It started with an idea and a small handful of passionate believers. We’ve grown a bit since our early days, but our playful dream-big, anything-is-possible mentality has stayed the same. Today, Kate Spade & Company is a global multichannel lifestyle company. We also operate the Adelington Design Group, a private brand jewelry design and development division. Our collections span demographics, genders and geographies but our core is consistent and pure. We design to accent our customer’s interesting life and aim to inspire adventure at each new turn.
The Senior Counsel - Real Estate/Employment will deliver highly proficient, cost-effective, and timely legal services to the company on a variety of global real estate-related legal matters, including but not limited to: lease negotiations, landlord/tenant issues, real estate litigation, design and construction issues, as well as manage a diverse and challenging array of labor and employment matters in support of the company’s 5,000+ Associates. This position works closely with the General Counsel, other members of the legal organization, as well as outside counsel and will have exposure to the leadership team.
Responsibilities:
This role will interact with cross-functional team members and executive level management regarding real estate activities and employee relations matters. This individual must be a business-oriented legal professional with strong business acumen, as well as operational grounding and capable of managing a team across disciplines as needed to support the business. As such, the individual must collaborate across the organization and be able to quickly grasp the industry and the challenges within the national and global markets that Kate Spade & Company operates.
For Real Estate matters, the candidate will provide legal advice and support for real estate transactions on a global basis, including developing leasing strategies to best align with the Company’s long term goals. Such responsibilities will include, for example, reviewing, drafting and negotiating lease and lease related agreements(including letters of intent, subleases, lease terminations, renewals, lease amendments and assignments and other ancillary documents), brokerage agreements, purchase and sale contracts, and general legal advice regarding new real estate development issues in the following areas: lease interpretation, design and construction, ADA, insurance, environmental liability issues, and actively manage paralegals, outside counsel, deal processes, lease executions, closings, real estate litigation matters and all legal aspects of the lease administration process. Additional responsibilities will include providing strategic advice and counsel in connection with various functions and departments throughout the company, including Mergers & Acquisitions, Asset Optimization, Real Estate, Construction, Risk Management, Safety, Tax and Store Operations, with a view towards focusing on new store development, administering the existing Real Estate portfolio and Real Estate divestiture,when necessary.
For Employment matters, the candidate will to effectively partner with the Company’s Human Resources Department to manage employment issues and create internal best practices on managing employee relations matters, oversee the work of outside counsel on employee relations cases, and advise on external agency cases and litigation as well as internal employee relations investigations. Additionally, the candidate will manage federal and state litigation, administrative proceedings and arbitrations involving employment law matters, including management of outside counsel, risk assessment, oversight of case discovery and case resolution and lead on-going training of management on employee relations best practices, investigation techniques and compliance, all in partnership with the Company’s Human Resources and related Departments.
The candidate will also handle certain corporate generalist legal matters including the review, negotiation, and preparation of various commercial contracts, as well as to structure, negotiate, and document complex corporate transactions.
Qualifications:
BS and JD with admittance to the NYS Bar
Excellent academic credentials, including a JD from a highly respected law school, with 5+ years of post-JD experience, ideally including training in a law firm, combined with in-house experience
Sophisticated real estate transactional and contracts experience with an emphasis on negotiating retail lease agreements and preparing related documents, and real estate litigation
Broad experience in employment law related issues, including managing employment related litigation matters.
Good knowledge and understanding of general commercial law
A passionate, natural motivator and team builder who embraces the responsibility of leadership
Ability to work with cross-functional teams and field personnel
Strong organizational skills to prioritize and manage multiple time-sensitive projects simultaneously with high level of attention to detail and accuracy
Ability to listen and understand the needs of the business, integrate legal and business issues, and partner with business leaders.Proven ability to manage outside counsel on complex matters
Excellent interpersonal skills that facilitate prompt and constructive solutions
Must be flexible and able to handle logistics with respect to how cases are handled
A practical, business-based approach to problem solving
Retail/Apparel industry experience is a plus
Compensation and title commensurate with experience
Additional Attributes:
Ability to build and maintain strong rapport with the: Chief Executive Officer; President; Real Estate and Store Design team; Human Resources team; Legal team; and the Executive Leadership team
Action-oriented and problem solving; an individual accustomed to diving into the details of a business
Ability to work in a fast paced environment while maintaining mental toughness/agility and self-confidence and has the courage of his/her convictions
Commercially-minded, but with focused attention on risk and compliance matters
A highly effective negotiator with excellent oral and written communication skills, including strong presentation skills
Competitive, determined, and creative
A proven leader, demonstrating integrity, professionalism and trustworthiness; able to garner trust, and confidence from others and able to obtain their respect
Exceptional work ethic and self-directed, with a proactive and engaging approach to working with functional and operational leaders, ensuring that business (including legal risks) are responsibly addressed
Well organized; capable of executing multiple initiatives simultaneously while consistently focusing on getting things done - results oriented