General Counsel

General Counsel Position

We are an employee-owned, retail-focused, independent mortgage bank committed to helping borrowers navigate the home financing process with clarity and confidence. Our values of Vision, Hustle, Grit and Execute shape the hard work we do every day.

We are seeking an experienced General Counsel to serve as PMR’s principal in-house legal advisor and strategic partner to executive leadership. This role will provide practical, business-oriented legal advice across the Company's mortgage lending, corporate, transactional, employment, litigation, regulatory, technology, privacy, and operational activities. This is a hybrid role reporting to the CEO, with no direct reports to start.

The Inside Counsel will have primary responsibility for the Company's legal function and for providing legal advice regarding applicable federal and state laws and regulations. The position will advise the Board, executive leadership, and business units regarding legal risk, legal obligations, contracts, disputes, regulatory matters, and strategic initiatives. The position will also manage and coordinate the Company's relationships with outside legal counsel and will be responsible for protecting the Company's legal interests and appropriately managing legal risk.

Key Responsibilities

Legal Advice & Strategic Business Support

• Serve as the Company's primary internal legal resource and trusted advisor to the CEO, executive leadership, Board, and business leaders, providing timely, practical, and commercially sound legal advice on the Company's operations, strategic initiatives, and business practices.
• Identify, evaluate, and help mitigate material legal risks by reviewing proposed business initiatives, products, and transactions, translating legal requirements into clear guidance for management, and escalating significant matters to leadership or the Board as appropriate.

Mortgage Lending Legal Matters

• Advise on federal and state mortgage lending and consumer financial services laws and regulations, including TILA/Regulation Z, RESPA/Regulation X, ECOA/Regulation B, FCRA/Regulation V, HMDA/Regulation C, the SAFE Act, TCPA, and applicable privacy and data-protection laws.
• Provide legal guidance across origination, underwriting, servicing, licensing, advertising, and third-party relationships, and assist management in evaluating legal exposure and remediation for significant complaints or potential violations.

Legal and Compliance Partnership

• Serve as the Company's legal authority on the interpretation of laws and regulations, maintaining a clear distinction between the legal and compliance functions while advising the CCO and management.
• Partner with the CCO on regulatory developments, examinations, investigations, and corrective actions, and help determine when a matter requires legal analysis, attorney involvement, or escalation to leadership or the Board.

Contracts & Transactions

• Draft, review, negotiate, and approve contracts and agreements — including vendor, technology, marketing, employment, warehouse, correspondent, investor, lease, and strategic partnership agreements — and establish appropriate contract-review and approval processes.
• Identify and negotiate material contractual provisions, including indemnification, representations and warranties, limitations of liability, confidentiality, data security, and dispute resolution, and coordinate with outside counsel on significant transactions.

Litigation, Disputes & Investigations

• Manage the Company's litigation, threatened litigation, demand letters, subpoenas, and other significant legal disputes, including selecting and overseeing outside litigation counsel and developing dispute-resolution strategies.
• Advise management on litigation exposure and settlement considerations, coordinate with Compliance, Operations, HR, and other functions on overlapping matters, and oversee legal-hold and document-preservation processes.

Regulatory & Governmental Matters

• Serve as legal advisor on regulatory inquiries, investigations, examinations, subpoenas, and enforcement matters, working with the CCO to determine the appropriate legal and compliance response.
• Monitor significant legal and regulatory developments affecting the Company's business, review significant regulatory correspondence, and coordinate with outside regulatory counsel and executive leadership as needed.

Privacy, Data Security, Technology & Artificial Intelligence

• Provide legal advice regarding privacy, data protection, information security, cybersecurity incidents, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies, including review of agreements and practices involving consumer and personal information.
• Advise management on applicable federal and state privacy and data-security requirements, partnering with Compliance, IT, and business leadership, and support the Company's response to significant data-security or privacy incidents.

Employment & Corporate Legal Matters

• Advise Human Resources and management on significant employment-law matters, including employment agreements, separation agreements, restrictive covenants, and investigations.
• Provide legal advice on corporate governance and Board matters, assist with corporate records and entity-management matters, and coordinate with outside corporate and employment counsel as appropriate.

Outside Counsel & Legal Operations

• Manage the Company's relationships with outside counsel, selecting and retaining firms based on the nature and complexity of legal matters, and determining when matters should be handled internally versus referred externally.
• Establish appropriate processes for assigning, monitoring, and evaluating outside legal work, manage legal budgets and spend, and maintain appropriate legal records for significant legal matters.