NAELA's CareerCenter

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PORT AUTHORITY OF NY & NJ: GENERAL COUNSEL

Major, Lindsey & Africa has been exclusively retained by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (“PANYNJ” OR “agency”) to conduct a search for a General Counsel to be located in New York, NY. Our client is an equal opportunity employer. Please do not contact PANYNJ directly; all resumes sent to the company will be routed to MLA for handling and will result in delay.

Overview:
The agency’s current General Counsel is stepping down as he has been confirmed as a United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey, and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey is seeking a dynamic and seasoned lawyer to serve as the ninth General Counsel in its 100+ year history. Reporting to the Executive Director and the agency’s Board of Commissioners, the General Counsel ensures that the Port Authority receives world-class legal advice.

The General Counsel’s legal advice is focused on: the hundreds of litigation matters pending against the Port Authority at any given moment in federal and state court and before administrative agencies; the negotiation and documentation of very large-scale commercial transactions, including many that involve commitments of between 5 and 20 billion dollars; regulatory compliance; and governance, ethics, labor, and personnel matters. Because it is both a public agency and an active participant in business and commerce, the Port Authority’s legal docket includes highly-sophisticated matters of both public law (related, for example, to the First and Fourth Amendments, and the scope of the agency’s public powers) and private law (related, for example, to structuring major commercial real estate transactions and long-term airport leases).

To accomplish all of his or her duties, the General Counsel oversees a Law Department of approximately 120 people; an office of ethics and compliance; and the work of large numbers of outside lawyers, many of whom are associated with the largest and most prominent law firms in the nation.

Company:
The agency is a key pillar of the New York-New Jersey region, which is home to more than 10 million people and generates approximately 20% of the nation’s GDP. And the Port Authority is one of the largest and most consequential public agencies in the United States, serving 100s of millions of customers each year and owning or operating some of the country’s most critical infrastructure. This includes: five airports, including JFK, Newark Liberty, and LaGuardia; the nation’s busiest seaport; the PATH rapid-transit rail network; six bridges and tunnels, including the George Washington Bridge, the busiest bridge in the United States; the World Trade Center campus of skyscrapers, including the iconic 1 WTC, the tallest building in the United States; and two bus terminals, including the country’s busiest. To secure these facilities, the Port Authority deploys more than 2,000 police officers.

The agency is constantly engaged in planning for, and undertaking, new and ambitious capital construction. This involves: regular issuance of debt --- the agency has many billions of dollars in bonds outstanding; large-scale capital investment --- the Port Authority’s current capital plan envisions $37 billion in capital spending; and innovative means of structuring transactions, including large multi-billion dollar public-private partnerships.

Location:
New York, NY (in office ~3 days per week)

Compensation:
$300 - $325k base salary