Employment Counsel

Leggett & Platt’s overall mission is a commitment to enhance lives – by delivering quality products, offering empowering and rewarding careers, and doing our part in bringing about a better future.

Leggett & Platt’s inventive heritage and leadership in the residential products industry span more than 130 years. As The Components People, we are the leading supplier of a wide range of products and components for all areas of life, including mattress springs and carpet cushion, as well as bedding machinery and erosion-control products.

Leggett & Platt’s inventive heritage and leadership span more than 130 years. Leggett & Platt has divisions that design, manufacture, and sell a variety of products for all areas of life. Our reliable product development and launch capability, coupled with our global footprint, make us a trusted partner for customers in the automotive, furniture, hydraulic cylinders, flooring, textile and geo components industries.

We, at Leggett & Platt, Incorporated, are searching for an Employment Relations Counsel to join our Legal team in Carthage, Missouri. As a global diversified manufacturing company, it’s sometimes hard to explain all the different things we do; however, we are confident you interact with one of our products in your daily life without knowing it. Whether it’s the mattress you sleep on, the car you drive, or the furniture you sit on, our high-quality components are there supporting you. If you join our team, your work will help us maintain compliant, respectful, and productive workplaces for employees around the world.

As Employment Relations Counsel, you will report to the Associate General Counsel - Chief Litigation Counsel and work closely with other attorneys, Human Resources professionals, executives, business leaders, and employees at all levels of the organization. You will serve as a trusted legal advisor on a broad range of labor and employment matters affecting our corporate offices and manufacturing operations.

The position would be eligible for a remote or hybrid work arrangement; however, there is a strong preference for candidates within two to three hours' drive of the corporate headquarters in Carthage, MO.

So, what will you be doing as Employment Relations Counsel?

• Serve as a primary legal advisor to Human Resources, business leadership, and manufacturing operations on labor and employment matters and coordinate international matters with local counsel, providing practical, timely, and business-oriented advice.
• Counsel Human Resources and management on employee relations matters, including performance management, discipline, terminations, accommodations, leaves of absence, wage-and-hour compliance, and workplace conduct.
• Provide legal oversight for sensitive workplace investigations involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, misconduct, conflicts of interest, and other employee concerns, including advising on scope, process, findings, documentation, and corrective action.
• Manage employment litigation, pre-litigation disputes, administrative charges, agency investigations, arbitrations, and mediations, including matters before the EEOC, NLRB, U.S. Department of Labor, and state and local agencies.
• Manage outside counsel, including strategy, budgets, staffing, discovery, settlement evaluation, and alignment with business objectives.
• Manage the company’s Ethics Hotline and related compliance processes, including intake, assignment, oversight of reports, investigations, resolutions, documentation, escalation, and follow-up.
• Develop, review, and maintain employment policies, handbooks, agreements, separation documents, investigation protocols, and other employment‑related materials to promote consistent and compliant practices.
• Advise on employment issues arising from acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, reductions in force, plant or workforce changes, and other organizational initiatives.
• Monitor developments in federal, state, and local labor and employment law; assess their impact; and communicate actionable guidance to relevant stakeholders.
• Partner with Human Resources, Internal Audit, Compliance, and business leaders to identify potential liability, improve processes, support audits, and promote consistent risk‑management practices.
• Design and deliver practical training for Human Resources, managers, and business leaders.
• Contribute to continuous improvement within the Legal Department and support additional legal matters as business needs require.

To Be Successful In This Role, You’ll Need

• 4 to 7 years of relevant employment law experience supporting a multi-state employer, preferably including law firm and in‑house experience.
• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar.
• Substantive knowledge of federal and state labor and employment laws and experience advising on a broad range of employment matters.
• Experience with employment litigation, workplace investigations, administrative charges, and other employment‑related disputes.
• Experience directly advising Human Resources professionals, business leaders, and management on complex and sensitive workplace matters.
• Strong judgment and the ability to provide practical, business-oriented legal advice while effectively managing legal risk.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with employees and leaders at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to manage multiple matters independently and effectively in a fast‑paced environment.
• Ability to travel periodically to company locations, including manufacturing facilities, as business needs require.
• High ethical standards, integrity, and professionalism, and the ability to uphold and promote the ethics, compliance culture, and values of the organization.
• Flexibility and eagerness to work on a broad range of legal matters.

Our Values

Our values speak to our shared beliefs, and describe how we approach working together.

• Put People First reflects our commitment to safety and care of each other, learning and development, and creating an environment of mutual respect, empathy and belonging.
• Do the Right Thing focuses us on acting with honesty and integrity, delivering the results the right way, taking pride in our work, and speaking the truth – good or bad.
• Do Great Work Together occurs when we engage without hierarchy, collaborate as a team, embrace challenges, and work for the good of all of us.
• Take Ownership and Raise the Bar demonstrates our responsibility to add value and make a difference, challenge the status quo and biases to make things better, foster innovative and creative solutions to drive impact, and explore new perspectives and embrace change.

Our Commitment to You

We're actively taking steps to make sure our culture, processes and practices promote equal opportunity for all. Join us!

We welcome and encourage all applicants to apply. We’d love the opportunity to consider you.

Equal Employment Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer

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Applicants in the United States:

Leggett & Platt Incorporated is an Equal Opportunity Employer. If you need accessibility or assistance to apply for career opportunities through this site, please email us to ensure your inquiry is directed to a member of the Human Resources Staff.