Assistant General Counsel Jobs for OPT Students
Assistant General Counsel roles fall squarely within OPT's specialty occupation requirement, as they demand a J.D. and active bar admission. Your 12-month OPT window (or 24-month STEM extension if your law degree qualifies) starts the day you begin work, so timing your bar passage and job search carefully matters.
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INTRODUCTION
Provides legal advice and serves as in-house counsel to Strategic Education on a wide variety of matters.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
- Primary responsibility for negotiating and drafting a variety of contracts such as agreements with corporate clients, vendors, and consultants.
- Draft, revise and enforce policies governing contract review and execution.
- Manage and optimize contract review process, from concept to executed contract, in a manner that ensures comprehensive review to protect Company’s interests while also ensuring speed and efficiency.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including internal subject matter experts and business leaders, during contract review process.
- Assist with litigation and administrative proceedings involving contracts and commercial disputes.
- Investigate legal issues and recommend action to administrators, primarily related to the Company’s contractual obligations.
- Assist with general corporate matters.
- Provides legal and compliance training to in-house clients.
Job Skills:
- Excellent analytical, oral, and written communications skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Strong computer/word processing skills, including knowledge of standard Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- Ability and willingness to apply independent judgment in a dynamic environment.
Work Experience:
- At least three years of experience in the practice of law.
- Bar admission in one or more of the following jurisdictions: Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC., or Minnesota.
- Preferred some experience in negotiating/drafting contracts.
- Experience with contract management software.
- Experience with SaaS contracts preferred.
- Higher education experience preferred.
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree and JD from an ABA-accredited law school.
Certificates, Licenses, and registrations
- Bar admission in one or more of the following jurisdictions: Virginia, Minnesota, Maryland, or Washington, DC.
Other:
- Must be able to travel 10% of the time.
- Must be able to lift 25 lbs.
- Typical office setting.
- Mobility within the office including movement from floor to floor.
- Travel via plane, car, and metro may be required to perform this job.
- Must be able to work more than 40 hours per week when business needs warrant.
- Access information using a computer.
- Effectively communicate, both up and down the management chain.
- Effectively cope with stressful situations.
- Strong mental acuity.
- Regular, dependable attendance and punctuality are essential functions of this job.
- Other essential functions and marginal job functions are subject to modification.
COMPENSATION
- Salary: $82,800.00 - $124,200.00
SEI offers a comprehensive package of benefits to employees scheduled 30 hours or more per week. In addition to medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans, SEI employees may take advantage of well-being incentives, parental leave, paid time off, certain paid holidays, tax saving accounts (FSA, HSA), 401(k) retirement benefit, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, tuition assistance as well as entertainment and retail discounts. Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime pay, if applicable.
SEI is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and collaborative culture where individuals can grow their careers and contribute fully. We strive to attract talent with broad experiences, skills and perspectives. We welcome applications from all. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top end of the pay range at SEI, we offer a competitive salary. The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate may vary depending on multiple factors including, but not limited to, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, business needs, geographical location, and internal pay equity. Our Talent Acquisition Team is ready to discuss your interest in joining SEI.

INTRODUCTION
Provides legal advice and serves as in-house counsel to Strategic Education on a wide variety of matters.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
- Primary responsibility for negotiating and drafting a variety of contracts such as agreements with corporate clients, vendors, and consultants.
- Draft, revise and enforce policies governing contract review and execution.
- Manage and optimize contract review process, from concept to executed contract, in a manner that ensures comprehensive review to protect Company’s interests while also ensuring speed and efficiency.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including internal subject matter experts and business leaders, during contract review process.
- Assist with litigation and administrative proceedings involving contracts and commercial disputes.
- Investigate legal issues and recommend action to administrators, primarily related to the Company’s contractual obligations.
- Assist with general corporate matters.
- Provides legal and compliance training to in-house clients.
Job Skills:
- Excellent analytical, oral, and written communications skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Strong computer/word processing skills, including knowledge of standard Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- Ability and willingness to apply independent judgment in a dynamic environment.
Work Experience:
- At least three years of experience in the practice of law.
- Bar admission in one or more of the following jurisdictions: Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC., or Minnesota.
- Preferred some experience in negotiating/drafting contracts.
- Experience with contract management software.
- Experience with SaaS contracts preferred.
- Higher education experience preferred.
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree and JD from an ABA-accredited law school.
Certificates, Licenses, and registrations
- Bar admission in one or more of the following jurisdictions: Virginia, Minnesota, Maryland, or Washington, DC.
Other:
- Must be able to travel 10% of the time.
- Must be able to lift 25 lbs.
- Typical office setting.
- Mobility within the office including movement from floor to floor.
- Travel via plane, car, and metro may be required to perform this job.
- Must be able to work more than 40 hours per week when business needs warrant.
- Access information using a computer.
- Effectively communicate, both up and down the management chain.
- Effectively cope with stressful situations.
- Strong mental acuity.
- Regular, dependable attendance and punctuality are essential functions of this job.
- Other essential functions and marginal job functions are subject to modification.
COMPENSATION
- Salary: $82,800.00 - $124,200.00
SEI offers a comprehensive package of benefits to employees scheduled 30 hours or more per week. In addition to medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans, SEI employees may take advantage of well-being incentives, parental leave, paid time off, certain paid holidays, tax saving accounts (FSA, HSA), 401(k) retirement benefit, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, tuition assistance as well as entertainment and retail discounts. Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime pay, if applicable.
SEI is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and collaborative culture where individuals can grow their careers and contribute fully. We strive to attract talent with broad experiences, skills and perspectives. We welcome applications from all. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top end of the pay range at SEI, we offer a competitive salary. The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate may vary depending on multiple factors including, but not limited to, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, business needs, geographical location, and internal pay equity. Our Talent Acquisition Team is ready to discuss your interest in joining SEI.
How to Get Visa Sponsorship in Assistant General Counsel
Target companies with dedicated legal departments
Large corporations, financial institutions, and tech companies maintain in-house legal teams that hire regularly and have established immigration compliance processes. They're far more likely to understand OPT work authorization than smaller firms without dedicated HR support.
Lead with your bar admission status
Most Assistant General Counsel roles require active bar admission in at least one U.S. state. Confirm your bar status upfront in applications. Employers screening for this requirement will filter out candidates who don't address it clearly and early.
Emphasize your practice area specialization
In-house legal teams hire for specific needs: employment law, contracts, regulatory compliance, IP, or M&A. Tailoring your application to match the company's industry and legal needs dramatically improves your chances over a generalist approach.
Start your search at least four months before OPT begins
Legal hiring moves slowly. Background checks, conflicts assessments, and offer approvals take time at larger employers. Beginning your search well before your OPT authorization date gives you realistic runway to land an offer before your window opens.
Prepare to explain OPT confidently to hiring managers
Many in-house legal teams haven't hired on OPT before. A one-paragraph explanation of your authorization period, the employer's verification obligation, and the H-1B transition pathway removes uncertainty and shows the professional clarity they expect from legal talent.
Use Migrate Mate to find employers already sponsoring legal roles
Filtering for companies that have previously sponsored legal professionals saves significant time. Migrate Mate surfaces these employers, so you're focusing your applications on organizations already familiar with work authorization rather than educating every hiring manager from scratch.
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Get Access To All JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Does an Assistant General Counsel role qualify for OPT work authorization?
Yes. Assistant General Counsel positions require a J.D. and bar admission, which satisfies the specialty occupation standard that underpins OPT eligibility. The role must be directly related to your legal field of study. If your degree is in law and the position requires legal expertise, the connection is straightforward and well-supported.
Can I work as an Assistant General Counsel during the 60-day OPT grace period?
No. The 60-day grace period between jobs does not authorize employment. You cannot begin or continue working as an Assistant General Counsel during that window. You must secure a new position and update your SEVIS record before starting work. The grace period exists only for job searching and immigration planning, not active employment.
Do employers need to do anything special to hire me on OPT as an Assistant General Counsel?
The process is simpler than most employers expect. They verify your Employment Authorization Document, confirm the role aligns with your field of study, and update their I-9 records. No government petition or approval is required during OPT itself. The complexity only arises later if they pursue H-1B sponsorship, which most legal employers are already familiar with.
Where can I find Assistant General Counsel jobs that are open to OPT candidates?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for this. It surfaces in-house legal roles at employers who have sponsored work visas before, so you're not spending time on companies that will reject you at the authorization question. Filtering by OPT-friendly employers in Migrate Mate is the most efficient way to build a targeted application list for counsel roles.
Does my J.D. qualify for the STEM OPT extension to extend my work authorization?
No. A J.D. is not classified as a STEM degree under the Department of Homeland Security's STEM designated degree program list, so it does not qualify for the 24-month STEM extension. Your OPT authorization is limited to 12 months. Planning your H-1B sponsorship timeline well before that window closes is essential for maintaining continuous work authorization in a legal role.
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