Overview

Turn experience into opportunity.  Leverage your accomplishments to get the kind of employment you’ve always wanted as a part of the Corporate, External and Legal Affairs’ Global Deal Team: cutting edge issues, world class clients and strategic initiatives all with the collaboration and support of a global team of seasoned professionals. If you are ready to work directly with business leaders to solve problems, drive change, design the future and delight our customers, then a career with the Microsoft Global Deal Team is for you. 

The Global Deal Team has an immediate opening for a Principal Corporate Counsel on a team of lawyers that prides itself on collaboration, learning, energy, and creating wins for Microsoft and its customers. Your primary responsibility will be supporting business teams that are responsible for pursuing and closing some of the most strategic and complex commercial transactions across the EMEA region and globally.  In this role, you will advise and work with a wide range of internal multidisciplinary stakeholders, our customers and partners and our outside counsels to enable strategic transactions with Microsoft’s most important customers who are rapidly transforming in this GenAI era. As a part of the Global Deal Team, you will also have the opportunity to help evolve how we work to deliver scaled legal services to accelerate the business outcomes Microsoft and its customers are driving.  

This successful candidate could be based in Paris or London. This role will likely involve some international travel.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. 

Responsibilities

You will provide legal support for complex technology transactions by developing negotiation strategies, solving problems creatively, and coordinating across CELA and business team subject matter experts. You will offer strategic advice on newly emerging information technology business models, including AI, while staying updated on rules, regulations, and other statutory requirements relating to Microsoft business.

You will draft, negotiate, and structure integrated agreements encompassing sales, procurement, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, investments, and other innovative business models, addressing legal issues such as commercial contracts, intellectual property, and data protection.

You will utilize outside counsel effectively and guide escalations to appropriate senior leaders to take smart and well-informed risks to meet customer needs.

You will communicate in ways that create clarity and advance negotiations and projects to achieve closure of open issues. You will provide practical and strategic advice to business clients and CELA colleagues.

You will ensure a coordinated legal voice through broad collaboration across groups, management and leaders. This will involve organizing and simplifying complex issues and recommending clear courses of action.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

Juris Doctorate Degree or international equivalent degree.
Active license to practice law in a jurisdiction and capable of meeting admission requirements in relevant jurisdiction.
This role requires proficiency in written, reading, and conversational French.

Preferred Qualifications

Proficiency in written, reading, and conversational Italian
Demonstrable experience as a practicing attorney in law firm or in-house roles specializing in complex transactions, including technology transactions, M&A, business development, or related work managing complex transactions involving multiple stakeholders.
Exceptional orchestration skills, with a demonstrated history of successfully advising on large-scale, nuanced transactions that involve multiple strategic, operational, and legal dimensions and the requirement to meet deadlines in the face of competing priorities.
Comfort with ambiguity and bias for action in a fast-paced, highly matrixed environment with sound judgment incorporating strong legal analysis, a pragmatic approach, and consideration of business goals, risk tolerance, and stakeholder priorities.
Enthusiastic team player who enjoys partnering with cross-functional teams to solve complex issues, invest in others, and work collaboratively to generate consensus across diverse points of view.
Inquisitive and curious - enjoys learning new concepts, tackling cutting-edge legal issues, thrives amidst change and exhibits a growth mindset.
Additional language skills would be a plus.

#CELA

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.

Principal Corporate Counsel (Global Deal Team)