Director, Legal Affairs

Job Description

Job Description

Director, Legal Affairs

The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) include the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park and the La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park. They operate under the collective vision to inspire wonder, discovery, and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds. The museums hold one of the world’s most extensive and valuable collections of natural and cultural history—more than 35 million objects—used for groundbreaking scientific and historical research, and community engagement. From NHM’s opening in 1913 as the very first museum in Los Angeles, the organization has entered an exciting new era of transformation with building projects and campaigns, exhibitions, community outreach and impactful audience engagement.

NHMLAC’s values—adventurous, inclusive, authentic, and intentional—guide our work and visitor experience, committing us to foster a welcoming, safe and respectful workplace environment where innovation and collaboration thrive and every team member can contribute their unique perspectives to advance our mission. NHMLAC seeks candidates who are aligned with our values and priorities, and are passionate about connecting science with the vibrant and diverse communities we serve throughout Los Angeles.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is seeking a Director of Legal Affairs for our Executive department. The Director of Legal Affairs is responsible for supporting the leadership and oversight of the Museum’s legal affairs. Serving as a key organizational member and a trusted advisor, the incumbent provides legal support for contract negotiations, exempt organization law compliance, intellectual property, and matters concerning exhibitions, art acquisitions, dispositions, and loans. While initially integrating into an established external legal team, the Director will progressively assume independent management of these legal subjects and issues.

Responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to:

• Oversee the structuring, reviewing, drafting, and negotiation of general business contracts, strategic partnerships, and diverse business agreements.

• Provide expert legal guidance on intellectual property matters and licensing for collection objects, encompassing the review of image licensing terms, copyright status determinations, rights clearance strategies, and the Foundation’s utilization of images across publications and digital platforms.

• Manage legal complexities pertaining to exhibitions and collections, including the negotiation of exhibition and loan agreements, purchase and gift agreements for art acquisitions, and the conduct of provenance research to ensure compliance with cultural patrimony regulations and repatriation requests.

• Review wills, trusts, and various gift instruments while providing authoritative guidance on gift acceptance policies and regulations governing restricted funds and endowments.

• Advise on employment and labor law matters, ensuring institutional compliance with wage and hour regulations, discrimination and harassment prevention protocols, and the execution of workplace investigations.

• Provide legal counsel on risk management and insurance portfolios, including general commercial liability, fine arts insurance, cyber risk, and workers' compensation. Manage insurance renewals and COI for Museums and vendors, as well as all insurance claims and lawsuits.

• Maintain comprehensive files and documentation to uphold the Legal Department's role as the central repository for institutional legal records.

• Execute additional responsibilities as mandated by executive leadership or as necessitated by departmental requirements.

This position has the following requirements:

• A Juris Doctor degree from an accredited American Bar Association school of law. License to practice law in the State of California. Membership in good standing with the California Bar Association.

• 2 to 4 years of experience in a role as a General Counsel, Deputy Counsel, or Staff Attorney with background and expertise in transactional matters, corporate governance, exempt and non-profit organizations.

• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws, including wage and hour, leave, and accommodations compliance, as well as labor practices

  • Litigation experience is preferred.

• Expected core competencies include:

• Analytical Rigor: Simplifies complex problems using critical thinking to evaluate problems, gather information, and identify best-possible solutions.

• Courageous Communication: Intentionally works well with others cross-functionally and values diverse input to achieve the best output possible.

• Collaborative Excellence: Relays key messages effectively, employs active listening to understand rather than reply, and values feedback from the team.

• Adaptive Resilience: Thrives and grows in a rapidly changing environment and adopts a continuous growth mindset to learn from mistakes.

• Inclusive Interaction: Actively contributes to an environment in which all employees feel a sense of belonging and are valued for their differences.

• Building Trust & Relationship Management: Comfortably relating with people across different levels and cultures, sharing the "why" behind decisions, and displaying empathy.

• Accountable Ownership: Taking ownership of outcomes without a blame mindset and executing deliverables in a timely manner.

• Strategic Alignment & Execution: Aligning actions with the organization's goals and values, operationalizing ideas within the business model, and looking for connections when faced with challenges

NHMLAC is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering a workplace and public environment that uplifts Kindness, Fairness, Openness and Dignity. These values extend not only to our employees, but to our guests, local community, and organizational partners. If you are interested in this position, we encourage you to apply!

The salary range for this position is $200,000 - $250,000 per annum with experience plus excellent benefits. This is a full time regular, exempt position.

A cover letter, current resume, and list of 3-4 references are required for all applicants. Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled. Interested candidates please visit -our-museums and click the link of the position for which you are interested or go directly to the online application.