Employment Counsel

Employment Counsel

Chicago, Illinois, United States

The Role

GTI is seeking an experienced in-house employment attorney to join our Legal team. In this role, you'll serve as a trusted partner to the People team and business leaders across GTI's multi-state operations – providing practical, business-focused guidance across the full employee lifecycle, from day-to-day employment matters and EEOC charges to complex leave and accommodation issues. The ideal candidate brings strong employment law experience, a solutions-oriented mindset, and the ability to build trusted partnerships across the organization – delivering clear, actionable legal guidance that enables the business to move quickly while protecting the company.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the dedicated employment law advisor to GTI's People team and other business partners across all multi-state retail, production, and corporate operations, providing practical, risk-calibrated guidance across the full employee lifecycle – from hiring and onboarding through performance management, compensation, accommodations, and separations.
• Advise on internal workplace investigations involving employee misconduct, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, ensuring outcomes are consistent, lawful, and aligned with GTI's values.
• Own GTI's EEOC charge and administrative agency complaint process end-to-end – drafting position statements, coordinating fact-gathering, responding to agency requests, and driving matters to resolution prior to litigation.
• Collaborate closely with the Associate General Counsel – Litigation when matters escalate beyond the administrative stage, ensuring seamless handoff and consistent strategy on active employment-related cases.
• Serve as a trusted legal advisor on complex employee benefits escalations, interpreting applicable laws and regulations, counseling cross-functional partners, and identifying emerging legal risks requiring further action.
• Advise the People team on complex leave of absence and reasonable accommodation matters across GTI's operating states, ensuring consistent application of federal and state requirements.
• Partner with the People team to proactively manage risk, draft and maintain employment policies, and advise on workforce strategy, employee relations, and all aspects of employment law compliance.
• Review form employment agreements, offer letters, separation and severance agreements, and the templates People and Talent Acquisition teams use day-to-day.
• Design and deliver practical employment law training for managers and the People team, covering high-risk areas such as terminations, accommodations, investigations, and wage and hour compliance.
• Collaborate with Assistant General Counsel – Labor, as needed, to support GTI's labor relations strategy and union matters.
• Stay current on federal, state, and local employment law developments across GTI's operating markets; manage compliance plans in response to legislative changes and translate developments into actionable guidance for business partners.
• Partner with the People team and other business leaders to spot early warning signs across complaints, investigations, and exits, and drive corrective action where possible.
• Own and maintain the employee handbook and all state-specific addenda, ensuring policies remain current, legally compliant, and reflective of regulatory changes across all jurisdictions in which GTI operates.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar admission in the state where the attorney resides, or eligibility to practice as registered in-house counsel.
• 6+ years of employment law experience, with in-house experience preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of employment laws – including discrimination, employee leave, wage and hour, and employee relations – under federal, state, and local frameworks.
• Experience navigating multi-state compliance complexity; cannabis industry or other highly regulated industry experience a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with outside counsel.
• Excellent legal analysis, reasoning, and writing skills – including the ability to quickly synthesize facts and law to make sound decisions under time pressure.
• Clear, concise, and persuasive communicator, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work independently, anticipate business needs, and take a proactive, situationally aware approach.
• Strong judgment and ability to assess risk, take firm positions, and protect the company's interests.
• Superior interpersonal skills – able to build relationships with diverse stakeholders, collaborate across a geographically dispersed Legal team, and work effectively with members of the People team and business leaders.
• Comfortable operating with agility and urgency in a high-growth, fast-paced environment with competing priorities.
• Must understand and comply with the rules, regulations, policies, and procedures of Green Thumb, including cannabis-specific laws and regulations across all operating markets.

Additional Requirements

• Must pass any and all required background checks
• Must be and remain compliant with all legal or company regulations for working in the industry

The pay range is competitive and based on experience, qualifications, and/or location of the role. Positions may be eligible for a discretionary annual incentive program driven by organization and individual performance.

Green Thumb Pay Range

$175,000 - $195,000 USD