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Posted December 01, 2019

General Counsel

Brady
Milwaukee, WI Full Time

Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and founded in 1914, Brady Corporation (NYSE: BRC) is a publicly-traded company and reported 2019 sales of $1.16 billion...

Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and founded in 1914, Brady Corporation (NYSE: BRC) is a publicly-traded company and reported 2019 sales of $1.16 billion with approximately 6200 employees. The company has a highly diversified portfolio of products and services that are offered globally. Brady Corporation manufactures industrial identification and specialty coated material products. These include industrial and facility ID products such as printable labels and wire markers; safety and regulatory compliance offerings, safety signs, and traffic control products; and other products such as specialty tapes, photo ID card systems, and software. Brady sells to a broad range of MRO and OEM customers and through other channels, including direct sales, catalog marketing, and the Internet. The company has operations in over 30 countries and has over 70 sales, manufacturing and distribution sites, and facilities. Brady Corporation serves a broad range of industries and markets and is a leader in its product and service categories. Brady Corporation offers expertise in a number of areas including manufacturing, infrastructure, distribution, and sales resources.

Position Summary

This position, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, will be based at the global company headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and will report directly to Michael Nauman, Chief Executive Officer. In addition to providing legal, regulatory and compliance leadership company-wide, the General Counsel will serve as a business partner and trusted advisor to senior management and the Board of Directors on a wide range of strategic, business, operational and tactical issues.

This position calls for a business-oriented individual with strong critical thinking skills and a proven track record of supporting growth-oriented companies with respect to complex and general corporate matters, regulatory compliance, commercial agreements, IP protection, risk management, and business policy issues. The ideal candidate must show creativity, enthusiasm, and depth of initiative for this opportunity to succeed in this role as a valued member of the executive team, company liaison to the Board of Directors, a strong leader in global compliance initiatives and facilitator fostering the further development of Brady's legal team.

The General Counsel coordinates outside counsel for significant transactions, major litigation, intellectual property, and specialized regulatory issues. This individual must be focused on fiscal management and has an eye on reducing external legal expenses whenever possible and continuing to develop the legal team to execute work internally. The global legal team is comprised of 3 lawyers, a paralegal and a regulatory compliance team of approximately 20 individuals managing global EH&S, trade and product compliance and regulation, and data privacy.

Legal Department

Brady's General Counsel is the chief legal officer of the company and will manage a legal budget of over $3 million dollars. The General Counsel also leads the company's global legal compliance program.

Major Responsibilities

The General Counsel must have a broad business orientation and will have responsibility for the following:

Serve as a senior advisor to the CEO and to the Board of Directors;

As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, counsel on the legal ramifications of significant company strategic initiatives; and implement and approve legal policies and procedures in accordance with business needs;

Interact on a regular basis with the Board of Directors and, although not a member of the board, attend all board meetings and designated committee meetings of the Board and regularly report on significant legal matters;

Advise on major corporate transactions, including all mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, major contracts, and other strategic business initiatives;

As Corporate Secretary of the company, oversees the preparation of all relevant corporate filings and preparation of board and committee meeting agendas and minutes; work closely with the legal staff to ensure the accuracy of all public disclosures and other governmental filings;

Advise on the litigation risks of possible business decisions; supervise the management of litigation; counsel on the appropriate strategy to defend or resolve litigation associated with environmental, product liability, securities, antitrust, government investigations and other claims;

In leading the global legal compliance program, ensure that the company is in compliance with all federal, state and international laws, regulations and rules that apply to company activities; specifically work to ensure compliance with applicable U.S. government regulations and rules, FCPA, EPA and state environmental laws, OSHA, equal employment, insurance, securities, antitrust, and corporate conduct laws, regulations and rules; maintain a first-class compliance function that is consistent with Brady's values and code of ethics;

Work with others to ensure that the company and its management adhere to the highest standards of ethical behavior;

Ensure protection of the company's intellectual property including its patent and trademark portfolios;

Supervise, select and manage outside counsel and other third-party advisors and establish procedures for evaluating the quality and cost of services of outside counsel and advisors; and

Lead, coordinate and manage the legal services provided by the company, including management, development and mentoring of the lawyers in the legal department.

CANDIDATE SPECIFICATION

Education

The successful candidate must hold a law degree from an American law school and be a member of any state bar. Within a reasonable period of time, the new General Counsel must demonstrate admission to the Wisconsin state bar as a corporate in-house attorney.

Experience

The new General Counsel must be an experienced attorney with the legal background and interpersonal skills sufficient to function successfully in a visible and legally challenging position. The following background is strongly preferred:

A minimum of fifteen years as a practicing lawyer initially with a well-regarded law firm and then with a corporation;

Experience as the general counsel of a public corporation is preferred; lawyers serving in large corporations as general counsel of subsidiaries or as deputy general, or the equivalent, will be considered;

Experience serving in a leadership role as a member of and counselor to the senior leadership team of an industrial, life sciences, or consumer products corporation is highly preferred;

Significant transactions experience is highly preferred; experience in securities law, corporate governance, and contracts;

Experience working on global legal issues is highly preferred;

Experience assessing legal risk in difficult situations, such as a matter of acute time pressure and/or an issue of great materiality to a company;

Experience counseling board of directors; corporate governance expertise is desired.

Experience managing litigation and assessing litigation risk is preferred;

Experience working with federal, state and international agencies on compliance issues is highly preferred; exposure to FCPA, antitrust and securities regulation is highly preferred;

Experience managing a company's intellectual property and specifically its patent and trademark portfolios is preferred;

Experience identifying outside law firms and managing outside counsel;

Experience managing and motivating a legal department.

Critical Competencies for Success

Technical legal skills: Demonstrated superior legal talent; preference for a lawyer with global experience; experience counseling management on complex legal issues; experience counseling board of directors; ability to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, rules, and policies that impact the company.

Leadership and Stature: A proven track record of serving as a key member of a corporate leadership team; proven ability to work well as a member of a team of senior executives in a company and with the ability to influence major decisions having legal ramifications through reasoned analysis; a lawyer who demonstrates passion for the business and who will be looked to for his or her business as well as legal advice bringing good judgment to the analysis of difficult business decisions; a lawyer who is practical, has a commercial mindset and who will bring to the position a sense of urgency and a bias towards action; a lawyer who has the courage of his/her own convictions and is willing to step up and articulate a contrary position in the appropriate situations; and a hands-on lawyer who will roll up his/her sleeves and dig in on those matters that call for first chair involvement by the company's general counsel.

Management: Demonstrated track record in leading or demonstrated ability to lead a legal function; successful experience developing talent, building and motivating a legal team and when necessary advocating and instituting change within a legal department; a lawyer who is collegial and collaborative and who brings a proven commitment to the creation of a positive working environment within the legal organization; a lawyer who executes and believes in talent development and the benefit of having a diverse team of in house attorneys.

Other Personal Characteristics

Strong interpersonal skills, including negotiation, cooperation, persuasion, and diplomacy;

Ability to consult on legal matters that appropriately balances the legal risk with business needs; can contribute beyond the legal function and possesses strong business and financial acumen;

Ability to listen, manage and inspire team members and company employees;

Ability to multitask and prioritize responsibilities in a fast-paced environment;

Flexibility and willingness to handle, and take ownership of, a variety of legal matters;

Ability to analyze, critically evaluate issues and propose usable solutions in a business‑practical, independent and objective manner;

Excellent verbal and written communication skills;

Excellent analytical, writing and problem-solving skills;

Excellent business judgment, strategic thinker, well-organized and able to manage numerous projects simultaneously under deadline pressure with a calm demeanor;

Must be resourceful and self-motivated, and have the ability to work effectively with the Board and senior management.

This listing expired on Jan 31. Applications are no longer accepted.

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