Associate Counsel

The Associate Counsel position provides legal expertise and guidance regarding a large variety of legal and business issues applicable to Zoot Enterprises, Inc. and its affiliated companies (collectively, “Zoot”), including legal/regulatory compliance, contract drafting and negotiation, licensing, protection and management of intellectual property, employment law issues, tax compliance, entity structure and creation, and management of outside counsel.

For over 30 years, Zoot Enterprises has been a global provider of advanced origination, acquisition, and decision management solutions. Our customer‑centric tools and services enable Zoot’s clients to add value and differentiation, while providing nimble, scalable solutions for specific business objectives. Zoot provides a cloud based, secure processing environment. We offer tailored data driven decisioning technology solutions that empower our clients to streamline processes, increase flexibility and efficiency, accelerate growth, while accessing hundreds of cutting‑edge data sources to help reduce risk.

Discover more about Zoot’s solutions by visiting: Zoot Solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Economics, Business, Finance, Engineering, Philosophy, or related field preferred.
• Graduate Degree in Juris Doctor/Law Degree from an ABA accredited law school required.
• Professional Designation Law
• 10+ years of work experience at a law firm or in an in‑house corporate law group required.
• Must be in active, good standing to practice law in at least one state (Montana or South Dakota preferred). If you are not licensed in Montana, you must be willing and able to become licensed in Montana.
• Certifications considered

Key Responsibilities

• Understand Zoot’s businesses and how the law applies to Zoot’s businesses and be able to provide effective counsel to Zoot’s senior management and other employees regarding both business and legal issues.
• Proactively identify legal issues and laws relevant to Zoot’s businesses – spot issues before they become problems.
• Research, learn, interpret, and provide clear and concise written and/or verbal explanations, guidance, and assistance regarding all applicable laws/issues relevant to Zoot’s businesses, including, without limitation, the following: consumer financial services and banking; consumer financial and health data protection and privacy; medical, health, and wellness services; international privacy; information security; intellectual property protection, portfolio management, and licensing; employment laws and practices, employee benefits, daycare services, real property development and management, construction and construction management; oil and gas investing, drilling, and related leasing; investment management; and hotel and hospitality services and operations.
• Draft and effectively negotiate a large variety of contracts, licenses, etc.
• Analyze the probable outcomes of complex issues and problems, using knowledge of legal precedents, and make sound decisions.
• Learn new areas of the law as requested by Zoot’s General Counsel and provide effective guidance and counsel to Zoot’s General Counsel and other Zoot senior management and employees.
• Communicate effectively with Zoot’s senior management and other Zoot employees, as well as third parties such as partners, clients, and vendors. Present Zoot’s legal and business positions internally and externally in a clear, honest, and respectful way. The Associate General Counsel must recognize that he or she is a high level representative of Zoot in the community and to third parties and must conduct themself in such a way as to not bring disrepute to him or herself or Zoot. He or she must understand that a lawyer with a bad reputation is a lawyer that is ineffective at representing his or her client.
• Comply with all applicable rules of professional conduct/codes of ethics and other rules governing attorney behavior and the practice of law.
• Participate in establishing policies and procedures that are consistent with the organization’s broad policies and objectives.
• Compliance with and knowledge of Zoot’s Policies and Procedures, Code of Business Conduct, and Employee Agreement.
• Achieve a service‑focused culture with emphasis on delivering on‑time, high‑quality products and services to internal and external customers.
• Take ownership of, manage, and assume primary responsibility for, the Legal Group’s role regarding specific areas of the law, specific lines of business, compliance areas, and special projects (each as assigned by Zoot’s General Counsel, the Associate General Counsel’s Managed Areas).
• Effectively and efficiently report to Zoot’s General Counsel regarding Managed Areas and know when to seek guidance and/or feedback from Zoot’s General Counsel within the Managed Areas.
• Effectively and efficiently communicate with and provide legal and business advice directly to Zoot’s senior management without reliance on Zoot’s General Counsel.
• Lead, manage, instruct, and mentor more junior lawyers within Zoot’s Legal Group.
• A key responsibility of Associate General Counsel is to be proactive regarding identifying, vetting, and explaining legal and business ideas and potential legal/business improvements to Zoot’s General Counsel and other senior management. An effective Associate General Counsel leads by proactively thinking through processes and problems and making unsolicited suggestions regarding potential solutions and improvements.
• When Zoot’s General Counsel is not available: (1) coordinate the members of the Legal Group to ensure work continues to be completed as needed and deadlines are met; (2) communicate directly with Zoot’s senior management regarding any urgent projects and requests; and (3) perform such other management and other tasks normally performed by Zoot’s General Counsel, as instructed by Zoot’s General Counsel or that are otherwise necessary for effective and efficient performance of the Legal Group in the General Counsel’s absence.
• Other duties as assigned – it is understood that this list of major duties and responsibilities is not an all‑inclusive list and that other duties and responsibilities, which may include helping others in the same or different departments, may be assigned by supervision.

Other legal experience areas preferred:

• Medical technology licensing contracting, and regulatory issues
• Franchising
• Financial technology licensing, contracting, and regulatory issues
• Finance industry law and regulations, specifically consumer financial protection laws
• Financial, accounting, or tax experience