Senior Corporate Counsel, Employment and Litigation

General Purpose

PACS is seeking a dynamic, collaborative, and engaged senior-level attorney with significant employment litigation experience who thrives in a high-growth, fast-paced environment. You will support the Employment Practices Legal team by working closely with the team’s leader, Vice President, Corporate Employment Attorney, to build best-in-class in-house litigation processes. You will oversee the team’s litigation-focused efforts and manage, with support from other attorneys and support staff, the company’s large employment litigation portfolio. This role will be an individual contributor role, but will require engagement with other attorneys and support staff in overseeing their litigation work product. This attorney will also assist the team’s leader in identifying trends, data, and risks from the company’s litigation portfolio that will be provided to business leaders and the human resources teams to increase workforce compliance, develop and implement policy, and mitigate and prevent employment litigation risk. This attorney will work with internal leadership as well as cross-functionally with other business leaders in pursuit of the team’s goals to effectively manage litigation, mitigate employment legal risk, and reduce outside counsel spend.

Essential Duties

Employment Litigation & Claims

• Manage and support employment-related claims across the United States, including wage and hour disputes, wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, and PAGA matters

• Mentor and oversee work product of other case managers (including both attorneys and paralegals)

• Coordinate with the business to prepare responses to administrative agency charges (e.g., EEOC, DFEH/CRD, Labor Commissioner)

• Recommend settlement positions to business and draft pre-litigation position statements and settlement agreements based on business authorization

• Partner with HR and internal stakeholders on pre-litigation dispute resolution and risk mitigation

Risk Mitigation & Advisory

• Provide practical legal advice to HR and business teams on employee relations matters as well as employment practices and policies

• Assist in developing and updating employment-related policies, procedures, and training materials

• Identify trends in claims and recommend proactive risk mitigation strategies and partner with leadership in implementing such strategies

• Monitor and advise on developments in federal, state, and local employment laws impacting healthcare and skilled nursing operations.

Outside Counsel & Operations

• Coordinate with outside counsel on employment litigation matters, including managing deadlines, strategy alignment, and staying within litigation budgets

• Support document preservation, litigation holds, and e-discovery processes

• Maintain organized case files and assist with reporting and tracking of claims

• Provide guidance support as needed to team’s Legal Operations specialist

Key Outcomes (12-24 months)

Demonstrate Measurable Reduction in Legal & Employment Risk

• Reduce frequency and severity of employment claims filed against facilities throughout the United States through proactive legal counseling and through support of risk mitigation initiatives set by team leader

• Improve outcomes in wage and hour, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters by driving early and aggressive settlement

• Identify trends through claims data and partnering with team leader on targeted preventative action plans

Enhance Cross-Functional Collaboration & Business Alignment

• Build strong credibility and influence across Legal, HR, Operations, and senior leadership, especially with regard to litigation strategy

• Serve as a strategic contributor on sensitive employee matters, organizational changes, and workforce initiatives

• Support a culture of accountability, compliance, and proactive risk management

Drive Cost Control & Litigation Efficiency

• Improve outside counsel management and reduce unnecessary litigation spend through regular communication with outside counsel and enforcing billing guidelines set by legal team leadership

• Increase efficiency in dispute resolution and settlement strategy

• Implement metrics and reporting that provide leadership visibility into employment litigation trends, costs, and exposure

• Work closely with team’s Legal Operations specialist to develop SOP