Senior Attorney/Senior Counsel – Natural Gas Pipelines

Do something that means something at Williams. This isn’t just a job - it’s an opportunity to explore and discover your passion with coworkers who become friends and mentors who push you to be your best self in and out of the office. At Williams, we make clean energy happen. And you can too, so bring your energy to ours!

The Senior Counsel is responsible for providing legal advice, opinions and support to help work towards our goals in addition to initiating and supervising project case management to ensure their timely and efficient completion. As a specialist, this role will provide advice and recommendations for action to internal leaders regarding sophisticated matters with meaningful impact on business activities and operations. The ability to use good judgment, collaborate with others and develop and obtain approvals from senior leaders for situation specific strategies and approaches are keys to success.

Your work will challenge you, and with our Core Values to guide you, you’ll quickly learn and grow with us.

Responsibilities/Expectations:

• Drafts and negotiates contracts and other legal instruments for sophisticated commercial transactions involving natural gas pipelines as well as day-to-day transactional and tariff matters
• Collaborates effectively with fellow attorneys and commercial and regulatory counterparts
• Identifies and assesses legal issues and risks for assigned area(s) of responsibility; recommends and initiates appropriate courses of action
• Interacts with internal leadership regarding legal strategies, scenario plans, and desired outcomes
• Negotiates contract terms, settlements, mediation and agreements; conducts all post-closing or settlement requirements
• Retains and manages outside counsel to the extent the organization does not have in-house expertise and work justifies retention of an external party
• Leads department and enterprise initiatives
• Researches legislative history and legal issues to ensure up-to-date knowledge and interpretation of laws, regulations, case precedents, court and regulatory orders
• Monitors compliance with federal, state, and local laws and industry regulations; collaborates with appropriate parties for resolution
• Provides training to internal business partners on applicable laws, regulations, procedures, risks and regulatory changes
• Other duties as assigned
  
  

Education/Years of Experience:

• Required: Juris Doctorate from an ABA-accredited law school; a minimum of ten (10) years’ relevant legal or energy experience; member of State Bar Association and admitted to practice in the state hired, or eligible to become admitted in the state hired within one (1) year of date of hire, with current CLE compliance
• Preferred: Juris Doctorate from ABA-accredited law school; a minimum of twelve (12) years’ relevant legal or energy experience
  
  

Shift/Work Hours/Travel Requirements:

• Willing to travel up to 10%
  
  

Other Requirements:

• Demonstrates excellent organizational/interpersonal skills and safety as the utmost priority
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office and PC skills
• Experience in drafting of agency communications, contracts, motions, briefs, pleadings and opinions
• Experience in legal research and analysis
• Demonstrates objective and detailed analytical and problem solving abilities
• Demonstrates negotiation skills
• Knowledge of substantive law
• Preferred: Experience working on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Natural Gas Act certificates and rates matters, including drafting and filing pleadings with the FERC
• Willing to travel up to 20%
  
  

, Provides legal advice and recommendations for action to internal executives and management regarding matters of complexity which have or may have a material dollar impact on business activities and operations. Combines knowledge of one or more legal specialties with sound business acumen and knowledge of the business goals and objectives as they relate to the matter at hand. Operates under general direction from law department management. Research legal principles and precedents, consults with outside counsel, drafts and executes legal documents, gathers relevant case related information using multiple sources and methods, and provides direction to other professional, paraprofessional and support staff in developing solutions to problems presented. May be a member of the bar of multiple states.