Job Description

The Counsel - Litigation serves as a trusted advisor and subject matter resource for a portfolio of consumer claims, warranty disputes, mediations, and litigation matters, including matters arising under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.
The role is responsible for assessing legal and business risks, developing litigation and resolution strategies, directing outside counsel, and providing legal guidance to business stakeholders on matters that may impact the organization financially, operationally, and reputationally.
The role works closely with cross-functional partners, including consumer experience, technical, quality, warranty, and regional operations teams, as well as outside counsel, to investigate claims, develop defense strategies, assess risk, and achieve effective and efficient resolutions.
The position partners with outside counsel throughout all phases of assigned matters and provides legal guidance and support to internal stakeholders on consumer dispute and litigation-related issues.

Major Responsibilities

• (90%) Consumer Litigation/Lemon Law/Consumer Mediation
  • Independently manage a portfolio of consumer litigation, warranty, and lemon law matters, providing strategic direction regarding case assessment, litigation approach, dispute resolution options, settlement considerations, and overall matter management.
  • Provide legal counsel and strategic guidance to internal partners, the pre-litigation department on case handling and resolution.
  • Provide training for different business units and dealerships.
  • Attend mediations and trials.
  • Evaluate legal and business risks associated with assigned matters and provide practical recommendations to business stakeholders.
  • Directs and oversees outside counsel on assigned matters, including litigation strategy, discovery activities, case evaluations, settlement recommendations, trial preparation and resolution activities.
  • Monitor litigation trends, claim outcomes, settlement activity, and emerging legal developments affecting consumer litigation and warranty matters.
  • Review and approve litigation budgets, invoices, and case strategies in partnership with outside counsel.
  • Prepare case status updates, risk assessments, and reporting summaries for legal and business leadership.
  • Support preservation, collection, and review of documents and information relevant to litigation matters.
  • Assesses legal, financial, operational, and reputational risks associated with consumer disputes and litigation matters and provides recommendations regarding case strategy, settlement options, and business impacts.
  • Identifies trends and recurring issues arising from consumer claims and litigation activity and recommends process improvements or risk mitigation strategies.

• (10%) Other Assigned Matters and Learning Opportunities
  • Handle other litigation, dispute resolution, and legal matters as assigned, including support related to product liability, class actions, dealer matters, regulatory inquiries, and other legal department initiatives.

• Perform other duties as assigned

• Comply with all policies and standards

• The preceding functions have been provided as examples of the types of work performed by employees assigned to this job classification. Management reserves the right to add, modify, change or rescind the work assignments of different positions and to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job

Work Experience

• 6+ years experience as an attorney in a law firm and/or corporate legal department, including litigation, dispute resolution, or consumer protection matters required
• In-house legal experience working as an attorney within the automotive, manufacturing, or consumer products industry. preferred
• Experience handling consumer litigation, warranty, and lemon law matters preferred

Education

• Juris Doctor (JD) Required

Licenses and Certifications

• California State Bar Membership (Active) - State Bar of California Required

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Strong judgment and decision-making skills. (Advanced-Authority)
• Ability to successfully work independently while ensuring their manager and, where appropriate, the Chief Legal Officer is consulted on legal matters and challenges. (Intermediate-Advanced)
• Great time management skills including the ability to organize, prioritize and plan to ensure assigned matters are handled in a high quality, effective, efficient, and timely manner. (Advanced-Authority)
• Communicate effectively and timely, both orally and in writing, to keep manager and other members of management updated as appropriate. (Advanced-Authority)
• Demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and service orientation when supporting internal stakeholders and external business partners. (Advanced-Authority)
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify risks, analyze facts, and provide practical, timely legal guidance. (Advanced-Authority)
• A strong sense of curiosity and a desire for continuous process improvement. (Intermediate-Advanced)
• Empathy and strong teamwork skills with the goal of sharing learnings and building consensus both within and outside of the Mazda Legal department. (Intermediate-Advanced)
• Ability to collaborate effectively and provide legal guidance within cross-functional teams. (Intermediate-Advanced)
• Ability to assess legal risk and provide practical, business-oriented recommendations. (Intermediate-Advanced)
• Strong negotiation and dispute resolution skills. (Intermediate-Advanced)
• Ability to manage multiple matters concurrently while maintaining quality and timeliness. (Intermediate-Advanced)

Physical Demands

• Stationary Position/Seated: Constantly
• Communicate/Talking: Constantly
• Communicate/Hearing: Constantly
• Repetitive Motions: Constantly
• Seeing/Observing: Constantly

#LI-Remote

We support Remote work in the following states:

Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin

Pay Range

Salary to be determined by education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.

Learn more about MNAO’s comprehensive benefits package here