of exhibition and loan agreements; purchase and gift agreements for the acquisition of artworks; consignment agreements for the sale of artworks; conducting provenance research with the collections departments of the museum to assess and address cultural patrimony rules and repatriation requests; and providing advice and guidance on compliance with relevant U.S. and foreign laws, permitting requirements, and customs regulations relating to importing and exporting artworks