Counsel

The American Psychological Association (APA), a large non-profit organization seeks a practical, collaborative lawyer with 3-5 years’ experience to serve as in-house Counsel providing day-to-day legal support for division and program legal support, general and federal contract review, “start-up”-related business legal support, public and private fundraising/development, conflicts of interest, and litigation support. Experience in election law, lobbying rules, and tax-exemption compliance a plus. This role works closely with the General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, and Associate General Counsel and Office of General Counsel paralegals and administrative staff. This lawyer also works closely with APA staff at most levels of the organization, APA elected and appointed leaders, Divisions, APA governance bodies, outside counsel, and external parties to provide timely, strategic, and accurate in-house corporate counsel and risk management advice.
Salary range ($107,000-$149,000)

Note: The APA operates on a 37.5-hour work week with one-hour lunch breaks each day. APA’s salaries are based on several considerations, including years of relevant experience, budgetary parameters, level of education, and previous staff and/or governance experience at APA.
Education And Experience Required

- J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school. Active member in good standing of the District of Columbia Bar, or a bar eligible for waiver into D.C. Three to five years of progressive legal experience in one or more of the preferred practice areas: non-profit, association, governance, contracts lifecycle management, and grants (including governmental—federal and other public entities--and private), corporate compliance, and litigation support. Familiarity with election law, tax-exempt organization law, and general legal counseling preferred.

- Strong generalist instincts, sound judgment, and the ability to spot and address legal issues involving multiple subjects under deadline. Comfortable learning new areas of law quickly as business needs arise.

- Exceptional analytic and critical thinking skills. Strong interpersonal, negotiating, and collaborative skills. Clear, concise communicator, both written and verbal, with the ability to translate complex legal concepts into practical guidance to organizational stakeholders, executive leadership, Board members, governance bodies, and volunteer leaders.

- Thrive in a small, fast-paced general counsel’s office. Experience working with staff and volunteers on legal guidance, project planning, compliance, risk assessment, operational approvals, and issue escalation.

Computer Skills Required

General fluency with Microsoft Office, remote meeting programs such as Teams and Zoom, contract management systems, project management tools, APA-approved AI tools, and other business, workflow, and collaboration software. Technical ability to adapt quickly to new systems and to use technology to organize intake, track matters, summarize issues, prioritize projects, and manage legal workflows.
Responsibilities

- Serves as a day-to-day legal resource for APA divisions and business units, providing guidance, compliance support, first-line review, and risk management strategies on operational matters. Triages incoming legal questions to the appropriate OGC workflow and helps internal clients understand compliance requirements, decision points, and when to escalate.

- Manages the contract lifecycle for assigned APA matters, including review, drafting, and occasionally negotiation. Contract types include program agreements, vendor and consulting engagements, service agreements, event contracts, NDAs, data agreements, and other operational agreements.

- Partners with assigned APA revenue-generating team(s) to identify legal and business risks, recommend revisions, drive timely contract review. Provides ongoing program counsel and operational approval. Collaborates with OGC colleagues on governance “internal law” compl