Paralegal

Description

Title: Paralegal

Reports to: VP General Counsel

Location: Chicago, IL

Looking for a job that can grow into a lifelong career?

At Lactalis USA, we believe in promoting from within and giving our employees meaningful opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Whether you’re just starting out or bringing years of experience, we’ll provide the tools and support you need to succeed.

Lactalis is the world leader in dairy—a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Every day, we’re proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together every day.

In the US, we offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani® Italian cheeses and ricotta, Président® specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft® natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone’s® cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel®, Black Diamond® cheddar, and Parmalat® milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi’s®, Stonyfield Organic®, Brown Cow™, Oui®, Yoplait®, Go-Gurt®, :ratio®, Green Mountain Creamery®, and Mountain High®, along with sour cream and a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun®, Gopi®, and Arz®.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values—Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We’re building a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone’s unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us make an impact. 

From your PASSION to ours 

This is an excellent opportunity to learn paralegal skills within a corporate legal department and may be an ideal position for those who are considering law school, business school, or other graduate school studies. 

This Paralegal will work closely with the General Counsel of the three cheese divisions within Lactalis USA to support (1) legal operations for all Lactalis USA divisions; (2) data privacy compliance for all web sites of the cheese divisions; (3) corporate recordkeeping and filings; and (4) intellectual property for the cheese divisions.  This Paralegal will also take on special projects on behalf of the cheese divisions, including summarizing pending legislation and tracking litigation whose outcome could impact the business operations of the cheese divisions.  

This position is located in our Chicago office, which observes a 3-2 hybrid work schedule. 

From your EXPERTISE to ours  

Legal Operations. (Approximately 35% of time) 

• Act as point-person for Lactalis USA for key legal department vendors
• BrightFlag, our e-billing platform
• Luminance, our contract review platform
• PLI, our CLE platform
• And other subscription-based vendors 
• Support legal department members’ use of the various platforms, answering their questions and seeking solutions from the vendors 
• Help draft monthly reports on actual spend of the legal department compared to budget
• Stay informed about technology developments in the legal field, and identify new technology tools for possible adoption

Data Privacy and ADA Compliance. (Approximately 25% of time)

• Monitor state and federal laws relating to data privacy, particularly with respect to the privacy policies and cookie practices of the web sites of the cheese divisions
• Work with outside counsel to amend web site privacy policies, as necessary
• Ensure that the web sites of the cheese divisions remain ADA compliant
• Flag aspects of new state and federal data privacy laws that impact other functions (e.g. human resources) to the appropriate attorney

Intellectual Property. (Approximately 15% of time)

• Act as point-person for our outside intellectual property firms for routine filings and trademark clearance
• Update global intellectual property databases to reflect renewed trademark registrations and patent annuities

Corporate Recordkeeping/Filings.  (Approximately 15% of time) 

Corporate Governance Matters for all Business Units.  The Paralegal will support the Corporate Governance Coordinator in maintaining corporate minute books for all U.S. divisions, including preparation of stockholder and board resolutions, and assisting with corporate registrations and other filings in applicable jurisdictions. Prepare and file routine corporate filings, with attorney oversight

Special Projects. (Approximately 10% of time) Many different types of special projects might come up. The below are just some examples from the past for this position: 

• Research and draft policies related to the use of artificial intelligence, focusing both on practical and legal implications
• Monitor environmental legislation applicable to our business and products 

Requirements

From your STORY to ours    

Education/Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree and strong record of academic success
• Paralegal experience in a law firm or in-house legal department, preferably at a CPG company, is a plus but not necessary
• Paralegal certificate is a plus but is not necessary

Skills/Abilities

• Curiosity, ambition, and humility 
• Strong work ethic
• Excellent analytical skills
• Strong computer skills 
• Self-motivated and inspired to improve 
• Strong independent judgment
• Attention to detail
• Thrives in a team environment 
• Curiosity, ambition, and humility 
• Strong desire to learn more, and achieve more, to support the team’s success

At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options. We support insurance costs significantly, contribute generously to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one. We are committed to your professional growth, providing training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement. Join us and grow your career.

Lactalis Heritage Dairy is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities.