Corporate Counsel / Senior Corporate Counsel

Korn Ferry has partnered with Church Mutual Insurance Company on a search for a Corporate Counsel / Senior Corporate Counsel, reporting to Assistant General Counsel(s).

The Company

Founded in 1897 and based in Wisconsin, Church Mutual Insurance Company is a specialty property and casualty insurer serving mission driven and community-oriented organizations across the United States. Through Church Mutual Insurance Group, the Company supports a diverse customer base that includes religious institutions, nonprofit and human services organizations, public and private K-12 schools, colleges and universities, camps, sports organizations, outdoor recreation facilities, and other organizations that serve and support their communities.

The Position

This Corporate Counsel / Senior Corporate Counsel is an attractive opportunity for a high-potential attorney who wants to build a long-term in-house career at a specialty insurer with a meaningful mission, strong legal mentorship, broad business exposure, and a clear opportunity to grow over time.

The legal function includes senior attorneys supporting litigation, claims, coverage, corporate/ business unit matters, employment, technology, privacy, commercial contracts, and enterprise initiatives. This new attorney is expected to support multiple senior lawyers, with an initial emphasis on commercial litigation, insurance coverage, first-party extra-contractual litigation, and related claims-adjacent matters, while also gaining exposure to labor and employment counseling and broader corporate advisory work.

The role is designed for a lawyer who can contribute immediately while continuing to learn. Church Mutual is committed to providing training, mentoring, and opportunities to develop across new areas, including employment counseling, technology contracts, privacy, cybersecurity, AI-related questions, and other cross-functional projects. The successful candidate will bring strong legal fundamentals, excellent work ethic, and the ownership mindset required to support a lean, high-performing legal team.

Why this role is compelling

This opportunity offers a combination that is increasingly difficult to find: meaningful legal work, close mentorship from senior in-house lawyers, broad exposure across a sophisticated insurance business, and the ability to grow into a larger role over time.

For the right attorney, the role offers:

• A strong initial platform in commercial litigation, insurance coverage, first-party extracontractual matters, and claims-adjacent legal work.
• The opportunity to gain exposure to employment counseling, commercial contracts, technology agreements, privacy, cybersecurity, AI-related issues, and broader business unit support.
• A legal team that is committed to training, mentoring, and helping the selected candidate develop into a broader in-house lawyer.
• Cross-functional visibility across claims, HR, underwriting, actuarial, IT, compliance, finance, and operations.
• A mission-oriented company serving organizations that play important roles in their communities.
• A long-term career opportunity for a lawyer who wants to grow with the organization rather than treat the role as a short-term stop.

The Candidate

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school required and strong academic credentials preferred.
• Admission to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction required.
• Admission to the State Bar of Wisconsin preferred. Candidates not admitted in Wisconsin must be eligible to register as in-house counsel in Wisconsin.
• Approximately 4 to 10 years of legal experience, ideally with meaningful experience in private practice and/or a sophisticated in-house legal department.
• Prior law firm training strongly preferred, particularly in commercial litigation, insurance coverage, first-party insurance disputes, labor and employment, or other business-facing disputes/advisory work.
• Prior in-house legal experience a plus, whether in insurance or another regulated or operationally complex business, provided the candidate has strong legal fundamentals and a demonstrated ownership mindset.
• Experience handling or supporting litigation matters, including working with business clients, assessing risk, managing deadlines, coordinating with outside counsel, and communicating practical recommendations, is highly attractive.
• Insurance coverage, claims-adjacent litigation, first-party property, extra-contractual litigation, bad faith, or related insurance disputes experience is a plus.
• Employment counseling experience is desirable but not required; Church Mutual is open to training a candidate with strong judgment, communication skills, and interest in supporting HR and business leaders.
• Exposure to commercial contracts, technology agreements, privacy, cybersecurity, AI, or other corporate advisory matters is a plus but not required.

Location: Preference for Merrill / Wausau, Madison or Milwaukee, WI. Hybrid work model with three in-office days per week (Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday).

510794645