Primary Purpose:
Under the general direction of Vice President, Litigation and Product Safety, provide broad support for global litigation and product safety issues. The candidate will manage commercial, environmental, real estate, and corporate-related disputes and litigation, as well as insured litigation (including product liability cases), as assigned from time to time, throughout the Americas, EMEA and APAC. The candidate will also support and provide legal counsel and advice regarding automotive product safety regulation, warranty and recall issues.
Primary Duties:
- Provide proactive, efficient and cost-effective management of Adient’s disputes and litigation matters in the Americas, EMEA and APAC, as assigned. Create and deploy litigation and dispute resolution management strategies, processes and related tools, including early case assessment and budgeting discipline, to drive consistent management and reporting of litigation across the various regions.
- Proactively collaborate across regions with other members of the Adient Legal Department, outside counsel and other non-traditional legal resources to investigate, evaluate and effectively counter threatened or pending litigation or bring affirmative claims against third parties. Advise the business on litigation risks and strategies.
- Develop and help drive adoption of best practices, process improvements, training, and lessons learned related to litigation and product safety issues.
- Drive efficient, effective and practical use of outside counsel and management of outside counsel costs. Effectively utilize Legal Department electronic tools and applications, including CounselLink matter management system and eBilling processes.
- Assist product safety technical experts to drive for continuous improvement in Adient’s product safety management program, including potential safety concerns, reporting cadence and content, safety committee reviews and decision-making process, etc.
- Advise on domestic and global investigations of potential product defect issues and recall requirements, and review internal and external communications regarding such issues.
- Advise on U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reporting and compliance requirements, as well as compliance with the TREAD Act. Advise on reporting and compliance requirements of other applicable governmental agencies outside the U.S., including RAPEX and KBA.
- Assist in the identification and evaluation the relevance of government and third-party standards to specific products.
- Monitor and track new legal and regulatory developments; develop and implement training and informative materials to increase awareness and educate others of developments.
- Advise on legal and regulatory requirements and liability risks for automotive seating suppliers in the developing areas, including autonomous and electric vehicles.
- Support Risk Management in analyzing recall insurance programs and/or product liability insurance programs.
Job Specifications:
- JD Degree, member of a U.S. state bar association.
- Minimum 8 years of relevant legal experience which includes meaningful period of time with either a top law firm, a large corporation, or both, and experience successfully working with senior management.
- Experience as a litigation attorney with an emphasis on complex commercial litigation and product liability litigation.
- Solid knowledge and experience in global automotive safety regulations and requirements. High degree of business acumen; strong technical aptitude.
- Prior litigation management experience preferred, including experience managing outside counsel.
- Ability to translate the strategic goals and objectives into strategies and actioned priorities.
- Strong analytical skills; solid decision making capabilities coupled with the ability to analyze situations and provide practical recommendations.
- Results oriented; effective at managing multiple priorities under tight deadlines and ability to prioritize conflicting demands, organize time and resources to deliver consistent results for the business and bring litigation matters to successful resolution.
- Ability to make solid judgment calls under pressure.
- Excellent oral, written and electronic communication skills.
- Ability to travel, up to 20% of the time as required.
Location: Plymouth, MI
This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the candidate. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the candidate. The candidate may be required to perform other related duties.
COMPANY INFORMATION: Adient is a global leader in automotive seating. With approximately 75,000 employees in 33 countries, Adient operates 208 manufacturing/assembly plants worldwide. We produce and deliver automotive seating for all major OEMs. From complete seating systems to individual components, our expertise spans every step of the automotive seat-making process. Our integrated, in-house skills allow us to take our products from research and design to engineering and manufacturing — and into more than 20 million vehicles every year. We are a global leader in automotive seating because of our people — a team of adventurous thinkers and passionate high performers who make it all possible. We pride ourselves on being at the vanguard of new industry trends and technologies. When you join Adient, you’ll play an important role in helping us improve the experience of a world in motion. At Adient, we care about your character just as much as your qualifications. Because for us, it’s more than the job. It’s about committing to your responsibilities. Creating a global community and empowering your teammates. That’s why we work hard to ensure our employees — no matter their race, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, caste, disability, union membership, ethnicity, religious beliefs or the stage of their careers — can see the difference their work makes for our customers and their consumers around the globe.
