Associate Gen Counsel - Litiga

At CoreCivic, our employees are driven by a deep sense of service, high standards of professionalism and a responsibility to better the public good. CoreCivic is currently seeking a Associate Gen Counsel - Litiga located at our corporate office in Brentwood, TN. Come join a team that is dedicated to making an impact for the people and communities we serve.

This position would require a hybrid work schedule of 3 days per week onsite and 2 days remote out of our Brentwood, TN office location.

This position pays $180,000 - $220,000 with a 25% Bonus and 62K in equity.

SUMMARY:

The Associate General Counsel (Litigation) provides legal advice and guidance to senior management in all business units. Leads tactical and strategic legal projects as established by the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel, VP Litigation. Manages litigation involving the company, its employees and contractors. Supervises the eDiscovery programs.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

The incumbent should be able to perform all of the following functions at a pace and level of performance consistent with the job performance requirements.

• Manages a high volume of litigation and potential claims involving non-employment related areas of the law, giving comprehensive related legal guidance to business leaders across the enterprise.
• Selects, hires, and manages outside counsel for company litigation matters. Establishes legal and operational strategy for outside counsel in company litigation matters, ensuring adherence to overall company strategy. Reviews outside counsel invoices for patterns of significant spend in the pursuit of cost efficiencies and economies of scale.
• Ensures prompt and consistent legal guidance is provided to operations team on inmate rights issues such as use of force, discipline, classification, drug testing, privacy, visitation, religious rights, access to courts, due process, and custodial abuse.
• Oversees company-wide inmate access to courts programs, ensuring their overall effectiveness.
• Advises learning and development team leaders regarding use of force parameters, firearms regulations, emergency management and other correctional legal issues.
• Provides legal assistance and guidance to company's partnership development team in responding to requests for proposals or information.
• Provides training to company leaders on legal topics.
• Establishes parameters for health services programs on legally significant issues such as HIPAA/the Privacy Rule, informed consent, care‑related liability, involuntary medication and treatment, and hunger strikes.
• Sets official policy on company responses to state and federal public records laws. Ensures appropriate and accurate responses to public records requests consistent with applicable law.
• Manages short and long‑term continuous improvement and enterprise risk management goals established in consultation with the general counsel. Sets and implements broad goals for the strategic management of company litigation. Evaluates successes and setbacks in pursuit of continuous improvement.
• Develops legal theory and strategy in delivery of company-wide multi-state correctional operations.
• Analyzes and reports legislative developments in consultation with company decision makers in support of the company's long range strategic planning in regards to siting and operating or leasing facilities.
• Monitors and evaluates corrections‑related legislation, collaborating with partnership and government relations teams to educate legislators and others on the impact of legislative activities on the company and industry.
• Evaluates facility management agreements for legal and operational impact, advising company leaders on opportunities to develop key terms to enhance company position.
• Serves as the legal department team member on the company's public affairs response team, guiding public affairs and communication personnel in the development and dissemination of public statements that enhance or protect the company's positions in litigated and potentially litigated matters.
• Continuously monitors significant inmate grievances, incident reporting and other company sources to identify, manage, and respond to incidents likely to give rise to future litigation. Advises key managers on the significance of such incidents and, where appropriate, oversees investigatory activity in preparation of litigation defense.
• Analyzes company exposure and risk, establishing reserves for litigated and potentially litigated claims in consultation with the senior director, litigation and risk management.
• Sets strategic goals for cases where settlement is deemed appropriate; attends settlement conferences and participates in settlement negotiations as the company official with authority to resolve those matters and bind the company in settlement.
• Continuously monitors all significant pending cases, advising company leadership regarding developments that could increase company exposure. Incorporates information from negative outcomes in ongoing guidance and advice to company leaders.
• Ensures the provision of advice to corporate and facility leadership on litigation matters such as subpoenas, discovery requests and responses and witness appearances.
• Advises quality assurance team leadership on significant legal and enterprise risk management concerns that should be addressed through the company's ongoing auditing and quality control programs.
• Supervises Assistant e‑Discovery programs management of company litigation and the company's record retention, legal data handling strategies, and preservation of data.
• Domestic U.S travel may be required.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Graduate from an accredited college or university with a Juris Doctor degree in law and admission to the practice of law before the Courts of the State of Tennessee or eligible for licensure in Tennessee.
• Ten years of legal experience required, to include private or government practice managing significant litigation as an in‑house counsel or equivalent, as well as supervising of outside legal counsel handling litigated matters; or a combination of both.
• Five years of leadership level experience is required, to include first chair representation if private or government practice or decision-making authority if in-house.
• One year of managing electronic discovery required.
• Experience in medical malpractice litigation and insured loss preferred.
• Proven experience developing organizational policies required.
• One year of experience managing electronic discovery required.
• Must demonstrate ability to analyze complex legal issues and documents.
• Must be able to interpret and apply local, state and federal laws, as well as institutional policies and procedures.
• Must possess excellent written and verbal and communication skills and have the ability to effectively advocate or defend legal positions to constituent groups at all levels of the organization.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications is required.