Legal Counsel

Overview

This role supports US legal matters for an AdTech organization with global operations. You will advise on AdTech, commercial contracts, privacy and data protection, product, regulatory compliance, and disputes—while leading key negotiations and managing US legal responsibilities.

Responsibilities

US commercial and contract support

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements for US operations, including advertiser, agency, publisher, strategic partnership, vendor, SaaS, data, technology, and service agreements.
• Lead negotiations of material or high-risk US agreements and provide clear recommendations regarding acceptable legal and commercial positions.
• Develop and maintain US contract templates, fallback positions, negotiation playbooks, and approval rules.
• Ensure contractual arrangements address liability, indemnities, privacy, data use, intellectual property, confidentiality, compliance, payment, and termination risks.
• Support Commercial and Operations teams in resolving contractual issues with clients, publishers, vendors, and other business partners.

Privacy, AdTech, and product counseling

• Advise on US privacy and data-protection requirements applicable to products, advertising technologies, and business operations.
• Assess data flows, tracking technologies, targeted advertising practices, audience-related products, and vendor integrations.
• Review new products, features, and commercial initiatives and provide privacy-by-design and compliance recommendations.
• Support preparation and maintenance of privacy notices, contractual privacy provisions, internal policies, consent and opt-out mechanisms, and data-governance documentation.
• Collaborate with the DPO, Product, Information Security, Compliance, and Technology teams on privacy and data-related matters.
• Monitor changes in US federal and state laws, enforcement practices, and AdTech industry standards.

Advertising and regulatory compliance

• Advise on advertising claims, marketing practices, consumer-protection requirements, and other legal issues arising from digital advertising activities.
• Assess potential unfair or deceptive practice risks and advise on appropriate disclosures and mitigation measures.
• Support responses to regulatory inquiries, complaints, subpoenas, information requests, and enforcement matters.
• Prepare concise legal updates and practical implementation guidance regarding material US regulatory developments.

Disputes and external counsel management

• Manage pre-litigation disputes, demand letters, contractual claims, and settlement discussions.
• Coordinate litigation and regulatory matters with external counsel.
• Define scope of external legal engagements, monitor performance and legal spend, and ensure external advice is translated into practical actions.
• Maintain appropriate records regarding disputes, deadlines, legal holds, risks, and settlement authority.
• Promptly escalate material claims, investigations, and potential liabilities to the Chief Legal Officer.

Corporate, employment, and operational support

• Support US corporate governance, subsidiary maintenance, intercompany documentation, delegated authority, and signing arrangements.
• Coordinate with specialist external counsel on employment, corporate, tax, litigation, and other matters requiring specific local expertise.
• Advise HR on routine US employment matters within the lawyer’s competence and help identify issues requiring specialist counsel.
• Support internal investigations and sensitive employee or compliance matters when required.

Legal risk management and business partnering

• Serve as the principal US legal contact for relevant business teams.
• Maintain a structured overview of material US legal risks, disputes, regulatory developments, and remediation actions.
• Prepare legal memoranda, risk assessments, management summaries, and recommendations.
• Develop training and practical guidance for business teams on contracts, privacy, advertising compliance, and other relevant US legal topics.
• Contribute to global Legal Department projects, policies, reporting, and process improvements.

Requirements

• Law degree.
• Active membership in good standing of the bar of at least one US state.
• Must be eligible to practise or register as in-house counsel in the state where the candidate will perform the duties.
• At least 8 years of relevant US legal experience, including experience in commercial contracts, technology, digital advertising, privacy, or data-related matters.
• At least 3 years of in-house experience with technology, digital media, advertising, SaaS, data-driven or other international business, or equivalent experience advising such clients at a reputable law firm.
• Strong hands-on experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial and technology agreements, including MSAs, insertion orders, publisher and advertiser agreements, agency agreements, SaaS and vendor contracts, data processing agreements, data licensing terms, confidentiality agreements, and strategic partnership agreements.
• Strong working knowledge of US privacy, data protection, digital advertising, and consumer protection requirements, including US state privacy laws, FTC requirements, and rules applicable to online advertising and data-driven products.
• Demonstrated ability to advise on legal issues arising from online advertising, tracking technologies, targeted advertising, data collection and sharing, marketing claims, and digital platforms.
• Experience assessing product and commercial initiatives, identifying material legal risks, and proposing practical risk-mitigation measures that support business objectives.
• Experience managing disputes, pre-litigation matters, regulatory inquiries, claims, and external litigation counsel.
• Ability to independently manage material legal matters and negotiations with limited supervision and appropriately escalate high-risk issues.
• Ability to provide concise, practical, and commercially balanced advice rather than purely theoretical legal analysis.
• Excellent legal drafting and negotiation skills.
• Strong stakeholder-management skills and experience working directly with senior management and cross-functional business teams.

Interpersonal skills

• Commercial and solution-oriented mindset.
• Strong ownership and sound professional judgment.
• Ability to prioritize matters according to legal and business risk.
• Clear and confident communication with senior stakeholders.
• Ability to explain complex US legal requirements to non-US and non-legal colleagues.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced international environment.
• Proactive, structured, and responsive working style.
• Ability to work independently while remaining aligned with the global Legal team.
• High level of integrity, professional ethics, confidentiality, ownership, and accountability.
• Willingness to disclose any ongoing external legal practice, advisory roles, board positions, clients, or other professional commitments that may create conflicts of interest or affect availability for the role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working directly in the AdTech, MarTech, digital media, programmatic advertising, or online publishing industry.
• Knowledge of NAI, DAA, and IAB standards and industry practices.
• Experience interacting with the FTC, state attorneys general, and other US regulators.
• Experience with CCPA/CPRA compliance, including targeted advertising, “sale” and “sharing” assessments, opt-out mechanisms, and vendor/service-provider classification.
• Experience advising on artificial intelligence, automated decision-making, algorithmic products, or AI contracting.
• Experience with intellectual property, content licensing, and platform-related matters.
• Experience advising on US employment matters and managing specialist employment counsel.
• Experience with corporate governance and subsidiary management.
• Experience with sanctions, export controls, or international compliance matters.
• CIPP/US, CIPM, or another relevant privacy qualification.
• Experience supporting globally distributed teams and coordinating with lawyers from multiple jurisdictions.
• Prior experience implementing contract templates, legal playbooks, approval matrices, or contract lifecycle management tools.

Compensation & Benefits

Not specified in the provided job description.

Location

US-qualified Senior Lawyer role; must be eligible to practise or register as in-house counsel in the state where the candidate will perform the duties.