General Counsel of Independent Exploration & Production Company in Austin, Texas

Job Description

• Serve on management team, providing legal advice to other executives of the company
• Provide legal advice, support and related services to the company’s business
• Review and negotiate oil & gas leases, mineral and land purchase agreements, operating agreements, joint venture agreements, surface use agreements and unitization agreements
• Draft and negotiate agreements with suppliers, vendors and contractors
• Oversee the due diligence phase of producing property acquisitions
• Represent the company in dealings with third parties, including but not limited to Federal, state, or local agencies or representatives
• Identify legal risks and consider alternative structures and strategies to accurately reflect commercial decisions and mitigate risk
• Ensure compliance with laws, regulations and company policy; anticipate and guard against legal risks and exposures to the company
• Coordinate with and oversee outside counsel to ensure proper handling of matters where counsel is retained
• Communicate and coordinate on a regular basis with parent company’s legal department
• Oversee and manage legal department, including other attorneys and legal support staff

Qualifications/Experience

• 15+ years of experience; J.D. from accredited school; licensed to practice law in at least one state
• Top credentials and related experience from in-house, regulatory body, and/or leading law firm
• Strong transactional & client advisory skills in the upstream oil and gas industry
• Thorough understanding of the economic and business factors related to the upstream oil & gas industry
• Sufficient understanding of oil and gas exploration and development projects
• Familiarity with oil & gas leases, mineral and land purchase agreements, operating agreements, joint venture agreements, surface use agreements and unitization agreements
• Able to work effectively with minimum supervision on relatively unstructured tasks
• Confidence to give business strategy opinions, not just detailing out legal options
• Commercial, pragmatic approach and ability to quickly grasp complex commercial arrangements
• Capable of spotting and reconciling conflicting views and interests among different parts of the organization
• Ability to effectively manage a high volume of complex and diverse matters, provide support and counsel to multiple teams and manage conflicting and evolving work demands
• Hands-on person who will immediately command the professional respect of others who possess long-time practical experience of working in or serving the upstream business
• Track record as a self-starter comfortable with tackling new areas and working in an uncertain regulatory and legal environment

Compensation

Competitive Base salary with annual target bonus based on company performance; annual equity grants.