Senior Legal Counsel, Procurement
Cushman & Wakefield, Chicago, IL, United States
Job Title
Senior Legal Counsel, Procurement
Job Description Summary
The Senior Legal Counsel will proactively support Cushman & Wakefield’s procurement operations in the U.S. and globally. This position reports to the Associate General Counsel, Procurement.
The successful candidate for this position will join a lean, dynamic legal team with direct responsibility for proactively supporting C&W’s corporate and commercial client procurement operations to deliver best in class, collaborative, and practical contracting services, with demonstrated experience with technology contracts. This role will work directly with our procurement team and business lines across the organization. This position will also include providing ad hoc assistance on special projects as they arise. We are looking for an individual who has proven successful at working autonomously with limited legal supervision, and collaboratively with stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
Essential Job Duties:
- Structure, draft and negotiate a broad range of commercial contracts, including a range of technology agreements, supporting Cushman’s operations in the U.S. and globally.
- Analyze and appropriately mitigate contractual risk against business needs, spot and resolve issues, and provide expert counsel and advice to internal stakeholders on deal structure, strategy, and commercial and legal implications of proposed transactions. Collaborate with procurement team and internal stakeholders to ensure that contractual terms align with business objectives, risk tolerance, data use and protection requirements.
- Partner cross-functionally with internal stakeholders in legal, operations, technology and procurement, maintaining strong, collaborative relationships to deliver solutions, appropriately escalate and address critical risk issues, ensure that contractual terms align with business objectives and risk tolerance and successfully close complex deals.
- Develop and maintain contract templates and playbooks and support with development of internal training.
- Support the contract strategy process through the entire Lead contract dispute management.
- Perform other related duties as required or requested.
Competencies:
- 8+ years of commercial transactions experience, including structuring and negotiating SaaS and other cloud-related deals, and preferably including 4+ years’ experience at a top law firm or boutique technology firm, and 4+ years’ experience in-house.
- Expertise in drafting, advising and negotiating SaaS and other technology contracts and terms related to privacy, data protection, indemnity, and liability for corporate and client-facing technology initiatives.
- Critical thinker that problem solves to remove barriers and deliver practical results aligning with business needs. Must be innovative, proactive, resourceful, and execution-oriented with exceptional judgment to provide sound legal advice and drafting reflecting a clear understanding of business objectives and balancing risk with business priorities.
- Experience with issues and regulations impacting SaaS and other cloud agreements, data protection and privacy, including EU regulations, U.S. federal and state requirements.
- Self-motivated, confident, independent attorney that drives excellence and approaches each project with a “get to yes” attitude. Must be willing and able to adapt to varying situations to support and drive results however needed, and be capable of working comfortably in a large, global organization with nuanced lines of business and corporate structure.
- Executive presence with strong legal and commercial sophistication and accomplished in the “art of lawyering”; must be skilled in written and oral communication with the ability to effectively advise internal stakeholders, engender trust, build strong relationships and work effectively with leadership and across all levels of the organization.
- Excellent organization and time management skills with ability to prioritize and manage competing, concurrent demands. Must be highly collaborative and a team player.
- Ability and willingness to gain expertise and perform work in emerging areas of technology and the law is a must.
- Juris Doctorate degree required; and Bar Admission in good standing.