Legal Counsel- Employment and Data Privacy

About the role

At Hot Topic, we live and breathe pop culture, fueling our fans' passions for music, TV, and movies. Our company thrives on the energy and creativity of our community, always pushing boundaries to keep the spirit of fandom alive. Our legal team is no different-dynamic, innovative, and ready to tackle any challenge. We craft legal strategies that empower our business to thrive, all while staying true to the vibrant culture that makes Hot Topic rock.

As Legal Counsel, Employment and Data Privacy, you will provide practical legal support across a variety of business functions, with a primary focus on employment law, data privacy, and commercial contracts. This role offers an excellent opportunity for an early-career attorney to gain broad in-house experience while working closely with our Human Resources, Payroll, IT, E-commerce, Licensing, and other business teams. The successful candidate will be a versatile problem-solver who enjoys learning new areas of the law and providing practical, business-oriented advice.

This is a hybrid role. The person will be required to report to work at Hot Topic headquarters in City of Industry, California, three days a week.

What You'll Do

• Advise on employment law matters, including wage and hour compliance, employee relations, accommodations, workplace investigations, discipline, and terminations. Partner with Human Resources to navigate employment issues, mitigate legal risks, and develop, review, and update employment policies, agreements, and practices.
• Advise on data privacy and security matters, including consumer and employee privacy, data collection and use, privacy notices, consumer rights requests, and vendor data practices. Help draft and update privacy policies, assess new technologies and business initiatives, and strengthen the company's privacy compliance practice
• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts, including SaaS agreements, professional services agreements, data processing agreements, NDAs, licensing and other vendor and business agreements. Ensure that contracts align with company policies and address legal and business risks.
• Assist with employment and privacy disputes, litigation, and government inquiries. Coordinate with outside counsel and internal teams to develop responses, gather relevant information, and support resolution.
• Collaborate with business teams to provide clear, practical legal advice and training. Assist with other legal matters and projects as business needs arise.

What You'll Need

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• Licensed to practice law in California and in good standing.
• Minimum of three years of experience practicing at a law firm or in-house legal department.
• Experience in employment law, including compliance, drafting and reviewing policies, litigation, or related legal work.
• Experience in data privacy and security is a plus; a willingness to learn and develop expertise in this area is required.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage effectively with various business teams.
• Critical thinker with excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook).