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Overview

The Corporate External and Legal Affairs (CELA) organization is looking for a skilled attorney with a passion for technology to join the Cloud + AI legal team and serve as a trusted advisor for the Microsoft Specialized Cloud engineering group.

As Principal Corporate Counsel , you will take on a broad and varied portfolio of legal work critical to some of Microsoft’s most strategic products and services, including the cloud infrastructure. The broad and varied portfolio of legal work includes all aspects of developing and operating cloud services, including transactional support and compliance for product engineering, together with work on important strategic projects and initiatives.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, and we are dedicated to this mission across every aspect of our company. Our Culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. Join us and help shape the future of the world.

Responsibilities

• Legal Advice and Counsel

• Foster deep and high trust engagement as the key legal advisor with engineering clients to understand technical engineering concepts and strategy;

• Provide high-quality, pragmatic legal and business advice regarding a wide range of issues, including product development, government and commercial contracting, security, privacy/data protection, trade, compliance, and intellectual property, often in collaboration with legal department colleagues and policy specialists;

• Provide thought leadership and counseling on emerging issues, help create and execute on plans to achieve both short-term and long-term results, and communicate with key legal and business stakeholders;

• Draft and negotiate commercial and technology focused agreements; develop new templates and guidance to accelerate transactions.

• * Analyze and help solve complex and innovative issues.
  

  • Operational Excellence
  • Develop and implement processes, templates and best practices, track projects and share knowledge across the wider Microsoft legal community.
  • Provide input and continuous feedback to improve process efficiencies within role; identifies opportunities and tools to increase operational efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Manage project work expenses according to budget and proposes efficiencies.
  • Models compliance and maintains confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, privacy, and the security of data.
  • Communication & Culture

• * Collaborate effectively within CELA and stakeholders across engineering, business development, finance, and sales functions.
  

  • Organize issues and ideas clearly in written and verbal communication and demonstrate effectiveness across diverse technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Embody our culture and values

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor Degree or international equivalent degree AND 4+ years experience as a practicing attorney
  • OR equivalent experience.
  • Active license to practice law in a jurisdiction and capable of meeting admission requirements in relevant jurisdiction.

Other Requirements

• Citizenship & Citizenship Verification: This position requires verification of US citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local United States government agency customers and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate’s citizenship will be verified with a valid passport.
• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Additional Or Preferred Qualifications

• 3+ years' experience as an attorney advising on technology-related legal issues (including intellectual property, licensing, and compliance), ideally as in-house counsel.
• Experience counseling engineering teams developing products and services for enterprise and government customers.
• Experience negotiating complex technology agreements.
• Experience distilling complex legal and technical issues into clear, actionable guidance and recommendations.

#CELA

Legal Counsel IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $132,200 - $232,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $165,800 - $248,600 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.