Assistant General Counsel - Shipping & Logistics
Crowley
Jacksonville, FL
Who We Are:
As a privately held, U.S.-owned and operated company, Crowley provides services to 36 nations and island territories. Our purpose is to bravely advance what's possible to elevate people and planet, with our core values of Integrity, Sustainability and Drive guiding everything we do.
By expanding and innovating our services, we have expanded our footprint in services within the Logistics, Land Transportation, Shipping, Wind and Fuel industries. Crowley and its affiliated companies have generated more than $3.5 billion in annual revenue through our people's focus on excellence and a culture that values everyone's voices and collaboration.
To continue laying the groundwork and challenge what's possible for our business, we seek to partner with individuals ready to elevate their careers with us.
Work Arrangement:
Hybrid
Why Join Crowley?
Join a dynamic global organization where your legal expertise will directly influence strategic business decisions across complex shipping, logistics, and supply chain operations. As a trusted advisor to senior leaders, you will play a critical role in enabling growth, mitigating risk, navigating international regulatory environments, and supporting operations throughout the Caribbean and Central America. This is a unique opportunity to combine legal excellence with business partnership, driving meaningful impact across a diverse, fast-paced, and globally connected enterprise.
What You'll Do:
The Assistant General Counsel, Shipping & Logistics provides practical, business-oriented legal counsel to the company’s Shipping & Logistics operating division, with a primary focus on the logistics, freight, and supply chain operations of an ocean carrier and its affiliated transportation and logistics businesses. Reporting to the Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, this role focuses on the commercial, contracting, regulatory, and operational legal needs of end-to-end logistics services — including transportation and logistics services agreements, intermodal and inland carriage, warehousing and distribution, customs and trade compliance, and carrier, vendor, and customer relationships. The Assistant General Counsel partners with division and enterprise leaders to identify legal risks, enable sound business decisions, protect the company’s interests, and ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and governance standards. The role also provides legal support for the division’s operations in the Caribbean and Central America, including the selection, management, and oversight of outside counsel in those jurisdictions. The role may lead assigned legal matters, manage outside counsel, support enterprise and division initiatives, and serve as a trusted advisor to business and functional stakeholders across the Shipping & Logistics organization.
Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice to the Shipping & Logistics division on a broad range of logistics, transportation, and supply chain matters, including service contracts, freight and transportation agreements, intermodal and inland movements, warehousing and distribution, terminal and port services, and day-to-day operational business issues.
- Draft, review, negotiate, and interpret transportation and logistics services agreements, ocean and intermodal carrier contracts, freight forwarding and NVOCC arrangements, third-party logistics (3PL) and warehousing agreements, customer and vendor contracts, tariffs and service contracts, bills of lading and related shipping documentation, confidentiality agreements, and other commercial legal instruments.
- Partner with division operating leaders and enterprise functions — including Commercial, Operations, Compliance, Finance, Procurement, HR, and Risk Management — to assess legal implications, develop practical solutions, and support responsible execution of logistics and transportation operations.
- Manage or support significant cargo claims, freight and logistics disputes, litigation, investigations, and regulatory inquiries — including matters before or involving the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and comparable authorities — in coordination with internal stakeholders and outside counsel.
- Advise on regulatory and trade compliance affecting logistics operations, including Federal Maritime Commission and Shipping Act requirements, customs and import/export controls, economic sanctions (OFAC), and transportation safety and licensing obligations, as well as related corporate governance, policy administration, and delegations of authority.
- Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting ocean carriage, logistics, and supply chain operations, and communicate risks, obligations, and recommended actions to division and enterprise stakeholders.
- Develop templates, playbooks, contracting standards, and process guidance that improve consistency, efficiency, and risk visibility across the division’s logistics and transportation contracting and legal services.
- Support and coordinate with the broader Legal team and outside maritime counsel on shipping-related legal issues that intersect with logistics operations, providing integrated counsel across the division’s ocean carrier and logistics activities.
- Provide legal support for the division’s operations in the Caribbean and Central America, including advising on commercial, contracting, regulatory, and dispute matters and selecting, instructing, and overseeing outside counsel in those jurisdictions.
Qualifications
Education & Credentials:
Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school required. Active license to practice law and good standing with at least one U.S. state bar required; Florida Bar membership or eligibility preferred where applicable.
Experience:
7+ years of progressive legal experience, including substantial experience advising on logistics, transportation, and supply chain matters. Direct legal experience supporting logistics operations in an ocean carrier, transportation, freight forwarding, 3PL, or comparable environment is required, including commercial contracting, service contracts and tariffs, cargo claims, transportation and trade regulatory compliance. Experience with shipping and maritime legal issues (e.g., vessel operations, charter parties, admiralty, cargo/COGSA, and Jones Act matters) is a strong plus. Experience supporting operations in the Caribbean and Central America and managing outside counsel across multiple jurisdictions is preferred, and Spanish-language proficiency is a plus. Prior in-house legal experience in a complex operating company is strongly preferred, and experience in regulated, multi-jurisdictional business environments is preferred.
Technical Skills:
Advanced proficiency in transportation and logistics contracting, commercial and service-contract drafting and negotiation, cargo claims and dispute management, and transportation and trade regulatory compliance (including FMC/Shipping Act, customs, and sanctions), together with corporate and commercial law, risk assessment, policy development, investigations, legal research, and executive-level communication. Familiarity with shipping and maritime legal concepts is preferred. Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, contract management tools, matter management systems, legal research platforms, and collaboration tools required.
Strategic legal judgment; a high degree of self-awareness; willingness to receive coaching and constructive feedback; a healthy awareness of knowledge limitations; business acumen; logistics and transportation domain knowledge; risk-based decision-making; contract and service-contract negotiation; regulatory and trade compliance orientation; governance mindset; ethical leadership; executive communication; influence without authority; collaboration; problem solving; sound discretion; accountability; agility; and the ability to translate complex legal and regulatory issues into practical business guidance for non-legal stakeholders.
What We Offer?
We inspire top talent by offering a comprehensive and competitive package that supports the diverse needs of our people—on land, at sea, in offices, and remotely.
Our Total Rewards include:
- Competitive pay with recognition programs
- Comprehensive benefits: medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, and paid vacation and holidays
- Leave and family support: parental leave and sick leave
- Learning and growth: access to training and development for continuous skill development
- Well-being resources: Employee Assistance Program, wellness program, and gym membership discounts
At Crowley, we invest in you—your success, your health, and your future.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice to the Shipping & Logistics division on a broad range of logistics, transportation, and supply chain matters, including service contracts, freight and transportation agreements, intermodal and inland movements, warehousing and distribution, terminal and port services, and day-to-day operational business issues.
- Draft, review, negotiate, and interpret transportation and logistics services agreements, ocean and intermodal carrier contracts, freight forwarding and NVOCC arrangements, third-party logistics (3PL) and warehousing agreements, customer and vendor contracts, tariffs and service contracts, bills of lading and related shipping documentation, confidentiality agreements, and other commercial legal instruments.
- Partner with division operating leaders and enterprise functions — including Commercial, Operations, Compliance, Finance, Procurement, HR, and Risk Management — to assess legal implications, develop practical solutions, and support responsible execution of logistics and transportation operations.
- Manage or support significant cargo claims, freight and logistics disputes, litigation, investigations, and regulatory inquiries — including matters before or involving the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and comparable authorities — in coordination with internal stakeholders and outside counsel.
- Advise on regulatory and trade compliance affecting logistics operations, including Federal Maritime Commission and Shipping Act requirements, customs and import/export controls, economic sanctions (OFAC), and transportation safety and licensing obligations, as well as related corporate governance, policy administration, and delegations of authority.
- Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting ocean carriage, logistics, and supply chain operations, and communicate risks, obligations, and recommended actions to division and enterprise stakeholders.
- Develop templates, playbooks, contracting standards, and process guidance that improve consistency, efficiency, and risk visibility across the division’s logistics and transportation contracting and legal services.
- Support and coordinate with the broader Legal team and outside maritime counsel on shipping-related legal issues that intersect with logistics operations, providing integrated counsel across the division’s ocean carrier and logistics activities.
- Provide legal support for the division’s operations in the Caribbean and Central America, including advising on commercial, contracting, regulatory, and dispute matters and selecting, instructing, and overseeing outside counsel in those jurisdictions.
Education & Credentials:
Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school required. Active license to practice law and good standing with at least one U.S. state bar required; Florida Bar membership or eligibility preferred where applicable.
Experience:
7+ years of progressive legal experience, including substantial experience advising on logistics, transportation, and supply chain matters. Direct legal experience supporting logistics operations in an ocean carrier, transportation, freight forwarding, 3PL, or comparable environment is required, including commercial contracting, service contracts and tariffs, cargo claims, transportation and trade regulatory compliance. Experience with shipping and maritime legal issues (e.g., vessel operations, charter parties, admiralty, cargo/COGSA, and Jones Act matters) is a strong plus. Experience supporting operations in the Caribbean and Central America and managing outside counsel across multiple jurisdictions is preferred, and Spanish-language proficiency is a plus. Prior in-house legal experience in a complex operating company is strongly preferred, and experience in regulated, multi-jurisdictional business environments is preferred.
Technical Skills:
Advanced proficiency in transportation and logistics contracting, commercial and service-contract drafting and negotiation, cargo claims and dispute management, and transportation and trade regulatory compliance (including FMC/Shipping Act, customs, and sanctions), together with corporate and commercial law, risk assessment, policy development, investigations, legal research, and executive-level communication. Familiarity with shipping and maritime legal concepts is preferred. Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, contract management tools, matter management systems, legal research platforms, and collaboration tools required.
Strategic legal judgment; a high degree of self-awareness; willingness to receive coaching and constructive feedback; a healthy awareness of knowledge limitations; business acumen; logistics and transportation domain knowledge; risk-based decision-making; contract and service-contract negotiation; regulatory and trade compliance orientation; governance mindset; ethical leadership; executive communication; influence without authority; collaboration; problem solving; sound discretion; accountability; agility; and the ability to translate complex legal and regulatory issues into practical business guidance for non-legal stakeholders.
What We Offer?
We inspire top talent by offering a comprehensive and competitive package that supports the diverse needs of our people—on land, at sea, in offices, and remotely.
Our Total Rewards include:
- Competitive pay with recognition programs
- Comprehensive benefits: medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, and paid vacation and holidays
- Leave and family support: parental leave and sick leave
- Learning and growth: access to training and development for continuous skill development
- Well-being resources: Employee Assistance Program, wellness program, and gym membership discounts
At Crowley, we invest in you—your success, your health, and your future.