Legal Counsel

Overview
The Corporate Counsel Legal Affairs role at Microsoft is a role responsible for contributing to and executing Microsoft's legal strategy in France. This person This person will serve as a strategic and legal advisor to various customer segments of the France business, working together with the business on achieving success and accelerating AI transformation at scale.

The role requires a legal professional with experience in technology, corporate, commercial and public sector legal matters, including French public procurement law, as well as fluency in the French and European regulatory contexts. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate leadership capabilities.

This role is located in Paris and is part of a team of three lawyers. This Legal Affairs team is responsible for supporting legal and regulatory matters, reviewing new business models, removing legal blockers and supporting the business in accelerating consumption of Microsoft services, AI in particular, evangelizing the use of AI in the transformation of the legal profession, and for supporting transactions with public sector customers.

Central to the role will be deep partnerships with internal Microsoft teams and with our customers and partners in France in order to inform and ground the work of our Microsoft Corporate External and Legal Affairs team (CELA) more broadly. Proactive engagements with customers will be required. They will collaborate closely with the France Global Affairs team. They will also partner closely with the Regional Deal Team to ensure clear allocation and consistent execution of roles and responsibilities necessary to support the business. This leader will also partner, as needed, with multiple subject matter expert teams throughout the CELA department.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal counsel to senior sales leadership and business units on a wide range of legal and regulatory issues. Help in-country teams shape strategy and execution of strategic sales priorities.
• Ensure compliance with local laws and regulations, and proactively manage legal risks.
• Oversee litigation and disputes matters (excluding HR and consumer disputes), proactive and reactive regulatory engagements, and Public Sector contract negotiations.
• Work with the Regional Deal Team when needed to support regulatory elements of Enterprise Commercial customer contract negotiations. Work with the Regional Small Medium Enterprise & Corporate CELA lead when needed to support regulatory scaled resources such as self-help materials for the SME&C sales motion.
• Responsibly leverage outside counsel resources to drive budget efficiencies.
• Collaborate with regional and global legal teams to land Microsoft's global objectives within the France-specific context, and to participate in cross-border projects including CELA Customer and Partner Solutions strategic priorities.
• Represent Microsoft in interactions with external stakeholders, including regulators, senior legal officers for private and public sector customers, industry bodies, and legal industry leaders.
• Leverage AI to drive innovation within the CELA team in France.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) from France or equivalent legal degree with admission to practice law in the relevant jurisdiction and demonstrable work experience.

• Or equivalent experience

• Demonstrable experience in technology, corporate and commercial law, regulatory compliance, and litigation management.

• Demonstrable experience in the intersection of Financial Services or Public Sector with Technology

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of the French language.
• Demonstrable experience with advising senior business stakeholders
• Relevant business acumen and ability to provide pragmatic legal advice.
• Proficient communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrable experience working in a multinational corporation and/or technology sector is preferred.

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.