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Employer of Choice: ABA is recognized with a 2025 Great Company Culture Award and 2025 Great Place to Work designation!

Job Description:

The Deputy General Counsel provides strategic leadership for the Office of General Counsel (OGC), overseeing a team of senior attorneys and ensuring the effective management of daily operations. The role serves as a key advisor to business leaders, guiding risk mitigation and legal strategy across products, initiatives, and organizational priorities. It also provides expert counsel to the ABA, its subsidiaries, and related entities on a broad range of legal matters, including technology, payment systems, antitrust, business, standards development, trade association, and banking law.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serves as the back-up to the General Counsel with management oversight for senior people managers in the OGC.

• Supports ABA, its subsidiaries, and members by providing solid legal advice, research, direction, and analysis on association, banking, and business issues. Identifies potential legal issues related to business practices and policies and advises Executive Management and/or General Counsel.

• Participation in the contract review process and subsidiary/affiliate corporate governance. Plans training sessions and content for attorneys and staff; Strategizes and works with business units on technology and contract requests. Consult on business and risk issues that arise in the course of working with external vendors or third parties. 

• Advises and works closely with internal and external clients on a broad range of legal topics, including contracts, licensing, business initiatives and organization, banking, association law, payments, and technology. 

• Negotiates and drafts complex contracts that require extended negotiation, diplomacy, and tenacity with little or no supervision.

• Coordinates and supervises outside counsel representation in several areas, including CUSIP, routing numbers and fTLD Registry Services, LLC. Also, work with outside counsel on corporate, tax, and intellectual property items.

• Corporate Secretary for ABA Card Solutions, fTLD, and OGC representative on multiple internal committees and task forces.

• Cultivates strategic relationships with leaders to drive business results and manage risk. Collaborates across ABA staff and OGC attorneys with minimal supervision, ensuring timely, accurate updates to the General Counsel.

• Work with General Counsel to expand overall knowledge of internal policy.

• Assists the General Counsel and OGC in carrying out his/her duties with any additional work-related duties as appropriate and/or assigned.

• Assist in the development of ABA policies and obtain consensus across the organization.

Requirements:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. bar.

•  Minimum of 15 years of progressive legal experience, combining deep legal expertise with strong business acumen.  Demonstrated experience with contracts, negotiation, legal writing, and research, combined with a solid understanding of business operations and the practical application of law to business transactions and implementation.

• Experience serving as in-house counsel for a for-profit enterprise; counsel to a non-profit organization with for-profit subsidiaries; or experience with a law firm representing business clients strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to navigate the intersection of non-profit and for-profit structures, with expertise in compliance, governance, and regulatory matters.

• Experience within banking or financial services preferred; familiarity with payments, risk management, or corporate law highly valued.

• Proven leadership and management capability, including supervision of attorneys and staff across varied disciplines and levels of organizational complexity.

• Advanced proficiency in corporate practice, contract negotiation, legal analysis, and business transactions.

• Strong strategic judgment and communication skills, with the ability to translate legal insight into pragmatic, actionable guidance.

• Exceptional relationship management skills, with the credibility to advise executives and collaborate effectively across departments.

• Proficiency with legal technology platforms and contract management systems, including Microsoft Office and Adobe.

• Demonstrated ability to set priorities, manage multiple initiatives independently, and advance organizational goals in a dynamic environment.

• Commitment to collaboration, operational excellence, and advancing the organization’s mission through sound legal counsel.

• Ability to travel 20-50%.

Target salary for role: $340,000.00 - $350,000.00

Salary Band Range: $234,520.00 - $328,900.00 - $423,280.00

American Bankers Association (ABA) is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, marital status, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected Veteran status, personal appearance, political affiliation, family responsibilities, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.