* Great location
* Varied, busy role
* Work within a supportive and engaging team
Microsoft has an immediate opportunity based in Sydney for an experienced commercial and litigation Attorney to join our Australia and New Zealand Legal and Corporate Affairs team. The Australia and New Zealand team forms part of the Asia Pacific Regional Team and is part of Microsoft Corporation’s worldwide Legal and Corporate Affairs group. The team supports Microsoft Corporation’s subsidiaries in Australia and New Zealand. The team also supports regional business headquarter activities and provides advice on local and regional issues to colleagues and clients in the US.
Microsoft attorneys work closely with internal clients to find creative solutions to business issues and are an integral part of client strategic planning and development teams. The Attorney will be responsible for supporting some commercial programs in defined business areas and business units in Australia and also working on programs designed to protect the company’s Intellectual Property. This would include assisting with a wide array of commercial matters, including drafting, reviewing and negotiating agreements and deals, and providing advices across a range of subject areas. It would also include advice on a broad range of matters including issues regarding Intellectual Property, competition law, marketing, compliance, and applicable regulatory matters. Broad commercial experience and some litigation experience will be a strong advantage. Experience advising all levels of management is important as is the ability to structure and craft appropriate legal advice in a cohesive, collaborative and constructive way in a sometimes challenging environment.
The Attorney would be licensed in the US, Australia or Commonwealth jurisdiction and should have at least seven to ten years of commercial and litigation practice. The qualified candidate will have excellent academic credentials with strong client counseling skills. A proven track record in proactively and intuitively establishing, building, maintaining and managing strong and positive relationships with clients and colleagues is essential. The attorney should be generally familiar with copyright, trademark, trade secret, and antitrust law issues. Experience with Intellectual Property commercial transaction is highly desirable. A background which includes litigation is helpful, as is experience working with Fortune 500 companies or their regional equivalents. A successful track record in managing budgets and external service providers is desirable.
The scope of the role can and will change over time to respond to business adjustments and re-organisations and it is a requirement that the successful candidate be flexible and adaptable in terms of their general skill sets and aspirations.
Some of the primary additional responsibilities for the position are currently contemplated to be:
• Work effectively with the local business and broader regional and corporate teams to help analyse legal risks, resolve issues and improve overall business strategy
• Working with internal clients and colleagues on programmatic agreements;
• Working with internal clients to structure Intellectual Property Protection programs in Australia and New Zealand
• Assist in developing business programs for a variety of internal client groups;
• Reviewing agreements and other documents presented by or prepared by internal client groups
• Training internal clients on legal issues as part of regularly scheduled events offered to existing and newly hired sales and marketing representatives and otherwise on an as-needed basis.
• Establishing strong and positive relationships with internal management teams of client groups and regional teams.
• Co-ordinate work with outside counsel and oversee efficient use of budget allocated to outside counsel fees.
• Provide supportive cross group leadership inside the immediate LCA team and more broadly amongst other business groups.
• Provide and ensure highly transparent and proactive reporting of key issues and progress.
Skills and Qualifications:
Qualifications Should Include:
• Excellent academic qualifications, a LlB or higher degree in law;
• Seven to ten years PQE as a commercial and litigation lawyer;
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and litigation skills;
• A smart, energetic person who will enjoy the dynamic nature of our company and industry;
• Ability to work well independently with minimal supervision balanced with a strong ability to work and contribute in a collegial team situation;
• An excellent team player with the ability to lead and motivate others and to facilitate problem solving, and to work with a diverse set of personalities and to communicate effectively across a large number of diverse internal groups, teams and divisions;
• Demonstrated ability to work efficiently, meet demanding deadlines, and manage multi-dimensional projects in a fast-paced environment and across inter-departmental teams;
• Sound and practical business judgment;
• Strong goal orientation toward results and attention to detail;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• An awareness of and ability to apply principles of plain language and contract simplification;
• A problem-solving approach focused on achieving results that benefit our business as well as the business of our customers and partners;
• A sense of humour;
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel is required; familiarity with Microsoft Outlook, Schedule+, Powerpoint and Access is helpful;
• Excellent English language skills.