Senior Corporate Counsel

Responsibilities

Roles and Responsibilities

• Acts as the primary legal contact (generalist or subject matter expert) for a major product, business group, or corporate function; executes and/or manages high-impact or complex legal matters.
• Serves as a key business partner and valued legal advisor to senior level clients and colleagues by providing actionable advice on a wide range of issues (e.g., IP licensing and business model development); collaborates and advises on strategy to drive meaningful conversations that are grounded in in-depth understanding of product group.
• Manages relationships and develops partnerships with outside counsel; engages clients and collaborates with outside counsel or other service providers to develop strategies and innovative solutions to address business issues and achieve business objectives.
• Drafts new and novel policies and agreements; negotiates a variety of transactional documents.
• Reviews, interprets, and analyzes legal information and is recognized as a proven internal thought leader by maintaining a strong understanding of primary legal area and of legal principles outside of primary area.
• Monitors business activity to ensure legal compliance policies/standards are followed and mitigates associated risks; advises and helps clients understand complex compliance issues; facilitates development of creative solutions to complex issues.
• Identifies and engages appropriate stakeholders in CELA and business to escalate issues and drive decisions; provides guidance to attorneys and paralegals on escalations.
  

• End to end support, actionable insights and strategic inputs for our litigation matters and co-ordinate with outside counsel for dispute resolution.
• Manage requests, notices, communications and escalations from government authorities and pro-actively respond to the same, ensuring cordial and co-operative relationship.
• Supervision and engagement with outside counsel and across teams for compliance with laws; filing of statutory documents for our entities in India.
• Lead a complex deal compliance advisory practice across a portfolio of business segments, controls, and corporate functions.
• Brief executives and senior leadership on deal advisory outcomes, proactive consulting engagements, and compliance programs.
• Contribute to the advancement of a culture of diversity and inclusion at Microsoft.
  

• Proactively engages industry, business, or legal groups to drive Microsoft's policy objectives and external outreach initiatives (e.g., conferences, hearings, consultations, conducting workshops, volunteering for committees, leading recruiting activities).
• Develops and strategizes positive relationships with external and internal legal professionals, academics, government officials, customers, and/or partners in an effort to protect and advocate Microsoft's interests and to drive results; coordinates with government affairs professionals to obtain alignment in policy strategy for public entities.
  

• Partners with business teams to develop policies and best practices related to legal and regulatory issues.
• Provides continuous feedback and evaluates processes for improvement; contributes to significant operational improvements (including timeliness, quality improvement, and cost reduction); develops and implements recommendations that increase efficiencies within work group and for the delivery of legal services to clients.
• Develops financial arrangements for outside counsel and vendor expenses; manages and prioritizes expenses to allocated budget; contributes to budget development for practice group; works within and manages budgets for projects.
• Models compliance and maintains confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, privacy, and the security of data.
  

• Collaborates within CELA, across internal groups, senior management, senior-level business leaders, and clients to ensure a coordinated Legal and Corporate Affairs voice; provides guidance to frame issues in a clear and concise manner.
• Organizes and simplifies complex/multi-dimensional issues and recommends a clear course of action among alternatives.
  

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate Degree OR
• Equivalent International Degree OR
• Completion of a Legal Apprenticeship.
• Active license to practice law in a jurisdiction and capable of meeting admission requirements in relevant jurisdiction.
• 12+ years’ experience as a practicing attorney OR
• Equivalent practice of law.
  

Additional Or Preferred Qualifications

• In-house counsel experience(8+ years) preferably with multi-national companies or other large complex organizations, experience as an attorney with specialized practice in BFSI sector would be preferred
• Ability to perform in a highly matrixed organization and deal with ambiguity in a fast-changing technology innovation and digitally transforming world.
• The ability to manage a portfolio of projects and activities across multiple business areas, functions, and geographies to deliver impactful results.
• Strategic thinker in issues management and creating opportunities for engagement.
• Has an entrepreneurial mindset, ability to work independently in driving the various projects, working closely with various cross functional committee members to drive change with an open, curious, and growth-oriented mindset.
• Able to generate ideas and think creatively, yet work with detailed information
• Good project management skill - able to multiple tasks simultaneously, and organize and prioritize work under pressure, and take decisions.
• Possesses high level of energy and strong skills on teamwork, cross-group collaborations, networking and leveraging virtual engagements.
• Must possess and have the passion to always act with the highest standards of ethics and integrity and be an advocate for a diversity and inclusive work environment.
• A keen business sense, with the ability to find creative business-oriented solutions to legal issues, balancing legal risks against business interests.
• Passion for technology, the potential of digital transformation and Microsoft’s diverse range of products and services.
• Strong communication and writing, oral, including public speaking skills and demonstrated experience presenting to executive or senior level audiences.
• Domestic and International travel may be required from time to time.