General Counsel

About This Role

This General Counsel role is a strategic and commercially minded position, serving as a trusted advisor to the President & CEO, Board of Directors, and executive leadership team. The successful candidate will lead the Legal Department, direct enterprise legal strategy, and oversee the Compliance team, protecting the organization's integrity and reputation while advancing its mission and business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Serve as chief legal counsel and trusted senior advisor to the President & CEO, Board of Directors, executive leadership, and AKC affiliates, providing clear counsel on enterprise strategy, governance, reputation, and emerging risk
• Lead, develop, and manage the Legal department, including legal staff, department operations, budget, external counsel, vendors, service standards, succession of their team, and professional development
• Direct the Compliance team responsible for AKC dog show rules compliance, including Compliance Support, Inspections & Investigations, conducting investigations, Board and committee reporting, and fair, consistent, and timely administration of disciplinary processes
• Participate in Board, committee, Delegate, Audit Committee, Retirement Plans Committee, and Appeals Committee matters as legal advisor
• Oversee litigation, arbitration, subpoenas, governmental inquiries, compliance disciplinary proceedings, Trial Boards, Appeal Trial Boards, and litigation-prevention and claims-reduction strategies
• Direct commercial legal services and contract lifecycle management, including prioritization, drafting, negotiation, review, delegation, technology, and continuous improvement for a high volume of agreements
• Advise on employment law, conflicts of interest, whistleblower matters, ERISA and benefit-plan issues, ADA accommodation requests involving event participants, data privacy, cybersecurity, technology agreements, intellectual property, media, and new ventures
• Oversee AKC and affiliate insurance programs, including liability, property, casualty, workers
• Monitor relevant federal, state, and local legal developments and establish appropriate legal policies, guidance, education, and controls to support compliance with applicable governmental requirements
• Build strong cross-functional relationships and translate complex legal and rule-compliance matters into practical options that balance protection of AKC with mission delivery, business priorities, and stakeholder needs

Requirements

• Executive presence and demonstrated ability to advise a President & CEO, Board of Directors, and senior leadership team on complex and sensitive matters
• Strategic and commercially minded legal judgment, with the ability to balance legal risk, mission, reputation, operational realities, and organizational opportunity
• Demonstrated leadership of attorneys and other legal professionals, including performance management, coaching, workflow prioritization, succession, and talent development
• Experience overseeing operational compliance, investigations, inspections, disciplinary, or rules-enforcement function; ability to ensure fairness, consistency, due process, and timely case administration
• Deep knowledge of corporate governance, commercial and business law, litigation, arbitration, employment law, contracts, insurance, and enterprise risk management
• Ability to interpret and apply bylaws, rules, policies, and procedures and to communicate guidance clearly to Board members, leaders, staff, participants, clubs, judges, and other stakeholders
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, advocacy, presentation, organizational, and written and verbal communication skills
• Experience selecting, directing, and evaluating outside counsel, vendors, legal technology, and department budgets
• High integrity, discretion, sound judgment, independence, collaboration, and commitment to objective and consistent decision-making
• Doctorate or better in Law or related field

Nice to have:

• Extensive knowledge of AKC rules and programs and knowledge of the sport of purebred dogs
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, SharePoint, HighQ, or comparable legal operations and collaboration platforms
• Experience with Not for Profit

Important Details

• Work arrangement: hybrid

About the Company

The American Kennel Club seeks a strategic, commercially minded General Counsel.