Principle Corporate Counsel, Real Estate and Construction

Job Description

Overview

Microsoft’s Corporate & External Legal Affairs (CELA) group seeks an experienced lawyer to provide comprehensive and coordinated legal support for the teams that design and construct datacenters powering the Microsoft Cloud. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated capability to support the execution of complex design and construction projects and advise on a wide variety of related issues including real estate and commercial transactions, entitlements, land use, compliance, health & safety, and dispute resolution. We are looking for a self-starter who is skilled at collaborating with a variety of stakeholders and is passionate about problem-solving.

Responsibilities

This person will advise internal business clients and manage outside counsel on a variety of topics, including:

• the procurement of equipment and related construction services, manufacturing, and/or hardware product development counseling and transactions.
• the development of new datacenters and cloud infrastructure. Must have a demonstrated capability to support the execution of complex design & construction projects and advise on a wide variety of related issues including real estate & commercial transactions, compliance, health & safety, and dispute resolution.
• Construction, architecture/engineering, and consulting services contracts ranging from standard engagements to complex, high-value transactions (requiring fluency with different construction delivery models and industry forms);
• Legal issues that arise in commercial relationships, including claims and pre-litigation disputes; and
• Ancillary categories such as anti-corruption/anti-bribery compliance, labor, health & safety, government affairs, and community development.
• Our cloud infrastructure business has grown rapidly, and continued growth is anticipated, with a focus on building and owning. This new person will support work that is difficult or cost prohibitive to outsource, e.g., multi-geo strategic initiatives, daily counseling, supplier vetting, training, etc.

Qualifications

Minimum qualifications

• Juris Doctorate Degree or foreign equivalent

  OR Completion of a Legal Apprenticeship.

• OR equivalent practice of law.

• Active license to practice law in jurisdiction and capable of admission requirements in relevant jurisdiction.
• Extensive experience counseling complex development projects (prefer some in-house experience)
• Proficient written and oral communication skills

Preferred qualifications

• Experience supporting large ($100M+) development projects.
• Experience counseling on intellectual property issues.
• In-house experience in technology, construction, or real estate company.
• Keen business sense, flexible and analytical thinker able to identify legal issues quickly and accurately in a complex environment and to develop practical solutions by exercising judgment in ambiguous situations.
• Adept at communicating simply and strong attention to detail and organization.
• Works efficiently, meets demanding deadlines in a fast-paced environment, prioritizes workflow with minimal supervision, and adjusts to evolving business imperatives.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate well with team members on projects that cut across organizational and geographical boundaries.
• Experience and comfort working with data, including measuring program performance and effectiveness, informing priorities and deliver insights to stakeholders.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.