In-House Counsel (New York City Metropolitan Area)

We are seeking an experienced In-House Counsel to serve as the organization’s primary legal resource, with a primary focus on accounts receivable (AR) recovery, collections, and bad debt reduction across multiple business divisions, including HVAC, plumbing, fire suppression, fuel oil, energy services, and solar.

This role combines hands-on collections and credit-risk management with broader legal counsel responsibilities, including contract review and negotiation, oversight of outside counsel, litigation management, regulatory compliance, and transactional support. The ideal candidate is a proactive, business-minded attorney who can drive delinquent-account recovery efforts while advising executive leadership on legal risks and business strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Accounts Receivable Recovery & Bad Debt Reduction

• Lead the organization’s end-to-end accounts receivable recovery strategy, from early-stage delinquency outreach through formal collections, demand letters, small claims and civil litigation, and criminal referrals, including bad-check complaints, where appropriate.
• Develop and implement a structured escalation process for past-due accounts, including notification timelines, demand letter templates, and criteria for legal escalation.
• Identify opportunities to reduce bad debt exposure by evaluating root causes, including credit terms, contract language, billing practices, and customer creditworthiness.
• Manage relationships with collection agencies, process servers, and outside litigation counsel handling recovery matters.
• Monitor and report accounts receivable recovery metrics, aging trends, collection outcomes, and bad debt write-offs to executive and finance leadership.
• Pursue appropriate legal remedies to recover outstanding balances, including small claims proceedings, civil litigation, mechanic’s liens, and coordination with law enforcement or district attorney offices regarding suspected check fraud and related matters.
• Collaborate with Finance and divisional leadership to strengthen credit policies, billing procedures, and collection practices to prevent future delinquencies.

General Legal Counsel

• Serve as the primary legal resource for executive leadership, department heads, and business division leaders on day-to-day legal matters.
• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, including vendor service agreements, customer service contracts, subcontractor agreements, and indemnification and hold-harmless provisions.
• Identify and proactively address legal, regulatory, contractual, and compliance risks across business operations.
• Advise on employment-related matters, licensing requirements, and regulatory compliance affecting HVAC, plumbing, fire suppression, fuel oil, energy services, and solar operations.
• Provide guidance on applicable New York State and New York City laws, regulations, and industry-specific requirements.

Outside Counsel & Litigation Management

• Select, engage, and oversee outside counsel across various practice areas, including litigation, employment, real estate, transactional, and regulatory matters.
• Manage active litigation matters, coordinate legal strategy, and communicate case status, potential exposure, and recommended courses of action to executive leadership.
• Monitor outside counsel performance and legal expenditures to ensure cost-effective, high-quality representation.
• Review and approve legal invoices and assist with managing outside counsel budgets.

Transactions & Corporate Matters

• Support potential business transactions, including acquisitions, asset purchases, joint ventures, and financing arrangements.
• Assist with legal due diligence, transaction structuring, and the drafting, review, and negotiation of transaction documents.
• Identify legal and commercial risks associated with proposed transactions and provide practical recommendations to leadership.
• Support other corporate legal matters as needed.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
• Active license to practice law in New York State and in good standing.
• Demonstrated experience in commercial collections, accounts receivable recovery, creditor rights, debt recovery, or commercial litigation.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Familiarity with small claims and civil litigation procedures, mechanic’s liens, and other legal remedies for recovering unpaid balances.
• Experience managing outside counsel, litigation matters, and legal budgets.
• Knowledge of New York State and New York City employment, licensing, and regulatory requirements is preferred.
• Experience supporting businesses in the HVAC, plumbing, fire suppression, fuel oil, energy services, construction, or solar industries is a plus.

Key Competencies

• Strong negotiation, legal research, and analytical skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple priorities.
• Strong business judgment and practical problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with executive leadership, Finance, and operational teams.
• Results-driven approach to collections, dispute resolution, and bad debt reduction.
• Ability to balance legal risk management with commercial and operational objectives.