Career Center

Large non-profit organization seeks lawyer with business, governance, and intellectual property experience. The Associate General Counsel (AGC) has first line responsibility for work in several substantive legal areas, and sufficient experience and skill to function and handle many legal matters that require dealing independently with APA employees, APA Board, Council, APA Divisions, APA Committees, outside legal counsel, outside parties, and courts. The AGC works closely with the Deputy General Counsel (“DGC”) and General Counsel (“GC”) in providing general legal advice to and representation of APA.

A Juris Doctorate from an ABA-accredited law school, and a member in good standing of the District of Columbia Bar or a state bar with ability to waive into DC.  Minimum of 5+ years of experience practicing law in some or all preferred subject areas.

Expertise in intellectual property, academic publishing, contracts, association law, privacy, cybersecurity, and non-profit law preferred. Ability to serve as a generalist and learn new areas of law quickly and as needed highly valued.

Exceptional analytic and critical thinking skills. Strong interpersonal, negotiating, and collaborative skills. Tech savvy. Strong writing and oral communication skills including explaining legal terms and recommending strategies to non-lawyer executive level stakeholders and to Association Board, members of Council of Representatives, Committees, and Divisions.

Must be team player in a small, busy, and highly efficient general counsel’s office. Must be skilled in working with non-lawyer clients from staff and governance in guidance, project planning, compliance implementation, and risk assessments. Prefer candidates who are skilled relationship builders and partners to in-house teams.

RESPONSIBILITY:

Serves as APA’s lead attorney in contract law and risk management for over $75 million in business, including contract and grant obligations through the review and approval of all legal contracts entered into by APA, negotiating and drafting contracts with third parties, drafting and reviewing copyright and trademark licenses and assignments, software service agreements, data exchange agreements, independent contractor agreements, venue agreements, open access contracts, and other publishing contracts. Also serves as APA’s primary attorney on privacy and cybersecurity issues. Additional experience is valued in reviewing and negotiating government and private grants and contracts for funding of APA projects and personnel to assure compliance with governing regulations.

Handles intellectual property matters to protect APA’s trademark and copyright portfolio (including oversight of outside counsel); develops and oversees document retention policies, web policies regarding privacy and terms of use, listserv rules, Sarbanes Oxley compliance (whistleblower and document retention matters); manages contract database, providing advice to APA staff and governance as required; acts as liaison on technology issues.

Handles marketing- and advertising-related legal issues; point person on internet/technology and related legal risk management. Responsible for privacy law, GDPR implementation, and other technology- and privacy-related legal projects.

Works closely with APA Divisions providing legal advice and guidance on corporate and governance issues, including fiduciary duty, limits of authority, conflict of interest, risk management education and orientation, and publications.

Other Duties as Assigned:    

Handles commercial disputes with third parties with whom APA has contracted including litigation, bankruptcy matters, related discovery proceedings, pleadings, either directly or, when matters in these areas are assigned to outside counsel, provides direct supervision and management.

Works with OGC and appropriate APA Divisions, Committees, Directorates, members, and outside professional organizations to develop and implement projects for APA specific to assigned areas of expertise.

Functions in the place of the Deputy General Counsel and General Counsel in their absence.

Serves as Office of General Counsel representative on internal APA committees and working groups as assigned.

Manages outside counsel efficiently and productively in projects and general consultation. Manages costs within the OGC legal budget that are relevant to the AGC’s  subject matter areas.

COMPUTER SKILLS:

General fluency with Microsoft office, remote meeting programs (e.g., Teams, Zoom), contract management, project, and budget management software, and technical ability to adapt to new systems.

Job Location: Remote: APA jobs may be considered for remote work eligibility as defined in APA’s Flexible Work Policy and are subject to approval. Remote work employees may not work from the following states or U.S. territories: Alaska, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, Wyoming.

Application Instructions:

Qualified candidates must apply online through APA’s applicant system and attach a resume and cover letter specifying your salary expectations. Applications that are submitted without both documents are considered incomplete and will not be reviewed for consideration. Once your application is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email. Please make sure to check your Spam folder if you do not receive an email from us.

The American Psychological Association is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected categories covered under local law.