Senior Counsel

Position: Senior CounselLocation/Department: Richmond Headquarters/LegalStatus: Full-Time Salaried/ExemptOur CompanyUniversal Corporation is a global business-to-business agriproducts company with over 100 years of experience supplying products and innovative solutions to meet our customers’ evolving needs. With operations in over 30 countries on five continents, we are uniquely positioned to leverage our worldwide network to access a diverse, reliable supply of plant-based materials. This presence, combined with our supply chain expertise, integrated processing capabilities, and commitment to sustainability, enables us to deliver high-quality, customizable, and traceable value-added agriproducts essential to our customers’ success. We have two operating segments: Tobacco Operations and Ingredients Operations. We are the leading global leaf tobacco supplier. Our Tobacco Operations involve procuring and processing flue-cured, burley, dark air-cured, and oriental leaf tobacco for manufacturers of consumer tobacco products and performing related services. Through our Ingredients Operations, we procure raw materials globally and process the raw materials through a variety of value-added manufacturing processes to produce high-quality, innovative, specialty plant-based ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, botanical extracts, and flavorings for consumer-packaged goods manufacturers, retailers, and food and beverage companies.SummaryWe are seeking an experienced corporate attorney to join our legal team as Senior Counsel at a publicly traded company. You will provide legal counsel in connection with corporate and commercial areas and would support the General Counsel as well as the two Associate General Counsels. You would also interact with senior management of various corporate departments as needed, including Treasury, Information Technology, Compliance, Human Resources and Tax. Commercial work will involve assisting with contract review and negotiation, and other transactional matters, regulatory and compliance matters, and general business and legal needs. This position reports directly to the General Counsel.What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)Drafting, reviewing, negotiating and advising on a variety of commercial agreements, including but not limited to supply agreements, customer agreements, consulting agreements, purchase order terms and conditions, finance agreements, manufacturing and storage contracts, leases, shipping and transportation contracts and NDAs.Supporting the Legal Department’s activities and assisting in the management of outside counsel with respect to various compliance and ethics matters, including antitrust/competition matters, anti-corruption and other policies and procedures to ensure compliance with domestic and international laws and regulation.Providing general support and advice regarding general matters of corporate law, including support of the corporate secretary, including preparation of materials for Board of Directors and Committee meetings, minutes, resolutions and other general corporate matters.Providing general support and advice as needed regarding labor and employment matters, operations, tax, finance and general oversight of litigation matters.Providing legal and business counseling to Company leadership and personnel in a variety of subject matter areas, including but not limited to general corporate, regulatory and compliance and operations.Minimum Requirements3-5 years of commercial and/or corporate transactional and governance experience including experience at a nationally recognized law-firm.Must be admitted to practice law in Virginia.Familiarity with SEC reporting documents, proxy statement.Experience in corporate law and corporate governance matters.Thrives in a growing environment and enjoys working on a variety of items each day.Team-oriented, with exceptional interpersonal skills, a positive and upbeat attitude, unquestionable ethics and integrity, and sound judgment.Able to work independently and collaboratively, with a proactive, solution-oriented approach.Able to approach legal matters with a sense of pragmatism and flexibility to recommend solutions that enable our company’s success while protecting its legacy and future.Ability to understand the company’s business objectives and anticipate the nature and magnitude of legal issues (local and international) that could arise in various settings.BenefitsWe offer a wide range of market-competitive total rewards that include 401(k) match, pension, merit increases, paid holidays, medical, dental, life, vision, short and long-term disability benefits, and tuition assistance to name a few.EOE M/F/Disabled/Vet EmployerAll applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

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