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Why Work for Us
Our culture is focused on building inclusive teams, where differences and unique perspectives are embraced so you can contribute to your fullest potential as you pursue your career. Our locations feature a variety of work environments, including open work spaces and virtual connection platforms to inspire productivity and flexible collaboration. And we are proud to support our employees volunteer interests, and make it a priority to join together in efforts that give back to our communities.
Job Description
Overview: General Motors seeks a product litigation attorney to manage product liability cases, claims, and related matters and to work with the GM engineering and safety organizations to monitor and identify any product issues relating to safety. The attorney will be part of the Product Litigation team located in Detroit, but will manage matters and interact with outside counsel from different regions of the United States.
Job Summary:
You will be responsible for managing and coordinating activities related to the defense of product liability matters, including personal injury and property damage. The individual will be responsible for the pursuit of claims on behalf of General Motors and its various affiliates. You should expect to be actively engaged in case management, including strategy, discovery, company witness deposition preparation and attendance at depositions and mediations on behalf of General Motors. PL Counsel is responsible for managing and tracking case budgets and ensuring that timely evaluations of liability issues and business risks are appropriately assessed. Additionally, PL Counsel perform a vital cross-functional role with General Motors' Safety Organization to help identify potential motor vehicle safety concerns.
Position Description: Resilience, and the ability to manage multiple large-scale projects, as well as strong communication (written and oral) skills and the ability to present information and reports to management clearly and concisely. The candidate should be collaborative, with strong ability to build relationships, gain credibility, and partner with others.
Bar Admission: Admission, in good standing, to the State Bar of Michigan or ability to obtain admission into the Michigan Bar within one (1) year of employment.
Position Information: This position calls for a seasoned and accomplished product litigation attorney possessed of excellent judgment, solid character, and personal integrity. The role will be responsible, primarily, for day-to-day management of GM's product liability claims related to assigned specialties or jurisdictions.
Responsibilities will include the following:
Ensure new matters are properly entered into case management system, including required TREAD data;
Assign outside counsel, consistent with GM's Strategic Legal Partner program and the facts and circumstances of the matter;
Work with GM's claims administrator, engineering resources, National Discovery Counsel, and trial counsel on evaluation of claims and identification of any engineering safety issues;
Work with National Discovery Counsel and trial counsel on the development of defense strategies and support of case activities;
Work with National Discovery Counsel and the in-house discovery team on review of and strategy regarding discovery responses, document collection, and document production;
Timely review and analyze case evaluations, briefs and motions submitted by outside counsel and address complete related tasks as outlined in GM's policies and processes;
Determine settlement value or trial recommendations for specific cases or claims as outlined in GM's policies and processes;
Coordinate selection of litigation consultants, expert witnesses, trial counsel, and appellate counsel;
Work with outside counsel on deposition preparation and trial preparation;
Attend and support company witness depositions;
Review and process legal bills for counsel in assigned system and ensure that matters are managed within budget;
Develop or review reports and data related to engineering analysis, TREAD, Medicare, outside counsel costs, and case load;
Welcome opportunities for cross-functional, collaborative projects outside of the Product Litigation group;
Conduct oneself consistent with GM's Values, Behaviors, and Competencies.
Additional Job Description
Qualifications & Skills: This position requires an exceptional attorney with a distinguished professional record and a strong business orientation. Personal and professional 'fit' within the Company's culture is of paramount importance. Candidates must be self-motivated and exhibit a passion for understanding GM's business and contributing in a meaningful way to its long-term strategic goals. In addition to possessing the requisite legal and technical skills, the successful candidate must approach this role from an experienced business perspective and demonstrate a high degree of ethics and integrity, as well as strategic/conceptual thinking capabilities. A low-ego, One Team mentality is crucial.
Key qualifications include:
Minimum 5 years of substantive experience as a products litigation attorney. Prior in-house experience is not required.
Experience should include the following:
Preparation of answers, motions, and case evaluations;
Argument of substantive motions on complex matters before the court;
eDiscovery, including overseeing document collection and production;
Trial experience in production litigation cases in both federal and state court preferred;
Experience in automotive product liability defense preferred;
Ability to interact with individuals throughout the organization and with outside counsel and other advisors in a professional and business-like manner, in order to collaborate, build relationships, and gain credibility;
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously from inception to completion and achieve goals;
Ability to present information, cases, or analysis in a timely, clear, and concise manner;
Strong written and verbal communication skills;
Commitment to high standards of quality and ethics;
Proven ability to act as a guardian of the Company through speaking up to say what needs to be said, providing complete, direct, and actionable feedback to others, facing up to problems quickly and directly, and sharing all key information with management to enable them to make well-informed decisions;
Enthusiasm to work as part of a high-functioning Product Litigation team to defend the Company and act as an important contributor on issues of vehicle safety.
In addition to the above skills, the successful candidate must exhibit the following individual characteristics:
Organizational Agility: Knowledgeable about how organizations work; knows how to get things done both through formal channels and the informal network; understanding the origin and reasoning behind key policies, practices and procedures; understands the culture of organizations.
Functional Expertise: Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills to do the job at a high level of accomplishment.
Managerial Courage: Doesn't hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete and actionable positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to problems quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
Benefits Overview
The goal of the General Motors total rewards program is to support the health and well-being of you and your family. Our comprehensive compensation plan incudes, the following benefits, in addition to many others: • Paid time off including vacation days, holidays, and parental leave for mothers, fathers and adoptive parents; • Healthcare (including a triple tax advantaged health savings account and wellness incentive), dental, vision and life insurance plans to cover you and your family; • Company and matching contributions to 401K savings plan to help you save for retirement; • Global recognition program for peers and leaders to recognize and be recognized for results and behaviors that reflect our company values; • Tuition assistance and student loan refinancing; • Discount on GM vehicles for you, your family and friends.
Diversity Information
General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that workforce diversity creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers. We understand and embrace the variety through which people gain experiences whether through professional, personal, educational, or volunteer opportunities.GM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications and apply for any positions that match your skills and capabilities.