HR Counsel - Litigation

Overview

This is a hybrid role with the expectation to be in the Raleigh or Charlotte, NC office once a week. Preference will be given to candidates in the Raleigh area.

This position reports to the Director HR Legal and provides legal advice and counsel regarding Human Resources (HR) legal matters. Serves as a resource on legal issues related to policies, employee relations, compliance, and processes. Manages external counsel handling demand letters, agency charges, and litigation. Provides support in pre-litigation disputes and negotiates the resolution of disputes or claims. Ensures alignment of external counsel’s work with institutional objectives and cost management policies. Maintains a strong knowledge of laws, regulations, and business operations in order to address complex legal matters.

Responsibilities

• Legal Support
• Provides legal counsel support to HR to identify, assess, and mitigate employment-related legal risk.
• Partners with external counsel on the strategy and resolution of employment and HR-related legal matters.
• Advises on complex employee relations, disciplinary, investigations, performance management, and separation matters to ensure legal defensibility and regulatory alignment.
• Supports administrative matters and litigation by providing subject-matter expertise, document review, and strategic guidance.
• Business Support
• Serves as a trusted legal advisor to HR partners by providing practical, risk-based guidance aligned with business objectives and enterprise risk tolerance.
• Effectively consults with and communicates clear legal direction to HR partners on sensitive employee matters.
• Partners with cross-functional stakeholders to support enterprise initiatives and operational execution.
• Contributes to the development and implementation of HR policies, programs, and processes used across the enterprise.
• Documentation
• Drafts, reviews, negotiates, and maintains employment-related agreements and transaction specific legal documentation, including employment, separation, and settlement agreements.
• Ensures documentation aligns with legal requirements, internal governance standards, and conduct risk expectations.
• Policy Resource
• Monitors federal and state laws, regulations, and court opinions to determine their impact on HR legal matters.
• Translates complex legal and regulatory requirements into clear, practice guidance for HR partners.
• Provides subject-matter expertise on employment law trends, regulatory expectations, and emerging risks to inform policy development and risk management.
• Supports policy interpretation and application to ensure consistent and compliant implementation across the organization.
  

Qualifications

Juris Doctor (JD) Degree and 6 years of post-JD legal/litigation experience.

Additional Requirements

• Must be able to resolve complex legal issues and provide quality legal services in a timely manner.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Advanced organization and time management skills.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Problem solving skills.
• Ability to manage outside counsel.
• Negotiation skills.
• Ability to work independently but take direction as required.
• Proven history of managing projects, meeting deadlines, and producing and presenting excellent deliverables.
• Intermediate experience with MS Office, specifically the ability to conduct data analysis using Excel.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• North Carolina law license preferred but not required.
• Experience handling management-side employment litigation.
• Experience providing employment law advice and counsel to a large financial institution.
• Broad experience to include risk-adjusted advice and counsel on employment law related matters including performance management, conduct, terminations, leaves of absence and accommodations, workplace investigations, M&A, wage and hour, labor, restrictive covenants, employment litigation.
  
  

Benefits are an integral part of total rewards and First Citizens Bank is committed to providing a competitive, thoughtfully designed and quality benefits program to meet the needs of our associates. More information can be found at https://jobs.firstcitizens.com/benefits.