Job Description
The Anixter Legal team is seeking a Counsel with 3-5 years of demonstrated and solid international experience to support its Latin America Division.The successful candidate will be a member of Anixter’s global Legal Department consisting of 10 attorneys located in the US, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The position will report to Anixter’s Sr. Corporate Counsel and Regional Compliance Officer.The Counsel – Latin America will liaise with all levels of management within the organization providing a high level of professional legal support. The position is based at Anixter’s Latin American headquarters in Miami, FL.
Essential/Key Areas of Responsibility
This position will identify, manage and provide advice on legal issues and matters arising from Anixter’s operations in Latin America.The successful candidate will be an in-house generalist, working on a variety of legal matters for Anixter in the region.Responsibilities include, without limitation:
Providing legal advice to Anixter management on a variety of subjects to minimize Anixter’s legal exposure in Latin America, including, but not limited to, advice regarding product distribution and marketing, regulatory compliance, labor and employment, corporate governance, intellectual property, tax, antitrust, import/export and other matters in Latin America.
Working closely with the Contract Managers in Anixter’s Commercial Legal and Contracts Team on the review, negotiation and drafting of documents containing customer and supplier terms and conditions (e.g., distributor agreements with vendors, sales agreement with customers, teaming agreements, non-disclosure agreements, RFQs and RFPs containing terms and conditions, and credit terms and conditions).
Advising on, reviewing, negotiating and drafting contracts on a variety of business matters including, without limitation, service agreements, transportation agreements, consulting or employment agreements, consignment agreements, non-disclosure agreements and real estate lease agreements.
Successfully managing and tracking of regional commercial, collection and labor and employment claims and litigation. Managing the regional claims and litigation docket through our legal matter management system, Sergenti, developing and preparing reports, and working with outside local counsel.
Supporting the Regional Compliance Officer with the roll-out of regional compliance initiatives, conducting training and awareness programs, participate in compliance investigations, analyze trends and recommend program activities, and participate in regional and global compliance committee meetings.
Assisting with the management and monitoring of outside counsel both domestically and internationally, overseeing the intake of outside counsel invoices and assure expenses remain within the defined budget. Developing and implementing reports to monitor outside legal spending. Administering payments through our e-billing system, Serengeti.
Working closely with and supporting Anixter’s Legal, Treasury and Tax Departments on company-wide legal, business and tax initiatives, including, without limitation, M&A and corporate governance matters.
Working closely with and advising Anixter’s Human Resources team in Latin America on a variety of labor and employment issues, including compliance with laws applicable to hiring, paying, disciplining and terminating employees.
Utilizing and managing outside counsel as appropriate to meet the Company’s goals and objectives.
As part of the larger legal team, assisting with the creation, implementation and enhancement of processes, policies and tools (e.g., contract templates, training modules, etc.) that are in place and creating new ones where needed for Anixter’s subsidiaries in Latin America.
Following regional legislation related to Anixter’s activities, such as environmental, distribution, product liability, employment law, litigation trends, etc., and educating management and Anixter’s Executive Team to provide them with a baseline knowledge of legal issues and risks in Latin America.Qualifications.This role requires an experienced corporate attorney with sound legal and business judgment and the following
qualifications:
JD degree from a reputable, accredited law school.
3-5 years of international experience with a law firm or in-house legal department.Experience working as an in-house attorney with aUS multinational company is a plus.
A demonstrated knowledge of Latin America legal and compliance issues.
Excellent organization and analytical skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to communicate legal and compliance issues to clients in a clear and understandable manner.
Demonstrated ability to be proactive, exercise independent judgment, and to manage multiple projects simultaneously with ability to focus on critical priorities with minimum supervision.
Strong work ethic and ability to produce high quality work under deadline pressures.
Ability to quickly understand business objectives of an agreement, identify related issues, and facilitate a risk/benefits analysis.
Specific experience in commercial and contract law. The ideal candidate should have strong drafting and negotiating skills and experience reviewing, negotiating and commenting on commercial contracts.
Adhere to the highest level of professional and ethical behavior.
Enjoys working in an international and multicultural environment.
Superior English and Spanish communication skills, both verbally and in writing.Portuguese fluency is a plus.
Must interact effectively with all levels of internal clients.
Ability to work as a team member and contribute to the overall success of a team as well as work independently and handle multiple tasks.
Experience working with a legal matter management and e-billing system, corporate governance system, and/or a contracts lifecycle management system is highly desired.
Ability to travel domestically and abroad up to 25% as necessary.