Texas Lawyer Recruiting & Attorney Search : Courtney Sapire : Texas Lawyer Jobs

Global energy company seeks an executive-level attorney with strong energy project development experience for the role of Vice President and Assistant General Counsel. This position reports to the Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of the parent company and also to the President & CEO of one of its divisions.

The Vice President and Assistant General Counsel is responsible for providing legal counsel to the parent company and its subsidiaries in connection with complex energy-related transactional, project development, asset management and finance matters, with emphasis on wind, biomass and other renewable energy sources. The position will also be responsible for assisting the company on compliance issues, including local, state and federal regulatory requirements and overall compliance with national, state and/or local laws and regulations in North America.

Specific responsibilities include:

- Developing and executing comprehensive legal strategies and solutions to lawfully facilitate the parent company's and its subsidiaries' commercial objectives while mitigating any associated legal risks

- Providing legal advice and support to the renewable energy business unit, in connection with complex energy-related project development, asset management and finance agreements, and ensuring compliance with national, state and/or local laws and regulations in North America

- Advising on North American national, state and local regulations and requirements, with an emphasis on renewable energy

- Assisting with managing litigation, administrative proceedings and policy matters with an emphasis on matters involving the renewable energy unit

- Providing support to the parent company legal function generally in matters not involving renewable energy, including gas, power and LNG matters

In addition to a great work environment with a strong leadership team, the company offers an attractive compensation package that includes both short and long-term incentives, as well as an annual perquisite allowance.

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Global company headquartered in Houston seeks an executive-level attorney for the role of Associate General Counsel - Commercial. This officer-level position reports to the Senior Vice President and General Counsel and leads a team of three attorneys.

The Associate General Counsel heads the Commercial Section of the Law Department, which is responsible for day-to-day legal advice on business matters for the company's various operating divisions, functional departments and international operations. The AGC functions as a quasi-general counsel for one or more operating divisions with direct responsibility for assisting the applicable division executives and staff. In that capacity, the AGC manages all aspects of that division's legal needs, excluding IP, labor & employment, tax, environmental and litigation, all of which are handled by other attorneys at the company.

The Commercial Section has primary responsibility for providing legal support for issues related to commercial contracts, supplier relationships, distribution/rep relations & termination, FTC regulations, IT licenses and agreements, real estate, secured transactions, UCC, etc. 

Ideal experience would include a strong finance or accounting background and familiarity with corporate compliance, including customs, export control, anti-boycott and other international trade issues, FCPA, and government contracting.

This position will be a key part of the management of the law department and will drive certain law department initiatives, including the establishment of law department policies and developing corporate-wide compliance assurance.

Compensation:

The company is offering an outstanding compensation package for this role that includes cash and equity.

Required Experience: 

•             15+ years of experience, including prior law department management experience 

•             Strong commercial transactions and international experience

•             Strong finance or accounting background

•             Proven ability to work as part of a cross-functional team in overall project management, including the ability to work within established corporate risk tolerance levels.

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As you gain experience in your legal career, you’re likely to be contacted by a legal recruiter at some point.   Here are tips on building and managing strong relationships with them:

Know what you want. Offer yourself as a candidate only if you’re serious about making a change. Headhunters don’t like “tire-kickers.”  Legal recruiters are engaged by their clients to find qualified and motivated candidates.  

Be available. Once you’ve agreed to submit your resume for a particular position, make yourself available for interviews.   Although it’s time-consuming, being too difficult to schedule potentially sends a message to a prospective employer that you’re not interested in the position.

Is everyone on board? Be sure to discuss career moves with family members who would be impacted by a change, or whose voices count in your decision-making process.   Don’t get to the offer stage before you discuss relocating with your spouse.

Disclosure. If you have submitted your resume to other firms or companies, and by all means, if you are currently interviewing for a different position than the one for which you’ve been contacted, disclose this information up front.   No one likes surprises, especially the firm or company that’s about to make you an offer. 

Stay in touch. Check in with legal recruiters about once every two weeks to stay on the radar screen, and especially if you have a status change.

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Large Houston company seeks a 4-8 year tax attorney to join its legal department. This company offers a fantastic tax team and work environment, along with competitive compensation packages and outstanding benefits. 

This role is responsible for the company’s domestic and international taxes, and will counsel business segments to ensure compliance and optimize the company’s tax position. Assignments will evolve over time for staff development and to manage workloads on the regional team in Houston. This position is based in Houston and will require some U.S. and international business travel.   

Requirements:

•             Expertise in US and international taxation

•             L.L.M. or CPA a plus

•             Excellent research and analytical skills

•             Strong leadership skills and the ability to interact effectively with senior tax management and external professionals

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In a recent survey on the effects of associate salary increases conducted by Altman Weil Inc., companies are feeling the ripple effects.  In addition to restrictions on the extent to which junior associates can work on files, these increases are having an impact on corporate law department recruiting and hiring. 

Attracting and landing qualified candidates is getting harder.   In the past, non-executive level lawyers usually took a decrease in salary of approximately 20% when moving from a law firm to a corporate legal department.   That percentage has jumped to about 30% - 35% now, which has caused some associates to think twice about leaving. 

Corporate human resources departments are also feeling the pressure.   As outside counsel rates climb, many GCs are bringing more work in-house, as Law.com reports (see, “General Counsel Keep Close Watch on Associate Pay Hikes,” July 12, 2007). And more work in-house means legal hiring managers are leaning on HR to make budget adjustments in order to attract top lawyers.   Hiring a new lawyer at a higher base salary than those at comparable experience levels often necessitates across-the-board adjustments. So, the ultimate beneficiaries of associate raises may end up being the lawyers who are already practicing in corporate departments.

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Large energy company seeks 8+ year attorney with strong project development experience.  The company offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, significant opportunities for career growth, and a fantastic legal team.

This role will focus on the development and construction of domestic power projects including: engineering, procurement and construction, site purchase, leasing, easements, permitting, power purchase agreements, fuel supply, responding to RFPs, O&M agreements and issues, transportation, interconnection, insurance/risk management issues, issues arising during and after construction, familiarity with credit/debt agreements and compliance, joint venture/ownership/management issues, equity/asset divestitures, acquisitions, and outside counsel management.

Requirements include:

• 8+ years of experience in either private practice or within a corporate legal department
• Experience as lead counsel on projects and willingness to assist on associated projects
• Energy industry experience would be ideal.

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Large Houston company seeks an 8+ year tax attorney to join its top-caliber legal team.  The company offers competitive compensation and outstanding benefits, along with significant growth opportunities. 

This role has primary responsibility for the company's domestic employment and expatriate taxes, and will counsel all business segments in the Americas and ensure that the company is in compliance with all employment tax payment and reporting obligations.  This position will supervise a team of three and will have responsibility for providing advice and guidance on fringe benefits, expense reimbursement programs and the sourcing of compensation.  The position has responsibility to ensure corporate and individual compliance with U.S., regional and global tax rules and regulations with respect to the taxation of expatriate employees and employment tax issues.  The position is based in Houston and will require some U.S. and international business travel. 

Requirements:

• Expertise in U.S. and international taxation of expatriate employees
• Extensive knowledge of U.S. Internal Revenue Code Section 911 and the foreign tax credit provisions of U.S. tax
• Knowledge of U.S. income tax treaties and social security totalization agreements
• 8+ years of broad employment and expatriate tax experience required
• LL.M. or CPA a plus
• Excellent research and analysis skills
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to interact effectively with senior tax management and external professionals

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Large company in Houston seeks three, 4+ year transactions attorneys to join its legal department.  The company offers significant growth opportunities on both the legal and business sides, as well as an excellent compensation and benefits package.

The roles support two of the company's largest business units and involve counseling management and employees regarding general domestic and international transactional matters, negotiating and drafting sales and other commercial contracts, and providing support on other strategic projects.

Other responsibilities include:

• Developing legal training programs and systems to streamline the delivery of routine legal services
• Advising managers, executives and other clients regarding general commercial issues
• Drafting and negotiating contracts
• Developing and implementing legal and compliance training programs for assigned business areas

Ideal experience includes:

• Private practice experience in corporate law and exposure to routine as well as large transactions
• Experience advising management-level clients on complex commercial matters and prudent legal practices
• Familiarity with certain compliance issues, including FCPA, antitrust and international trade
• Exposure to general business issues relating to international operations and general exposure to corporate governance practices

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Houston company seeks a 2+ year energy trading lawyer to join an outstanding legal team.  The company offers excellent benefits, an attractive compensation package, and significant internal growth opportunities.

Responsibilities include:

• Negotiating energy commodity contracts including power, natural gas, coal, emissions and fuel oil, including but not limited to EEI, ISDA, NAESB, PPAs, RFPs, confirmations, origination transactions, complex energy transactions and other agreements necessary to support the generation unit.
• Providing support to other departmental attorneys, as well as contract attorneys, and will provide opinions and guidance to the commercial group.

Requirements:

• 2-7 years experience in a corporate legal department and/or law firm with a heavy emphasis on drafting and negotiating contracts
• General understanding of the laws and regulations applicable to energy trading markets
• Experience in a merchant energy company or energy trading company, or experience in energy, corporate and/or commercial transactions is ideal.
• Working knowledge of financial, market and credit risk issues and extensive experience with all relevant documentation is also ideal.

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Dallas energy company seeks a 4+ year attorney with experience in energy regulatory matters.  The company offers a vibrant work environment, significant opportunities for career growth, and an outstanding legal team.  The compensation package is attractive and the benefits are excellent.

Responsibilities include providing legal counsel, risk analysis and support to the company on a variety of legal matters, with a heavy emphasis on supporting regulatory compliance, as well as other commercial activities.

Requirements include prior energy regulatory experience and a working knowledge of PUC regulations.

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Top attorney candidates often have multiple job offers to choose from, especially in a tight legal job market. How do you maximize your chances of recruiting these lawyers to join your legal team?

1.      Quick Contact.   Let a candidate know you’re interested quickly. If several days go by following the submission of the resume, candidates assume there’s no interest and move on.  

2.      Scheduling.   After you’ve decided that a candidate is interview-worthy, scheduling an interview quickly demonstrates your interest level.

3.      Communication.   Prior to the interview, send a written job description and a list of the people with whom the candidate is scheduled to meet. Ideally, that list should contain a brief bio for each interviewer to give the candidate valuable information about the people on the team.

4.      Feedback.  Candidates have taken time off to come to your office for interviews. They want to know how the meeting went and whether they’ll be advancing to the next step.   If you’re on the fence about moving forward, just make a call to let them know you’re still in the evaluation process. It’s the thought that counts.

5.      Branding. Every communication with a candidate brands your company. Difficulties with scheduling, last-minute interview changes, changes to the job description and delays in feedback following interviews not only risk losing strong candidates to other jobs, but may suggest to outsiders that things are a little crazy or disorganized on the inside.   At worst, candidates may get a negative impression of how the company values people.    

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Not long ago, in-house counsel positions were highly coveted and in far greater demand than supply. With recent consolidation trends, new law firm associate salary raises, and the often large compensation disparities between law firm partners and in-house counsel, deciding whether to accept that in-house offer requires due diligence. 

Preliminary Research

Learn as much about the company as you can. Good sources of publicly available materials include Hoover’s, Yahoo Finance, Google Finance, and of course, the company’s website. Search the Internet for company news items from the past year and read the analysts’ reports.  Finally, use your own network of personal contacts – do you know any former in-house lawyers from the company, or lawyers who might have worked on an outside counsel basis for this company?

Ask Good Questions

Part of your research involves asking good interview questions (see my post of August 2, 2007 on good interview questions).

Law Department Profiles

How long has the General Counsel been in the role? If approaching retirement, what’s the succession plan? Do you like, respect and want to work for this person?

Get information about members of the legal department. Simply knowing experience levels, titles and practice areas can be useful. 

No amount of research, insightful questions and diligence can reveal every potential problem, but you’ll hopefully have a better feel for the department and the company before you take the job.

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In a job interview, the interviewer is usually doing most of the listening.  However, at the close of almost every interview, candidates are given an opportunity to ask questions.  Asking insightful questions is not only a chance to let the interviewer know you've prepared for the meeting, but also a great opportunity to distinguish yourself.   Examples of some good interview questions include:

• What are the company’s strengths and how do you capitalize on them?
• What are the company’s weaknesses and how are you dealing with them?
• What changes to you anticipate in the industry?
• What risks will the company face due to industry changes?
• What are the best opportunities at your firm for new hires?
• How have you strategically responded to the competition?
• What legislation is pending that would affect operations?
• Where will be the major sources of business in the next 5 years?
• How is legal department performance measured and reviewed?
• What is the company’s management style?
• What challenges does the company face?
• What are the common denominator traits of top performers in this organization?
• Why have people left the company?
• Why have people stayed with the company?
• If you hire me, what are the 3 most pressing issues you need resolved?

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Large energy company located in Houston seeks a 5+ year transactions lawyer to provide operational support for one of its divisions. The role provides a great career platform at a company with a history of promoting internally. In addition, the salary is competitive and the company offers a generous short and long-term incentive plan.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing transactional and regulatory support for new product development and new market entry.
• Handling transactions related to energy commodities and services.
• Providing operational support in connection with billing, customer support and with automating documentation processes.
• Managing outside vendors, outside counsel and contract compliance.
• Managing litigation relating to energy commodities and services.

A prior in-house background is a plus. Also, candidates with a solid understanding of energy markets are preferred.

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For an industry that runs on natural resources, it’s the human component that is becoming its newest challenge. The energy sector of the economy is more active than at any other time in the last 20 years. However, the industry has not only failed to attract new graduates, but it has lost seasoned professionals. 

Despite periodic spectacular earnings over the last 20 years, the oil and gas attorney workforce has been declining steadily for almost 20 years. The industry slump of the 1980’s was unusually severe and left long-lasting scars. Moreover, the “dirty industry” image has not done much in the past to attract people to the profession. Many recall the oil-soaked birds and dead otters on the beach following the Exxon-Valdez spill. Others simply viewed the industry as a slow-growth, old economy behemoth. 

Like other oil and gas professionals, lawyers left the industry for less cyclical sectors of the economy. However, unlike other industries affected by the economic downturn, the energy industry recovery did not bring these professionals back, nor were they replaced with new talent.  And the high tech boom of the late 1990’s provided refuge for the best and brightest. 

Adding to the problem, the average age in the oil and gas industry workforce is 49 – among the oldest of any sector in the U.S. economy. According to Martindale Hubbell, 85% of the lawyers who specialize in oil and gas law have more than 10 years of experience. In addition, a Labor Department study found that more than 65% of workers in the oil and gas industry are between the ages of 35 and 54, while only a “small” percentage are in their twenties. 

With the retirement wave approaching and global demand at record levels, energy industry legal departments are headed for a human resource crisis.  

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Our client, a large energy company located in Houston, seeks a 7+ year transactions lawyer to provide operational support for one of its divisions. The role provides a great career platform at a company with a history of promoting internally. In addition, the salary is competitive and the company offers a generous short and long-term incentive plan.

The position reports to the Vice President and General Counsel for the division.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing transactional and regulatory support for new product development and new market entry.
• Handling transactions related to energy commodities and services.
• Providing operational support in connection with billing, customer support and with automating documentation processes.
• Managing outside vendors and contract compliance.
• Managing litigation relating to energy commodities and services.

Desired experience includes:

• Prior in-house energy industry background.
• Solid understanding of energy markets; particularly electric power and natural gas.

Local residents strongly preferred.  For more information about this opportunity, please contact Courtney Sapire.

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Large Texas energy company is looking for attorneys with experience natural gas regulations and midstream transactions. The company has several Texas offices and the location of the position is open for discussion.  The role involves regulatory work and handling transactions relating to gas gathering, processing, transportation and storage.  

This is a business growth position resulting from the company's expansion of operations. It is an entrepreneurial, fast-paced, deal-driven environment and offers a great career platform with significant upside opportunity and a chance to work closely with the executive leadership team. Ideal experience includes natural gas regulations, midstream transactions, and familiarity with the pipeline industry.   

For more information, please contact Courtney Sapire.

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