Associate Attorney

**Role:** Entry-Level Attorney – Associate Attorney (0–2 years) **Location:** Fayetteville, AR (On-site) **Department:** Legal **Employment Type:** Full-time **Reports to:** Senior Commercial Counsel **About Garver** Garver is an employee-owned engineering, planning, and environmental services firm supporting aviation, transportation, buildings, federal, water and wastewater services; surveying; advisory services; and construction administration services. Our Legal team partners closely with technical, business, and project teams to help the company deliver high-quality professional services while managing legal and contractual risk. **Position Summary** Garver is seeking an entry-level attorney to support a broad range of corporate and commercial legal needs. This role is well-suited to a recent law school graduate or early-career attorney who is eager to build a strong foundation in contract review and drafting, risk management, and practical in-house counseling in a professional services environment. **Key Responsibilities** - Review, draft, and negotiate a variety of commercial agreements, such as professional services agreements, subconsultant agreements, NDAs, teaming agreements, and vendor contracts. - Manage contract placement throughout the entire contract life cycle (review, negotiation, executive review, and closeout) - Support project teams with contract interpretation, compliance questions, and issue-spotting throughout the project lifecycle. - Assist with internal legal guidance on topics such as insurance, indemnity, general risk mitigation, and records/confidentiality obligations. - Help maintain and improve contract templates, playbooks, document libraries, and internal guidance documents. - Contribute to continuous improvement efforts, including training materials and process enhancements for contract intake and approvals. **Qualifications (Required)** - J.D. from an accredited law school. - Active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (or currently awaiting Bar results). - Strong legal writing and drafting skills, with attention to detail. - Ability to communicate clearly with non-lawyers and work collaboratively with cross-functional teams. - Sound judgment, strong organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines. - Capacity to sustain high-quality performance during peak demand periods and time-sensitive review cycles. - Strong commitment to maintaining strict confidentiality and applying prudent judgment in handling sensitive information. - Comfort working in Microsoft Word with tracked changes. **Qualifications (Preferred)** - Exposure to commercial contracting, construction law, engineering/professional services, procurement, and/or government/federal contracting. - Familiarity with risk allocation provisions (indemnity, liability caps, warranties, insurance requirements). - Internship/clinic experience in-house or in commercial transactions. **What Success Looks Like** - Produces clear, practical contract markups aligned with company risk tolerances. - Builds trusted relationships with project managers, procurement teams, and leadership. - Learns quickly, asks thoughtful questions, and escalates issues appropriately. - Improves consistency and speed of contract review through templates and playbooks. - Comfortable with a structured, extended onboarding and learning period, and willing to learn Garver’s contracting practices before operating independently. **Grow With Us** Garver offers its employees programs such as company-paid professional memberships, company support for industry licenses and continuing education opportunities that foster a progressive atmosphere. Garver provides the tools, resources, and environment to develop leaders, stimulate ideas, and accomplish projects. By offering highly competitive salary packages, attractive benefits, and a comprehensive wellness program; Garver walks the talk when it comes to work-life balance. Founded in 1919, Garver is an…