JOB SUMMARY:
The General Counsel serves as the Federation’s chief legal officer, leads the legal function, and acts as a strategic advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, Board of Directors, and senior leadership team. The role provides independent, practical, and mission-aligned legal counsel across governance, regulatory compliance, athlete safety, disputes, contracts, risk management, employment matters, commercial transactions, intellectual property, insurance, and organizational policy. The General Counsel balances legal rigor with sound business judgment, stakeholder sensitivity, and a deep commitment to fairness, transparency, athlete and horse welfare, and the integrity of sport.
Key Responsibilities:
The General Counsel’s principal responsibilities include the following, together with other duties consistent with the position’s role and responsibilities as assigned by the Chief Executive Officer:
Legal Strategy and Advice
• Serve as the organization’s primary legal advisor and provide timely, practical guidance on legal, regulatory, governance, and operational matters.
• Advise the CEO, Board of Directors, committees, councils, and senior staff on fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, decision-making processes, risk mitigation, and organizational policy.
• Anticipate legal and reputational risks and recommend proactive strategies that protect the organization, its members, athletes, officials, licensed professionals, competitions, sponsors, and other stakeholders.
• Translate complex legal issues into clear, actionable guidance for non-lawyer audiences.
Governance, Bylaws, and Regulatory Compliance
• Oversee compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, nonprofit requirements, corporate governance standards, and sport-governance obligations.
• Advise on bylaws, rules, policies, committee charters, election procedures, grievance processes, conflict-of-interest matters, and governance reforms.
• Oversee compliance with requirements applicable to national governing bodies, including obligations arising within the Olympic and Paralympic movement and requirements concerning athlete representation and rights, governance, transparency, reporting, audits, due process, and organizational accountability.
• Maintain and update governing documents, policies, and procedures to reflect legal developments, recognized governance practices, applicable regulatory requirements, and the organization’s strategic priorities; support constructive relationships with governmental, sport-governance, and regulatory bodies as appropriate.
• Serve as liaison to Audit Committee, Ethics Committee, Governance Committee, Nominating Committee
Athlete Safety, Welfare, and Sport Integrity
• Advise on athlete safety, safeguarding, SafeSport-related compliance, misconduct reporting, anti-retaliation obligations, eligibility, disciplinary matters, hearing procedures, and the allocation and coordination of responsibilities among the Federation and other bodies with applicable jurisdiction.
• Support policies and practices that promote safe, fair, and respectful sport environments for athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, staff, and participants.
• Advise on issues affecting equine welfare, competition safety, medication control, testing and enforcement, biosecurity, veterinary-related regulation, and the ethical treatment of horses in sport.
• Partner with operations, sport, compliance, and competition teams to ensure rules and enforcement processes are clear, consistent, legally sound, and aligned with the organization’s mission.
Contracts, Commercial Matters, and Transactions
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, including sponsorship agreements, vendor agreements, licensing arrangements, media and broadcast agreements, venue agreements, event contracts, technology agreements, insurance-related documents, and consultant agreements.
• Advise on intellectual property, brand protection, data privacy, confidentiality, records retention, and commercial rights.
• Develop contract templates, approval workflows, and risk-management standards to improve consistency and efficiency across the organization.
Dispute Resolution, Litigation, and Investigations
• Manage litigation, arbitrations, administrative proceedings, protests, grievances, disciplinary matters, eligibility disputes, rule challenges, and other contested matters.
• Oversee internal and external investigations, ensuring fairness, confidentiality, due process, and appropriate documentation.
• Manage relationships with outside counsel and control legal spend while ensuring high-quality representation.
• Promote early resolution of disputes when appropriate while preserving the organization’s legal position and stakeholder relationships.
Employment, Operations, and Organizational Risk
• Advise on employment law, workplace policies, staff training, disciplinary actions, investigations, executive employment matters, and organizational change.
• Support enterprise risk management, insurance, crisis response, incident management, and business continuity planning.
• Collaborate with finance, human resources, sport operations, compliance, communications, and membership teams to identify and manage legal and operational risks, strengthen compliance systems, and promote consistent implementation of organizational policies.
Legal Function Leadership and Administration
Lead, develop, and evaluate legal and regulatory staff; establish priorities and service standards; allocate internal and external legal resources; oversee departmental planning and budgets; and foster a collaborative, responsive, and high-performing team.
Core Competencies
• Strategic judgment: Applies legal expertise in a practical, mission-focused manner that advances organizational goals.
• Integrity and independence: Maintains the highest ethical standards and provides candid advice, including in difficult or high-stakes situations.
• Governance fluency: Understands board dynamics, fiduciary duties, committee structures, member organizations, and stakeholder decision-making.
• Communication: Writes and speaks with clarity, precision, diplomacy, and credibility for legal and non-legal audiences.
• Collaboration: Builds trust across departments, volunteer leadership, members, athletes, officials, partners, and external counsel.
• Problem solving: Identifies workable solutions to complex legal, operational, and stakeholder challenges.
• Commitment to sport integrity: Demonstrates dedication to athlete safety, horse welfare, fair competition, transparency, and ethical leadership.
Qualifications
• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction; eligibility for admission in Kentucky or willingness to obtain such admission is preferred.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible legal experience, including substantial experience as in-house counsel or advising nonprofit, sports, regulatory, governance, or membership organizations; experience in equestrian sport or association management is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience advising senior executives and boards on complex legal, governance, compliance, and risk-management matters.
• Strong contract drafting, negotiation, policy development, and dispute-resolution skills.
• Demonstrated experience leading legal or compliance professionals, managing outside counsel and legal budgets, establishing departmental priorities, and developing effective teams.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, exercise excellent judgment under pressure, and provide clear recommendations in complex and sensitive situations.
• Experience in a mission-driven membership, nonprofit, sports, regulatory, or service-oriented organization is preferred, particularly experience involving amateur sport, Olympic and Paralympic governance, equestrian sport, athlete safety, investigations, or disciplinary proceedings.
• Ability and willingness to travel periodically and provide legal support outside regular business hours when required by competitions, hearings, investigations, incidents, or other time-sensitive matters.
Physical Requirements
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 10 pounds and occasional lifting and/or moving up to 25 pounds. (Anything over 25 pounds requires a two person lift)
US Equestrian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We encourage applications from members of underrepresented communities.