Director Legal Affairs

SUMMARY: 

Assists the VP Legal Affairs/General Counsel in protecting Four Winds Casinos’ legal interests and maintaining its operations within the scope of applicable law.  Supports the creation, implementation, and direction of Legal Services.  In coordination with the VP Legal Affairs/General Counsel, provides the Four Winds executive team with advice and counsel, best practices, and strategies for managing risk, from a legal perspective.  

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

• Serves under the direction of the Vice President Legal Affairs/General Counsel and may need to represent the department in the absence of the VP.


• Represents the interests of Four Winds Casinos regarding any issues posing potential liability, and coordinates with outside counsel as applicable.


• In coordination with risk department, identify and manage legal risks, anticipate potential legal issues, develop risk mitigation strategies and establish policies and procedures to ensure Four Winds’ compliance.


• Responsible for and directly oversees all aspects of contract review and management.  


• Performs legal research and drafts memoranda regarding areas such as labor and employment law, regulatory compliance, contract law, and other applicable disciplines.


• Directs the flow of confidential reports and documents to the proper individuals within the organization, always maintaining the highest level of confidentiality.


• In coordination with the Director of Risk Management, responsible for assessing legal issues related to the property and casualty insurance needs of Four Winds.  


• Issues opinions concerning interpretation of regulations and statutes and ensures the appropriate Senior executive members and department heads are made aware of applicable changes to such.


• Responsible for coordinating with outside counsel to manage the intellectual property portfolio of Four Winds Casinos.  


• Ability to effectively communicate with cross-functional teams on matters related to contract drafting and negotiation.


• Manages litigation or dispute resolution processes, working with external counsel, developing legal strategies, and representing the casino's interests in Tribal Court when necessary. 


• Have and/or develop an understanding of the legal relationship between tribes and the federal government which includes the interpretation and application of the tribe's Constitution, Codes of Ordinances, Resolutions, Policies, and an understanding of complex jurisdictional boundaries between tribal, federal, and state governments.


• Oversees debt collection processes, including initialization of small claims actions and other legal remedies as appropriate and approved by the VP Legal Affairs/General Counsel.


• Trains and develops legal staff on full cycle contract drafting and negotiation process of SaaS agreements, vendor agreements, performer agreements and ancillary agreements such as amendments, addenda, exhibits, contract riders etc. 


• In coordination with VP Legal Affairs/General Counsel, develop and implement legal strategies that align with Four Winds’ objectives and effectively communicate strategies and objectives to legal and risk stakeholders within the department.


• Maintains appropriate staffing levels in the department by interviewing, selecting, training, scheduling, evaluating, promoting, disciplining, and terminating employees, as needed.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual assigned to this position.  They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required of personnel so classified.

Promotes the following within the department and among all employees:

• Encourages mutual respect, dignity, and integrity with all employees, by setting positive examples at all times.


• Instills an atmosphere that encourages employees to share ideas, discuss concerns, and resolve conflicts.


• Retains employees through involvement in employee training and development.


• Explains why we do things, in advance of doing them.


• Upholds the customer service standards of Four Winds Casinos in dealing with internal and external customers and vendors, while still protecting the assets and integrity of Four Winds Casinos.  

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Directly supervises the Legal Affairs Manager. Indirectly supervises the Senior Legal Affairs Administrator and the Legal Affairs Administrator positions.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

Must hold a J.D. degree, plus two to five years’ applicable experience required. Must be licensed to practice law; licensure in the relevant jurisdiction, preferred.  Must be able to obtain admission to practice before the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians Tribal Court. 

SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

Ability to write business legal reports and correspondence and effectively present information to senior management. Ability to respond to inquiries from regulatory agencies, customers, and vendors.  Experience in contract law and employment law.  Experience resolving conflict between groups with opposing perspectives, agendas, or priorities.  Self-assured and confident in a variety of settings with a strong belief in own capabilities.  Excellent verbal and written communication and organizational skills required. Computer literate in Microsoft Excel, Word, or related software.  

This position requires a Level 2 Gaming License.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret the most complex of documents, such as technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents.  Ability to write effective letters, memos, speeches. and articles for publication. Ability to respond to inquiries or complaints from staff members at all levels, guests, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.  Ability to effectively communicate in one-on-one, small group, and large group settings.  Ability to effectively present information to top management and public groups.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals, and work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference.

REASONING ABILITY:

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.  Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, reaches with hands and arms, and talks or hears.  The employee frequently is required to stand and walk.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.  When on the casino floor, the noise level increases to loud.  A casino environment is typically smoky.