Legal Administrator

At Fogo de Chão, we strive to give our guests an unforgettable dining experience of discovery while showcasing the Culinary Art of Churrasco. Our mission is to ignite fire and joy to care for our team, our guests, and our communities. We believe better futures start when we bring our best to the table every day to Feed a Purposeful Future - starting with our team members. We feed our teams with fulfilling job opportunities, making space around the table so everyone feels welcome. At Fogo, we'll provide you with a fulfilling career with professional and personal growth opportunities at every level. Our values of teamwork, integrity, excellence, humility and Deixa Comigo (we've got you!) are more than just words, it's how we do things every day.

Position Summary:

The Legal Administrator reports to the General Counsel and supports the Legal Department by keeping records, trackers, filings, permits, licenses, invoices, and deadlines organized and up to date across Fogo's multi-state restaurant footprint. This role helps coordinate legal operations, new restaurant permits and liquor license applications, third-party licensing administrator activity, and department documentation for both existing locations and new restaurant openings, including expansion into states and jurisdictions where Fogo may be entering for the first time.

The ideal candidate is a proactive, highly organized self-starter who is detail-oriented, digitally proficient, and able to manage confidential administrative workflows with accuracy, urgency, sound judgment, and follow-through. This person is expected to take initiative, keep work moving with limited direction, manage competing priorities, and recognize when to escalate deadlines, risks, or missing information.

Key Responsibilities:

• Administrative and Legal Operations Support: Provide day-to-day administrative support to the Legal Department, including scheduling, signature coordination, invoice and fee processing, mailing/courier coordination, notarization coordination, meeting support, and other department needs.
• Permit and License Applications: Prepare, coordinate, and track permit and liquor license applications and related filings for new restaurants across multiple states and local jurisdictions, including existing markets and new states or municipalities where Fogo may not have previously operated. Work with agencies, municipalities, licensing consultants, outside counsel, and internal stakeholders to support timely submissions, follow-ups, and approvals.
• Third-Party Licensing Administrator Management: Coordinate renewal activity for restaurant licenses and permits across multiple states and jurisdictions, including status, deadlines, documentation, fees, escalations, and completion of filings.
• Legal Document Library and SharePoint Management: Save, organize, and maintain legal documents, naming conventions, folder structures, searchable files, permissions coordination, and active and historical records.
• Trackers, Calendars and Reporting: Maintain Legal Department trackers, including Smartsheet-based trackers, for contracts, permits and licenses, entities, deadlines, responsible parties, approvals, fees, renewal dates, filing dates, jurisdiction-specific requirements, new market application milestones, agency follow-ups, and supporting documents.
• Payment, Invoice and Fee Processing: Process licensing consultant invoices, outside counsel invoices, and other Legal Department payments.

Qualifications:

• High school diploma required; associate's or bachelor's degree in Business, Legal Studies, Paralegal Studies, Records Management, or a related field preferred.
• 3-5 years of legal administrative, executive assistant, licensing coordinator, or comparable administrative experience.
• Experience in-house, in a law firm, restaurant/hospitality, retail, multi-unit, franchise, multi-state, new market expansion, or consumer-facing business environment preferred.
• Experience with multi-state liquor licensing, permitting, government filings, renewals, new location openings, new jurisdiction research, or state and local regulatory processes strongly preferred.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, deadline management, and ability to maintain accurate trackers and records.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and administrative workflow tools required. Experience with SharePoint, Smartsheet, document management, e-signature tools, licensing platforms, and AI-enabled productivity tools is strongly preferred.

Core Competencies:

• Organization and Execution: Manages priorities, deadlines, documents, and follow-ups with accuracy.
• Attention to Detail: Maintains clean records, accurate trackers, complete files, and reliable documentation.
• Judgment and Confidentiality: Handles sensitive legal, licensing, and business information with discretion.
• Communication and Follow-Through: Communicates clearly with internal partners, agencies, consultants, outside counsel, and vendors.
• Learning Agility and Digital Curiosity: Adapts to new systems, uses technology to improve work, and remains open to AI-enabled tools and process improvements.

Role Expectations:

The Legal Administrator serves as a central point of support for legal records, trackers, licensing calendars, Smartsheet-based workflows, SharePoint files, third-party licensing coordination, and other department workflows. This person must maintain organized systems, keep data accurate, follow up consistently, and escalate approaching deadlines, missing information, or jurisdiction-specific risks appropriately.

Physical and Work Environment Requirements:

• Ability to work in a professional office environment and use a computer, phone, and standard office equipment for extended periods.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external partners.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, in accordance with applicable laws.

Physical Demands

The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Must have a high level of endurance and mental acuity and toughness to manage conflict and deal successfully with high stress situations.

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance are available for full-time Team Members on the first of the month following their start date. Additionally, company-paid Life Insurance and Short-Term Disability are provided where allowed. We offer a comprehensive voluntary benefits package including Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Coverage, Permanent Life, and Pet Insurance.

Fogo de Chão is an Equal Opportunity & E Verify Employer

This posting is intended for a Texas-based, in-office position located in Addison, TX.