General Counsel & MD, Legal in Chicago, Illinois at Zell Family Office

Introduction and Opportunity

Zell Family Office is seeking a General Counsel (J.D. required) with substantial experience in trusts and estates, corporate governance, investment structuring, and transactional matters to provide comprehensive legal counsel and oversight for a complex family office within a trust company. The trust company is located in Illinois and also includes a private-equity firm.

Reporting to the ZFO President, the General Counsel will assume the legal leadership role of the family office, providing oversight and guidance across a diverse portfolio of legal, governance, and compliance matters, with deep expertise in trusts, estates, business law, entity structures, and investment structuring.

ZFO is at a pivotal moment of organizational and generational transition — evolving from a founder-led office into an enduring, multi-generational family office. The Family Office is moving away from a traditional asset-centric model and toward a family-centric one, where the wellbeing, values and aspirations of each family member will guide the work. The General Counsel will serve as a strategic thought partner to the ZFO President and leadership team throughout this evolution.

This position will provide the opportunity to design, structure, implement, and oversee legal frameworks and governance structures; provide strategic legal counsel on complex transactions and family matters; and proactively advise, counsel, educate, and collaborate with four generations of family members, their entities, and professional advisors on legal, governance, and compliance matters.

The position will serve as ZFO's representative on board governance, regulatory compliance, and trust administration matters, which are currently led by the Chief Legal Officer, and will maintain sufficient familiarity with these areas to assume direct ownership of them if the role's scope expands in the future.

Location

This role is located in Chicago, embedded within the leadership team of the family-focused office, reporting directly to the President and contributing to the organization's broader strategic direction. It operates within a flexible work arrangement, with one day per week of remote flexibility. Limited travel may be required.

To Apply

Zell Family Office has engaged an external agency to lead this search. Please submit applications, resumes, and referrals to Tim Spidel at Spidel Burnfin: tim@spidelburnfin.com

Principal Responsibilities

• Act as a proactive problem-solver, not solely a legal advisor — bridging legal expertise and business objectives to deliver actionable solutions that achieve both family and business goals.
• Coordinate with external counsel on specialized legal matters, including complex tax planning, litigation, regulatory compliance, and multi-jurisdictional issues.
• Serve as primary legal counsel and interface for external advisors, including outside legal counsel, investment professionals, trustees, board members, and other professional advisors; identify legal resources for special projects or business ventures desired by family members and serve as office liaison with these advisors.
• Provide comprehensive legal services to the family to achieve their goals, including advising on trust administration, estate planning, entity structuring, investment transactions, real estate matters, and business ventures across four generations of family members.
• Serve as an educator and mentor for colleagues and family members regarding legal matters, governance structures, fiduciary responsibilities, and business law principles, providing counsel on wealth transfer strategies, asset protection, entity formation, contract negotiation, and risk mitigation.
• Build, develop, and manage a small internal legal team, including hiring, mentoring, and setting clear expectations to support a high-performance legal function within the family office.
• Evaluate the appropriate legal support resources and staffing levels for the family office as it grows and evolves.
• Coordinate and manage relationships with external legal counsel, including estate planning attorneys, tax counsel, litigation counsel, and regulatory specialists.
• Serve as legal project manager for complex matters requiring coordination among multiple advisors.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Communication and Counsel with Family Clients

• In partnership with the Managing Director, Family Engagement & Learning, provide counsel to family members on legal, governance, and compliance issues tailored to their specific situations and needs.
• Act as a trusted advisor, sounding board, risk manager, and supportive resource to ensure the family office effectively serves the family.
• Educate family members across generations on legal principles, fiduciary responsibilities, and governance structures.

Contract Negotiation and Business Transactions

• Negotiate and document real property transactions, including purchase agreements, leases, and property management and development agreements, as well as private equity and alternative investments, including subscription agreements.
• Review, negotiate, and draft contracts across the full spectrum of family and family office activities, including vendor agreements, service provider contracts, employment agreements, and confidentiality agreements.
• Manage contract management systems and processes to ensure proper execution, storage, and tracking of legal agreements.

Investment Transaction Structuring and Documentation

• Partner with the Managing Director, Investments to review and negotiate investment agreements, operating agreements, partnership agreements, and other transactional documents across a wide range of investments, including hedge funds, venture capital, private equity, and co-investment arrangements.
• Conduct legal due diligence on investment opportunities and identify legal risks and mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with the Managing Director, Finance, internal tax-planning specialists, and other members of the executive team to structure tax-efficient and legally sound investment vehicles.

Corporate Governance and Entity Management

• Provide legal counsel on corporate governance matters for family-controlled entities.
• Draft and review entity formation documents, operating agreements, partnership agreements, and corporate governance policies.
• Advise on business succession planning, ownership transitions, and generational transfer of family businesses.
• Provide guidance on board composition, committee structures, and governance best practices for the private trust company and family entities.

Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management

• Develop and implement compliance policies and procedures for the family office, private trust company, and affiliated entities.
• Build genuine trust through clear, proactive communication, mitigating legal risk through strong relationships.
• Monitor regulatory developments and advise the family on legal and regulatory changes affecting their interests.
• Oversee insurance matters, including policy review, claims management, and risk transfer strategies.
• Identify legal risks across the family enterprise and develop strategies to mitigate exposure.
• Coordinate with external counsel on litigation matters, regulatory inquiries, and dispute resolution.

Trust and Estate Administration

• Act as a thought partner to the leadership team regarding oversight for the private trust company, including board governance, fiduciary compliance, trust administration policies, and regulatory matters.
• Act as a thought partner to the leadership team on changes to the legal structure of the organization, including location of the Trustee.
• Collaborate with the family, estate planning attorneys, tax advisors, and other staff to implement and administer sophisticated estate planning strategies, wealth transfer plans, and trust structures.
• Ensure proper documentation and compliance with trust instruments, applicable state laws, and fiduciary standards.

Requirements

Credentials and Experience

• J.D. from an accredited law school required. Active bar membership in good standing required.
• 10+ years of legal experience, with significant expertise in business and corporate law, trusts and estates, and transactional matters.
• Experience serving as general counsel or senior legal advisor to a single-family office, multi-family office, private trust company, or high-net-worth individuals highly desirable.
• Broad experience with entity formation, corporate governance, and business transactions across multiple jurisdictions.
• Experience leading a small legal team including career development and mentoring junior employees.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong business judgment with the ability to structure, negotiate, and document complex business and investment transactions.
• Deep understanding of corporate law, entity structures (including S corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and trusts), and governance principles.
• Deep understanding of trust and estate law, including fiduciary duties, trust administration, estate planning, and wealth transfer strategies.
• Ability to identify legal risks, develop mitigation strategies, and provide practical, business-oriented legal advice.
• Understanding of tax law principles as they relate to trusts, estates, entities, and investment structures (while not serving as tax counsel).
• Proficiency with legal research tools, contract management systems, and relevant technology applications, including artificial intelligence.

Essential Characteristics

• Business-oriented approach to legal matters — serving as a bridge between legal and business functions to develop actionable solutions while balancing risk management with practical business objectives.
• Trust, transparency, integrity, intelligence, discernment, emotional intelligence, and humility.
• Proven leadership skills at an executive level with the ability to serve as trusted legal advisor to multiple generations.
• Team player with the ability to connect and form meaningful relationships with family office employees and foster a collaborative, high-performance culture.
• Creative problem-solver with the ability to play a key role in the operational, strategic, legal, and governance leadership of the family office as it continues to evolve.
• Uncompromising commitment to achieving consistent, excellent results across a variety of complex legal matters and family interests, and to maintaining complete confidentiality and protecting family and family office information.
• Ability to effectively communicate complex legal concepts and strategies in a clear and concise manner, with patience and diplomacy, to audiences with varying levels of legal sophistication, including multi-generational family members