Attorney

The Corporate Counsel is an experienced attorney that provides support across the Cleco organization on various matters. Provides legal advice, counsel and service to internal business clients concerning legal rights, obligations, and privileges of corporations. Drafts and negotiates contracts involving leases, licenses, purchases, sales, real estate, insurance, and related matters. Keeps current on relevant legislative and regulatory issues, statutes, decisions and ordinances. Examines legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuits, and manages outside counsel. Advises company regarding concerns for risk assessment. May develop, review, or implement company-wide and/or functionally specific training programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Champions a corporate culture that emphasizes transparency, integrity, safety, environmental responsibility, employee development, diversity and inclusion, customer service, and operational excellence.
• Responsible for legal matters arising from one or more functional organizations and/or business units, as assigned by the Associate General Counsel. Differs from Senior Corporate Counsel scope of work in that the agreements reviewed and matters managed are for low to medium risk, exposure, and/or complexity projects.
• Provide real-time, practical legal advice appropriate for the risk, likelihood of the risk occurring, and potential Cleco exposure across all Cleco business units and functional organizations, including for service centers, generation units, and/or office locations
• Coordinate with other in-house counsel to align on broader issues crossing subject matters, state or country borders.
• Engage with multiple internal and external stakeholders (business, functional organizations, corporate clients, paralegals, legal support and admins, regulatory agencies and peers) on various legal projects including administrative actions and litigation, to ensure that business goals are met and deliverables are achieved with efficiency, appropriate level of collaboration and communication.
• Drafting and reviewing various commercial agreements, working with business clients to negotiate key terms and conditions under confidentiality, purchase, consulting, right-of-way, logistics, and other types of routine agreements.
• Engage the proper mix of internal and external resources to manage appropriate aspects of the legal work. This includes identifying strategies, articulating the scope of work, controlling costs, managing outside counsel and meeting deadlines.
• Management of litigation, including engaging with outside counsel
• Provide legal advice and guidance to business members to insure protection of Company's legal rights and mitigation of risk

Qualifications

Required Education, Skills & Experience

• Juris Doctorate
• At least 5 years of related experience
• With minimal oversight and input, demonstrated success at providing legal advice to internal functional teams and businesses that is relevant in light of the legal considerations, risks, and business goals.
• Strong negotiation, consultative and facilitation skills
• Ability to work well in a matrixed organization and interact with both internal and external stakeholders
• With minimal oversight and input, the ability to communicate (orally and written) and interact with all levels of internal and external partners and customers, and plant personnel.
• With minimal oversight and input, the ability to set priorities and to respond to changing demands from multiple sources.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem solving skills.
• Demonstrated planning and organizing skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Highly organized, detail-oriented and able to prioritize and manage multiple tasks while meeting changing deadlines and priorities .

Licenses and Certifications

• Licensed to practice law in Louisiana, or having an active bar membership in at least one jurisdiction that allows for in-house registration with the Louisiana Bar

Key Competencies

• Balances stakeholders
• Builds effective teams
• Business insight
• Communicates effectively
• Courage
• Demonstrates self-awareness
• Drives Results
• Drives Vision and Purpose
• Ensures Accountability
• Instills trust
• Nimble learning
• Plans and Aligns
• Safety
• Strategic mindset

May perform other duties as assigned.

Salary dependent on experience, skills, education, and training.