Legal Counsel

Legal Counsel

Position Classification:
Senior Director
Salary Band: A and B

Reports To:

General Counsel

Location:

Washington, DC Area (Preferred)

American Rivers is championing a national effort to protect and restore all rivers, from remotemountain streams to urban waterways. Healthy rivers provide people and nature with clean,abundant water and natural habitat. For 50 years, American Rivers staff, supporters, and partners have shared a common belief:
Life Depends on Rivers℠.

The beauty of rivers is that they connect all people and communities – including within our organization. The life experiences, knowledge, innovation, and talent that different people bringto our work provides perspectives, experiences, and competencies which are critical to oureffectiveness in protecting wild rivers, restoring damaged rivers, and conserving clean water forpeople and nature.

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Legal Counsel for American Rivers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and its affiliated 501(c)(4) organization, and a potential third tax-exempt or advocacy affiliate. As a critical member of the legal team, this in-house attorney will be responsible for ensuring that the organization complies with all relevant laws and regulations, providing legal advice to management, and protecting the organization’s interests in various business matters.

This role involves creation and management of preemptive risk tools and policies and advising and supporting the organization in legal disputes and negotiations. In collaboration with the General Counsel, the Legal Counsel shall proactively address the unique legal and governance challenges inherent in a multi-affiliate structure, ensuring each entity operates within the scope of its exempt purpose, while leveraging permissible collaboration to advance shared mission goals.

This role requires a proactive approach to risk management, excellent communication skills, and the ability to handle a broad range of legal matters relevant to the organization’s operations.

The successful candidate will have a collaborative mindset with excellent communication skills and the proven ability to work across departments and with external partners.

• Delivering accurate, timely legal counsel to executives and management on a broad range of topics — including contracts, employment, partnerships, corporate finance, and compliance — with particular emphasis on the legal intricacies that involve or impact the 501(c)(3) and 501 (c)(4) tax-exempt organizations and any additional affiliates by ensuring strict adherence to permissible collaborations, financial separations, and reporting obligations unique to each entity type
• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a variety of legal documents including inter‑organizational agreements, memoranda of understanding, and shared service contracts to ensure full regulatory compliance
• Leading legal review on all joint projects, advocacy campaigns, fundraising efforts, and resource‑sharing arrangements to ensure that program expenses, staff roles, and communications are properly allocated and documented to prevent impermissible subsidization or commingling of activities between affiliates
• Developing and implementing internal governance policies, and regularly monitoring compliance with these policies and applicable laws
• Conducting research and evaluating legal risks related to organizational decisions and operations, and offering proactive solutions and pathways to minimize exposure in areas such as corporate, political, and employment matters
• Monitoring and facilitating mission‑related litigation, working with conservation staff, the board committee, declarants, and outside counsel
• Supporting the General Counsel in guiding the organization through third‑party disputes and internal litigation, as necessary
• Executing ongoing management of transactional risk, vendor performance, project‑life bonding and insurance
• Assisting with the preparation, review, and management of programmatic project documents, including contracts, RFPs (Requests for Proposals), and bid evaluations, to ensure compliance with organizational standards,…