VP, Associate General Counsel

Join the DFCU Financial team today, and discover the benefits, rewards and development opportunities from one of the largest and best managed credit unions in the country. 

The Opportunity: DFCU Financial is seeking to expand our legal department with the addition of a VP, Associate General Counsel. This role will support the General Counsel in providing legal advice to the corporation regarding its rights, obligations, and privileges, while representing the corporation in state and federal courts for bankruptcy, debt collection, and civil litigation. Research statutes, case law, and other legal sources relevant to financial institutions. Analyze documents, legal issues, and applicable laws to assess the feasibility of defending or initiating lawsuits. Work closely with the Collections department on pre-litigation strategies and provide lending departments with insights and recommendations to improve loan portfolio performance.

What You’ll Do:

• Obtain judgments, settlements, and other legal resolutions to recover funds owed to the corporation.
• Utilize garnishments, executions, and other enforcement tools to collect judgments and obligations.
• Collaborate with Collections department on pre-litigation strategies to help ensure best possible outcomes on problem accounts.
• Provide lending departments with feedback on trending collection issues and recommend steps to improve overall loan portfolio performance.
• Attend bankruptcy hearings and leverage the bankruptcy process to safeguard the corporation’s interests.
• Track, monitor, and report on all internal and external collection activities and progress.
• Provide guidance to Legal Analyst, Delivery Channel Support, and branch staff regarding trusts, powers of attorney, and other legal documents.
• Conduct legal research, analyze findings, and provide recommendations on specialized legal issues.
• Represent the corporation in civil, regulatory, and administrative matters where it is named as a defendant.
• Attend hearings, meetings, and other professional functions throughout Michigan.

What You’ll Need:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree.
• Active member in good standing with the State Bar of Michigan and the Federal Bar Association.
• Minimum of two years of experience in civil litigation and collections.
• Experience handling corporate legal matters.
• Proven ability to deliver positive outcomes.

• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including effective verbal and written communication.
• Consistent positive, cooperative, self-motivated, courteous and professional attitude.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Computer literate.