General Counsel (First Legal Hire) - Global Business

Location: Minneapolis, MN (Remote candidates with relevant experience may be considered)

Company Overview

Our client is a private equity-backed global business operating across multiple international markets. Following a significant carve-out and ownership transition, the company is building its legal function and seeking its first General Counsel.

This is a unique opportunity for a commercially minded legal leader to partner closely with the CEO, executive leadership team, Board of Directors, and ownership stakeholders while helping shape the future of the organization during a critical stage of growth and transformation.

Position Overview

The General Counsel will serve as the company's senior legal leader and a trusted advisor to the CEO on the organization's most important strategic, commercial, governance, and operational matters.

As the company's first legal executive, this individual will be responsible for building and scaling the legal function, establishing governance and compliance frameworks, overseeing outside counsel, supporting business growth, and managing a broad range of commercial and corporate legal matters.

This is a highly visible leadership opportunity offering direct partnership with the CEO, meaningful interaction with the Board of Directors and ownership group, and the chance to build a legal department from the ground up. The successful candidate will be comfortable balancing strategic leadership with hands-on execution while supporting a complex global business operating across multiple jurisdictions.

The ideal candidate will have 7-10+ years of legal experience and a strong background in commercial contracting, corporate governance, and business partnership, along with experience supporting carve-outs, divestitures, joint ventures, business separations, integrations, or other transformational corporate transactions.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership & Strategic Advisory

• Partner closely with the CEO as a trusted advisor on corporate strategy, business growth initiatives, risk management, and key operational decisions.
• Serve as a member of the executive leadership team and provide practical, business-oriented legal guidance across the organization.
• Advise senior leadership, ownership, and the Board of Directors on strategic, commercial, governance, compliance, employment, and corporate matters.
• Support high-impact corporate initiatives, business transformations, and strategic transactions.
• Help shape the long-term legal, governance, and risk management strategy of the company.

Corporate Governance & Board Support

• Serve as Corporate Secretary and oversee board governance activities.
• Manage board meetings, resolutions, minutes, and corporate records.
• Support shareholder communications and governance requirements.
• Oversee entity management and corporate compliance across multiple jurisdictions.

Commercial Transactions

• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including customer, vendor, procurement, technology, licensing, and strategic partnership agreements.
• Develop scalable contracting processes, templates, and legal workflows.
• Advise business leaders on commercial negotiations, contract strategy, and risk allocation.
• Support strategic transactions and complex business arrangements.

Corporate Transactions & Business Transformation

• Lead or support legal aspects of carve-outs, divestitures, joint ventures, integrations, business separations, and other transformative corporate transactions.
• Negotiate and manage Transition Services Agreements (TSAs), intercompany agreements, governance frameworks, and other complex stakeholder arrangements.
• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to navigate legal and operational challenges associated with business transformations.
• Support ongoing post-transaction matters and strategic initiatives resulting from ownership or organizational changes.

Global Compliance & Risk Management

• Develop and implement compliance programs, policies, and training initiatives.
• Advise on employment, privacy, anti-corruption, regulatory, and general business law matters.
• Identify and mitigate enterprise legal risks across domestic and international operations.
• Support business leaders operating across multiple global jurisdictions.
• Manage outside counsel relationships and legal spend.

Legal Operations

• Build and scale the company's legal function, processes, and infrastructure.
• Establish efficient legal support mechanisms for stakeholders across the business.
• Evaluate when to utilize outside counsel versus developing internal capabilities.
• Develop a long-term roadmap for the legal department as the company evolves.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership in good standing.
• 7-10+ years of relevant legal experience, ideally combining sophisticated law firm training with in-house experience.
• Strong commercial contracting and transaction management experience.
• Experience leading or supporting carve-outs, divestitures, joint ventures, integrations, business separations, or similar transformational initiatives.
• Experience negotiating and managing TSAs, intercompany agreements, governance arrangements, or other complex multi-stakeholder frameworks.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a lean environment with significant autonomy.
• Experience advising executive leadership and senior business stakeholders on strategic and operational matters.
• Background in corporate governance, compliance, employment law, and risk management.
• Experience supporting international business operations across multiple jurisdictions is preferred.
• Experience within a private equity-backed, sponsor-backed, or high-growth environment is preferred.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a desire to build and scale a legal function from the ground up.
• Excellent business judgment, executive presence, and communication skills.