Williams is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other basis protected under applicable discrimination law.

Do something that means something at Williams. This isn’t just a job - it’s an opportunity to explore and discover your passion with coworkers who become friends and mentors who push you to be your best self in and out of the office. At Williams, we make clean energy happen. And you can too, so bring your energy to ours!

The Senior Counsel is responsible for providing legal advice, opinions and support to help work towards our goals in addition to initiating and supervising project case management to ensure their timely and efficient completion. As a specialist, this role will provide advice and recommendations for action to internal leaders regarding sophisticated matters with meaningful impact on business activities and operations. The ability to use good judgment, collaborate with others and develop and obtain approvals from senior leaders for situation specific strategies and approaches are keys to success.

Your work will challenge you, and with our Core Values to guide you, you’ll quickly learn and grow with us.

Responsibilities/Expectations:

• Identifies and assesses legal issues and risks for assigned area(s) of responsibility; recommends and initiates appropriate courses of action
• Interacts with internal leadership regarding legal strategies, scenario plans, and desired outcomes
• Negotiates contract terms, settlements, mediation and agreements; conducts all post-closing or settlement requirements
• Retains and manages outside counsel to the extent the organization does not have in-house expertise and work justifies retention of an external party
• Leads department and enterprise initiatives
• Researches legislative history and legal issues to ensure up-to-date knowledge and interpretation of laws, regulations, case precedents, court and regulatory orders
• Monitors compliance with federal, state, and local laws and industry regulations; collaborates with appropriate parties for resolution
• Provides training to internal business partners on applicable laws, regulations, procedures, risks and regulatory changes
• Other duties as assigned

Education/Years of Experience:

• Required: Juris Doctorate from an ABA-accredited law school; a minimum of ten (10) years’ relevant legal or energy experience; member of State Bar Association and admitted to practice in the state hired, or eligible to become admitted in the state hired within one (1) year of date of hire, with current CLE compliance
• Preferred: Juris Doctorate from ABA-accredited law school; a minimum of twelve (12) years’ relevant legal or energy experience

Shift/Work Hours/Travel Requirements:

• Willing to travel up to 10%

Other Requirements:

• Demonstrates excellent organizational/interpersonal skills and safety as the utmost priority
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office and PC skills
• Experience in drafting of agency communications, contracts, motions, briefs, pleadings and opinions
• Experience in legal research and analysis
• Demonstrates objective and detailed analytical and problem solving abilities
• Demonstrates negotiation skills
• Knowledge of substantive law

About Houston (Williams Tower Location):

Our Houston office is located in the Williams Tower, just steps from the Houston Galleria on Post Oak Boulevard, an area with more than 700 retailers, fine dining and hotels within two square miles. We offer free onsite-parking!

 

Houston is the fourth most populous city in the nation and greater Houston is the most ethnically diverse metropolitan area in the United States. Houston is a dynamic mix of imagination, talent and first-class attractions that makes it a world-class city!

 

If you love being outside, Houston rates first in total park acreage among U.S. cities with more than one million residents and offers a 300-mile interconnected bikeway network spread over 500 square miles. Check out visithoustontexas to learn more!

Why Choose Williams?

We are committed to providing our employees with competitive compensation and benefits as part of your Total Rewards package to help protect your current and future physical, emotional, and financial health. We generally offer health benefit programs to our employees and their families that are competitive and flexible enough to meet your needs, and retirement benefits to allow you to invest now for financial security when you retire.  With rich learning and development programming and a high internal mobility rate, you are not just applying to a job with Williams; you are embarking on an exciting career!

• Competitive compensation
• Annual incentive program
• Hybrid work model - one work from home day each week for most office-based roles
• Flexible work schedule for most field-based roles
• 401(k) with company matching contribution and a fixed annual company contribution
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Generous company-paid life insurance and disability benefits
• A consumer-driven health plan option with the potential for a generous company contribution to a Health Savings Account
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid time off, including floating and company holidays
• Wellness Program with annual rewards
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Robust employee learning and development
• High internal mobility (we promote from within)
• Parental leave (we provide up to 6 weeks for each parent)
• Fertility coverage and adoption benefits
• Domestic partner benefits
• Educational reimbursement
• Non-profit donation matching contributions and time off to volunteer
• Employee resource groups
• Employee assistance programs
• Technology to make our work more productive and collaborative
• Regular employee engagement surveys and feedback processes

Williams has a long history of making a significant difference in the communities where we live and work, and we strive to cultivate an environment of employee inclusion, innovation and passion that values all voices and opinions. We help each other succeed and great things happen when people from a diverse set of backgrounds come together. Together, we make clean energy happen.

Eligibility and benefits are governed by the terms of the applicable plan or program document which can be amended or terminated at any time.

For more information, please visit https://www.williams.com/careers/total-rewards/.

Education Requirements:

Skill Requirements:

Competency Requirements:

Action oriented (3 - Meets Expectations), Collaborates (3 - Meets Expectations), Communicates effectively (3 - Meets Expectations), Customer focus (3 - Meets Expectations), Drives results (3 - Meets Expectations), Ensures accountability (3 - Meets Expectations), Instills trust (3 - Meets Expectations)