Overview
An organization is seeking an Assistant General Counsel to lead a transaction-focused legal practice. This role involves reviewing, negotiating, and resolving complex and high-risk professional services and technology-related agreements. The Assistant General Counsel will serve as an escalation point for transactional matters and manage key aspects of the contracting process. The position requires collaboration with partners, business unit leaders, and firm leadership to balance commercial objectives with legal, regulatory, and reputational risk.
Responsibilities
- Develop a deep understanding of the organization's service lines, technology offerings, and business strategies, including associated risk profiles.
- Lead and negotiate complex, bespoke, and high-value agreements such as master services agreements, engagement letters, confidentiality agreements, SaaS agreements, data protection agreements, software licenses, subcontractor agreements, government contracts, and statements of work.
- Serve as an escalation point for non-standard, high-risk, or novel commercial issues, partnering with Legal Department leadership on material risk decisions.
- Negotiate vendor agreements with consideration of operational, regulatory, and information security risks.
- Review requests for proposals (RFPs) to identify risks and advise on risk-based, commercially practical mitigation strategies.
- Apply U.S. and international privacy and data protection laws and collaborate with information security, privacy, and risk teams.
- Own, maintain, and improve contract templates, standard terms, and fallback positions; draft new templates as business needs evolve.
- Evaluate and enhance contracting processes and workflows using technology, automation, offshore resources, contract lifecycle management (CLM), and AI-enabled tools.
- Assist in maintaining and expanding commercial contracting playbooks, ensuring consistent application of negotiation positions with appropriate flexibility.
- Provide leadership, guidance, supervision, and mentorship to Senior Counsel, Counsel, and other legal professionals.
- Influence and align stakeholders across the firm through credibility, judgment, and strong relationships.
Requirements
- Minimum of nine (9) years of relevant experience in a law firm or in-house counsel role, with demonstrated expertise in complex commercial transactions and advising senior stakeholders.
- Admission to a U.S. state bar in good standing; preference for candidates admitted to the Illinois bar and located in the Chicago area.
- Strong organizational skills, business judgment, strategic thinking, and exceptional written and verbal communication skills tailored to senior audiences.
- Ability to manage workload effectively, prioritize competing demands, and make risk-based decisions aligned with business objectives.
- Solutions-oriented and relationship-focused negotiation approach.
- Ability to lead both directly and through influence without formal reporting lines.
- Experience leveraging technology to improve legal service delivery; familiarity with Microsoft Office required, CLM platforms and AI-assisted contract review tools preferred.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with state or federal government contract requirements and compliance.
- Background in governmental, accounting, or financial regulatory sectors.
- Experience with cross-border or multi-jurisdictional contracting.
- Knowledge of intellectual property matters related to marketing, trade secrets, licensing, patents, and copyright.
- Experience in public accounting, consulting, or other professional services environments.
- Familiarity with regulated or compliance-driven contracts, including government contracts.
- Experience improving contracting processes and working with global or offshore teams.
- Knowledge of data privacy regulations or certifications such as CIPP-US or CIPP-E.
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary range: $149,400.00 - $317,100.00 per year, dependent on skills, experience, licensure, certifications, and organizational needs.
- Comprehensive total rewards package including benefits.
Location
- Preference for candidates located in the Chicago area; remote candidates admitted to a U.S. state bar in good standing may be considered.
Additional Information
- The role reports to the leader of the Legal Department’s commercial transactions function within the Firm Risk Management enabling function.
- Collaboration with a globally located legal and contract support team, including colleagues based in India, requires reasonable availability during overlapping business hours.
- The application deadline is February 28, 2026.
- Employment eligibility verification is required; no work authorization sponsorship is provided.
- The organization is an equal opportunity employer and complies with applicable laws regarding non-discrimination and fair hiring practices.
- Candidates should be prepared to act ethically and with integrity at all times.