Labor & Employment Senior Associate Attorney or Counsel

Location(s): Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; New York, New York; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.

Direct Counsel is seeking a Senior Associate Attorney or Counsel with at least 7 years of relevant labor and employment experience to join an Am Law 100 firm's nationally recognized Labor & Employment practice. This opportunity focuses on sophisticated employment counseling at the intersection of executive mobility, corporate transactions, and private equity. The attorney will advise corporate clients and private equity sponsors on employment matters arising from acquisitions, divestitures, leadership transitions, restrictive covenant disputes, and post-closing integration.

This is a national search, with a focus on the markets listed below. Litigators with relevant employment experience who are interested in transitioning into a counseling-focused practice are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Counsel clients on workplace policies, employment compliance, employee relations, and HR matters, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage-and-hour issues.

• Advise employers on restrictive covenants, wage misclassification, and the drafting and enforceability of non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements.

• Lead employment-related due diligence for corporate and private equity transactions, identifying material legal and business risks and developing practical mitigation strategies.

• Manage complex employment matters and transactional workstreams, coordinate with deal teams, and deliver timely, client-ready work product.

• Advise senior executives and corporate leadership on sensitive personnel matters, leadership transitions, and governance issues.

• Supervise, mentor, and support the professional development of junior attorneys.

• Collaborate with corporate, private equity, healthcare, and M&A teams on strategic employment matters.

Qualifications

• At least 7 years of relevant legal experience, including substantial experience in labor and employment counseling, employment-related transactional matters, or other sophisticated employment law matters.

• Experience advising clients on employment issues such as discrimination, wage-and-hour matters, workplace policies, compliance, employee relations, and HR matters.

• Experience with government agency audits or investigations, including DOL and EEOC matters.

• Knowledge of restrictive covenants and wage misclassification issues.

• Experience advising on employment matters arising from mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and post-closing integration strongly preferred.

• Background in injunction or restrictive covenant litigation valued; collective action experience helpful but not required.

• Strong analytical, communication, organizational, and issue-spotting skills.

• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, supervise junior attorneys, and deliver high-quality work under tight deadlines.

• Ability to build trusted relationships with senior business leaders, HR professionals, and in-house counsel.

• Excellent academic credentials and admission to practice in the jurisdiction of the office to which you are applying.

• Interest in leveraging innovative legal technology, including AI-powered research and drafting platforms.

Compensation

Competitive salary, hours and merit bonus opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package.