Employment & Labor | Counsel (Data-Driven Compliance & Workforce Analytics)

Job Description

We are a global law firm with a powerful strategic focus and real momentum. Our industry-focused strategy is seeing us take on pioneering work in places that others have yet to reach. Our shared values define our culture and our workplace. You will find us to be unusually collegial, team-oriented, and ready to innovate. We work seamlessly across practices, offices and around the world. This elimination of boundaries has allowed us to evolve into a law firm that works as hard for its culture as it does for its clients.

Norton Rose Fulbright seeks an experienced Labor & Employment Counsel to join our Chicago office. This role combines traditional employment law practice (litigation and counseling) with data-driven compliance and workforce analytics. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in employment law and experience working with HR data, compliance auditing, and statistical analysis to support pay equity assessments, adverse impact reviews, and regulatory compliance projects.
This role is ideal for a legal professional with both employment law expertise and a strong analytical mindset, eager to integrate data science methodologies into employment compliance work.
Location: Chicago

Key Responsibilities:

Employment Litigation & Counseling

• Provide legal guidance on a wide range of employment law matters, including Title VII, ADA, FLSA, FMLA, DEI compliance (including for government contractors), wage and hour audits, and worker classification.

• Support both employment litigation and employment counseling practices.

• Independently and efficiently handle administrative charges and provide litigation support to our Chicago office litigation team in complex employment disputes.

Data-Driven Workforce Compliance

• Conduct adverse impact analysis in connection with workforce reductions, performance ratings, applicant flow, and hiring practices to mitigate risk and ensure equal opportunity in the workplace.

• Advise on pay equity reviews and compliance audits, leveraging statistical methods to ensure fair compensation structures.

• Work with HRIS, payroll, and workforce management data to ensure accuracy and compliance in legal audits and workforce reviews.

• Work alongside data scientists, HR professionals, and compliance specialists to ensure legal compliance in AI-driven hiring systems and workforce management.

Regulatory & Compliance Projects

• Scope and manage complex compliance projects involving legal risk assessments, workforce analytics, and regulatory guidance.

• Provide legal counsel on ethics and compliance program audits and DEI compliance, including for government contractors.

• Identify and scope appropriate statistical and data-driven methods of analysis to answer complex client legal questions, reduce risk, and support equal opportunity initiatives.

Statistical Analysis & Visualization

• Conduct and oversee pay equity analysis, using multi-linear regression analysis to assess potential disparities and ensure compliance with pay transparency laws.

• Translate data-driven insights into actionable legal advice through effective storytelling and data visualization.

• Work with data analysts, HR teams, and consultants to wrangle and clean workforce data for statistical analysis, compliance reviews, and pay equity assessments.

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders, demonstrating strong client communication, responsiveness, and long-term relationship-building skills.

Qualifications & Skills:

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active Illinois Bar membership (or eligibility to waive in).

• 5+ years of experience in employment law litigation and counseling, preferably in a law firm setting.

• Proficiency in workforce analytics, compliance auditing, and pay equity assessments.

• Strong knowledge of employment laws (Title VII, ADA, FLSA, FMLA) and emerging pay equity and transparency regulations.

• Hands-on experience with workforce data analysis, including adverse impact analysis, pay equity modeling, or hiring system audits.

• Experience working with data sets from HRIS, payroll, and workforce management systems.

• Familiarity with statistical tools or programming languages (e.g., R, Python (pandas, statsmodels), Stata, Datatab, or Excel) for legal compliance assessments.

• Ability to manage complex compliance projects independently.

• Strong communication skills to present data-driven insights effectively.

Preferred Experience:

Candidates should have at least one of the following:

• Educational background in data science, statistics, economics, or a related field.

• Practical experience conducting pay equity analysis, workforce analytics, or regulatory data reviews.

• Data analytics certification such as IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate (Coursera), Google Data Analytics Certificate, or equivalent programs.

• Experience with data visualization tools such as SQL, Tableau, or Power BI.

Compensation
The full time base annual salary for this position in the Chicago market is expected to range between $200,000 - $350,000.This range represents the firm's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting for a position in Chicago. Bonus opportunities are non-guaranteed and are dependent upon individual and firm performance.

Top 5 Reasons to Join Norton Rose Fulbright

We're committed to your professional and personal growth. Here's what sets us apart:

1. Well-Being & Inclusion

Thrive in a workplace that values a people-first culture, work-life balance, and overall well-being. Enjoy:

• Carrot Fertility: Inclusive family-forming benefits for all full-time employees.
• Vacation Award: Earn a $2,500 vacation stipend after meeting billable thresholds.
• Wellness Perks: Free Peloton app membership, Lyra mental health support (8 free therapy or coaching sessions), and Spot Pet Insurance for your furry companions.

2. Growth & Career Development

Advance your career with hands-on experience, sector-specific expertise, and leadership opportunities.

• Business Development Support: Reimbursement for relationship-building activities.
• Executive Coaching: Eligible lawyers with 250+ BD hours receive firm-sponsored coaching.

3. Global Reach, Local Impact

Work on cross-border deals, international clients, and high-profile projects while making a difference in your local community.

• Pro Bono & Volunteer Time: All non-partner lawyers receive 8 hours of firm time per year for community service.

4. Collaborative Culture, World-Class Talent

Join a team that fosters mentorship, innovation, and professional excellence.

• Referral Bonus: Earn $50,000 for referring top-tier legal talent who join the firm.

5. Commitment to Innovation

Stay at the forefront of the legal industry with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions that enhance your practice and drive success.

Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP is committed to providing employees with a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that supports you, your health, and your family. Benefit packages include access to three medical plans, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance. Employees can also access pre-tax benefits such as health savings and flexible spending accounts. Norton Rose Fulbright helps provide financial security by allowing employees to participate in a 401(k) savings plan and profit-sharing plans if eligible. Full- time employees are eligible to access fertility benefits designed to support fertility and family-forming journeys.

In addition to the Firm's health and welfare benefits above, we offer a competitive paid time off plan, which provides a minimum of 20 days off based on your role and tenure with the firm. The firm offers a generous paid parental leave benefit allowing parents to take a minimum of 14 weeks of paid leave to bond with your newborn, or adopted child(ren). Employees are also entitled to 11 Firm holidays.

Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal laws and their implementing regulations that require the collection and recording of certain data and information. The information we receive will not be used to make any decision regarding employment and will be kept separate from your application. Similarly, self-identification information is kept confidential and used only in accordance with applicable federal laws and regulations. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.Norton Rose Fulbright is committed to providing reasonable accommodation as an Equal Opportunity Employer to applicants with disabilities. If you require assistance or accommodation to complete your application, please contact . Please provide your contact information and a description of your accessibility issue. We will make a determination on your request for reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis.

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Equal Employment Opportunity