Assistant General Counsel

Job Purpose

Under the direction of the General Counsel, the Assistant General Counsel is responsible for handling a variety of routine to moderately complex legal projects.

Position Summary

The Assistant General Counsel is a member of a three-person Legal Department consisting of General Counsel, Associate General Counsel, and Assistant General Counsel. The Assistant General Counsel provides comprehensive legal guidance across all aspects of AFTs nonprofit operations including: Corporate and Governance; Programs; Government Relations/Advocacy; Development; Communications/Marketing; and Land Projects. The Assistant General Counsel plays a critical role in ensuring legal compliance, mitigating risk, and supporting AFTs mission through sound legal strategy and counsel.

Duties and Responsibilities

General Program Support

- Act as legal liaison for AFTs programs.

- Draft, review, and negotiate programmatic-related legal documents, and ensure that these documents are in accordance with laws, public policy, and internal policies and protocols.

- Provide advice related to AFTs advocacy and lobbying efforts, and compliance with local, state and federal lobbying and ethics laws.

- Provide advice on nondisclosure agreements.

- Provide advice and support to departments with legal research needs.

- Manage entity formations, management, and dissolutions.

Contracts

- Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of contracts, subawards, MOUs, donor agreements, and other agreements between AFT and partners, consultants, governmental entities, and others.

- Advise staff on federal and state grant compliance, including OMB Uniform Guidance requirements.

- Advise development staff on commercial co-ventures, corporate sponsorships, and other fundraising matters.

- Support management of contract templates and contracting processes across the organization.

Intellectual Property

- Advise on the protection and management of AFTs intellectual property, including trademarks and copyright.

- Review and negotiate licensing agreements for use of AFTs intellectual property.

- Oversee trademark registration, maintenance, and infringement matters.

Administration

- Advise management and human resources on employment law matters, including National Labor Relations Act and collected bargaining. Coordinate with outside employment counsel on complex matters.

- Advise management and human resources on employment policies. Ensure compliance with federal and state employment laws, including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and state wage and hour laws.

- Support workplace investigations and advise on appropriate remedial action.

- Provide legal support for internal controls and policies. Address data privacy and cybersecurity matters. Advise on records retention.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

- Manage litigation, including engagement and oversight of outside litigation counsel.

- Evaluate legal claims and defenses and provide strategic recommendations.

- Coordinate discovery responses and document preservation efforts.

Land Projects

- Support and advise program staff on land projects, including agricultural conservation easement acquisitions; Buy-Protect-Sell plus transactions; Farm Legacy transactions (real property gifts); leasing; and other real property transactions.

- Draft agreements and contracts for land projects and review partner documentation.

- Advise staff in conservation easement stewardship matters, including easement enforcement and defense.

- Support program staff preparation and review of materials for the Land Projects Committee of AFTs Board of Directors.

- Research real property law issues.

General Legal Counsel

- Serve as a trusted legal advisor to all departments and provide practical, mission-aligned counsel.

- Conduct legal research and analysis on issues affecting AFT.

- Develop and deliver training programs for staff on legal compliance topics.

- Support special projects and initiatives requiring legal input.

- Stay up to date on relevant developments in the areas of tax-exempt organizations law, real estate law, and others.

- Perform other legal duties as assigned.

This is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions. While this is intended to be an
reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned.

Qualifications

We seek professionals who are interested in pursuing American Farmland Trusts Mission, upholding our Core Values, and approaching our work informed by our Guiding Beliefs.

We seek professionals who demonstrate adaptability, sound judgment, accountability, and the ability to work effectively within a structured and collaborative organizational environment. As an organization with established leadership structures and enterprise-wide decision-making processes, some decisions and priorities are set at the senior leadership level to support broader organizational goals and consistency across teams. Successful candidates can work effectively within this framework while contributing positively through collaboration, initiative, and constructive dialogue.

Ideal candidates approach their work and interactions with professionalism, emotional intelligence, and a solutions-oriented mindset. They communicate respectfully across all levels of the organization, assume positive intent, and engage constructively when navigating differing perspectives, feedback, or organizational decisions. We value individuals who are resilient, collaborative, and committed to fostering positive working relationships, contributing to team success, and supporting a respectful and mission-driven workplace culture.

- Experience advising non-profits on a wide range of business and compliance matters.

- Familiarity with OMB Uniform Guidance.

- Familiarity with working with public agencies a plus.

- Candidate should be results-oriented and creative in problem-solving.

- Excellent written and oral communication skills.

- Ability to draft quality legal documents quickly, and to respond promptly and helpfully to the needs of staff.

- Aptitude for independent work and exercising good judgment to manage legal risk within broadly defined policies and practices. Assignments are complex and substantially important to organization.

- Comfortable working in multiple jurisdictions and managing multiple projects in a decentralized environment.

- Requires sense of humor and composure when dealing with colleagues of diverse personalities and work styles.

- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work cooperatively and constructively as a member of a team.

- Requires ability to change the thinking of, or gain acceptance of, others in sensitive situations, both within and outside the organization.

- Requires ability to anticipate problems, identify probable issues of concern in advance.

Education & Experience

- Bachelor's degree, Juris Doctor, admission to state bar.

- Experience advising for-profit or non-profits on a wide range of business matters.

- Experience with real estate transactions and conservation easements a plus. Familiarity with agricultural land protection and agricultural conservation easements a plus.

- 3+ years legal experience or commensurate general legal and contracting experience.

Working Conditions/Travel

- This position works remotely. Occasional work in the evenings or on weekends may be required to meet deadlines.

- Travel is not expected to exceed more than 5%.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position has no supervisory responsibility.

This position is funded, in whole or in part, through grant funding and is contingent upon the continued availability and adequacy of such funding. If funding supporting the position is reduced, suspended, delayed, unavailable, discontinued, not renewed, or otherwise materially changed, AFT reserves the right, consistent with applicable law, to adjust the positions hours and compensation, place the employee on furlough, eliminate the position, or terminate employment. Nothing in this job description guarantees employment for any specific duration or modifies the at-will nature of employment, where applicable.

Compensation
American Farmland Trust offers excellent vacation, medical, retirement and other benefits. The salary range for this position is from $1100,000 to $120,000 based upon experience.

American Farmland Trust offers a full benefits package for full-time employees:

- Insurance coverage begins the 1st of the month following the date of hire.

- Medical & Prescription Coverage

- Dental Coverage

- Vision Coverage

- Company Paid Life Insurance & Long-Term Disability (LTD)

- Voluntary Life Insurance

- Flexible Spending Account (FSA) – Healthcare & Dependent Care

- Health Savings Account (HSA)

- 401k Plan

- Sick Leave: Regular full-time employees accrue 13 sick days per year.

- Vacation Leave: Accrue 15 days during the first year increasing by one day per year to 20 days per year maximum.

- Holidays: AFT observes twelve fixed holidays and a week between Christmas and New Years off during the year (all offices closed) plus a choice of up to three (depending on hiring month) floating holidays.

Why you should apply

- Be a part of a purpose-driven, committed, knowledgeable, high-performing, experienced and fun team

- A diverse and inclusive work environment

- A cause and mission you can be proud of

- Competitive compensation & benefits

- Remote work opportunity

Timeline

To be considered applicants must submit a resume, answer all screener questions and include a cover letter explaining what they are a right fit for both AFT and this role.

Please apply directly through AFTs Paycom Career Portal using this link: Assistant General Counsel

If the link is unavailable, please visit AFTs Careers page and select this position to submit your application