General Counsel

Summary

The General Counsel serves as the chief legal advisor to the credit union and provides enterprise-level legal leadership to executive management and the Board of Directors of a $9 billion, highly regulated financial institution operating across multiple jurisdictions. This role is accountable for overseeing all legal affairs of a complex credit union and its subsidiaries, with a particular focus on consumer and mortgage lending, regulatory compliance, litigation management, corporate governance, strategic transactions, and enterprise risk exposure.

The General Counsel plays a critical role in protecting the financial, reputational, and operational integrity of the organization, balancing legal risk with business strategy, regulatory expectations, and long-term growth objectives while supporting the credit union's mission and member-focused culture.

Duties & Responsibilities

Legal Strategy, Executive Counsel & Governance

• Serve as the primary legal advisor to the executive leadership team and Board of Directors, providing guidance on matters with enterprise-wide impact and elevated regulatory exposure.
• Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice on strategic initiatives, enterprise risk, and operational matters in a large, complex financial institution environment.
• Support corporate governance functions for a multi-billion-dollar credit union, including board and committee governance, resolutions, policies, and executive materials.
• Advise directors and officers regarding fiduciary duties, governance standards, and supervisory expectations applicable to large federally insured credit unions.
• Identify legal and non-legal risks that could materially impact the credit union's operations, capital, reputation, or growth trajectory.

Consumer Lending, Mortgage Lending & Regulatory Support

• Provide legal guidance across a diverse and high-volume consumer and mortgage lending portfolio, including indirect lending, servicing, secondary-market activity, and loss mitigation.
• Interpret and advise on complex federal and state regulatory frameworks governing large credit unions, including TILA, RESPA, ECOA, FCRA, UDAAP, HMDA, FDCPA, and NCUA regulations.
• Collaborate with Compliance, Risk, Audit, and Operations to support regulatory readiness, examinations, and enforcement risk mitigation.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments that may materially affect the credit union's strategic initiatives, products, and subsidiaries.

Litigation, Investigations & External Counsel

• Provide executive oversight of all litigation, investigations, consumer complaints, and contested matters, including those posing heightened financial or reputational risk.
• Manage relationships with external legal counsel, ensuring effective strategy, cost control, and alignment with organizational priorities.
• Coordinate responses to regulatory examinations, subpoenas, and enforcement actions involving federal and state agencies.

Contracting, Vendor Management & Corporate Assets

• Oversee negotiation and execution of complex contracts, vendor agreements, mergers, leases, and strategic partnerships supporting enterprise operations.
• Provide legal oversight for third-party relationships, technology initiatives, data usage, and vendor risk considerations at scale.
• Advise on legal aspects of corporate facilities, properties, and long-term infrastructure planning.

Mergers, Acquisitions, Insurance & Continuity

• Lead all legal aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and strategic transactions involving significant financial, operational, or regulatory implications.
• Provide oversight of corporate insurance programs to ensure appropriate coverage for a large, diversified risk profile.
• Support enterprise business-continuity planning from a legal-risk perspective.

Leadership & Organizational Culture

• Lead, develop, and mentor the legal team, ensuring capabilities are aligned with the complexity and scale of a $9B financial institution.
• Promote strong ethical standards, transparency, and a culture of accountability consistent with Board and regulatory expectations.
• Collaborate across business units to ensure legal solutions support operational efficiency and superior member service.

Requirements

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school.
• Licensed and in member in good standing of the Kansas and Missouri state bars
• 10-15+ years of progressively responsible legal experience, with at least 5 years in senior management in a large, complex financial institution.
• Prior in-house counsel experience supporting a credit union organization strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience advising executive leadership teams and Boards of Directors.
• Senior leadership experience in a highly regulated environment required.

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Deep expertise in consumer and mortgage lending laws, financial institution regulation, and enterprise legal risk management frameworks, with strong knowledge of corporate law concepts and practices.
• Demonstrated ability to manage legal and regulatory risk within large, complex, and highly regulated organizations, including oversight of litigation, examinations, and outside counsel and vendors.
• Excellent legal, analytical, and business judgment, with the ability to deliver practical, solutions-oriented advice in a fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional drafting, negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the executive presence and credibility to advise the Board of Directors, C-suite, and senior leadership.
• Proven strategic leadership skills, including the ability to lead, develop, and motivate legal and cross-functional teams.
• Strong project and matter management capabilities, with the ability to manage multiple high-impact, complex issues simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail, regulatory discipline, and business alignment.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization, resolve conflict constructively, and operate flexibly as a trusted business partner.
• High level of integrity, discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment.