Associate Corporate Counsel (Contract)

Mercedes-Benz R&D North America•San Jose, GA

14d•Remote

About The Position

We are seeking a highly motivated Associate Corporate Counsel with 0 to 2 years of experience to provide comprehensive legal support across various areas, including employment, commercial contracts/tech transactions, intellectual property (IP), data privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), compliance, product, vehicle operations, litigation, procurement, regulatory, and trade compliance. This role requires an individual who can balance legal expertise with practical, business-oriented solutions, working closely with internal stakeholders in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. This role is open to remote work. On-site or hybrid presence in San Jose, Ann Arbor, or Atlanta is preferred. Relocation assistance is not available. This is a temporary role with an expected duration of four to six (4-6) months.

Requirements

J.D. Degree from accredited law school and 0-2 years of experience as a practicing attorney at a law firm or an in-house legal department.
0-2 years of relevant in-house and/or law firm experience, ideally in a tech, automotive, or engineering-related industry.
Ability to distill complex legal concepts into clear, actionable, business-oriented advice.
Highly motivated, intellectually curious, detail-oriented, and able to work both collaboratively and independently in a fast-paced environment.
Strong research, writing, analytical, and communication skills.
Committed to fostering positive and respectful relationships, internally and externally.
A proactive, roll-up-your-sleeves attitude, embracing tasks of all sizes with enthusiasm and drive.
Admission to and current good standing with the bar of at least one state (California, Michigan, or Georgia preferred).

Nice To Haves

Experience in a global tech company
Experience with legal issues surrounding AI and autonomous vehicles
Law firm experience
CIPP/US (Privacy) certification
Familiarity with litigation

Responsibilities

Support Engineering & Product Teams: Provide legal counsel and strategic advice to engineering and product development teams, ensuring that legal considerations are integrated into the design, development, and deployment of new technologies.
Contract Negotiation & Drafting: Negotiate, draft, and review commercial contracts including tech licensing agreements, service agreements, procurement/vendor agreements, NDAs, development agreements, proofs of concept, evaluation and technology transfer agreements.
Intellectual Property (IP): Work with internal teams to manage intellectual property protection, commercialization, and licensing.
Data Privacy & Security: Ensure compliance with relevant data protection laws and regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) in the development and operation of our products and services.
Employment: Provide advice on employment law matters, including employee relations, investigations, and workplace policies.
Litigation: Provide litigation support, including fact gathering, development of litigation strategy, outside counsel management, and internal litigation tracking.
AI & Emerging Technologies: Advise on legal issues related to AI, including ethical considerations, IP, and proposed legislation and regulations. Conduct legal research on new and emerging technologies and issues impacting the company. Provide risk assessments and practical legal solutions to business challenges.
Regulatory & Trade Compliance: Support the company's regulatory compliance efforts across its products and operations, including export controls and trade/sanctions compliance (e.g., EAR, ITAR, and OFAC), and regulatory matters arising from vehicle data collection, transmission, cross-border data flows, and related emerging technologies.
General Legal Support: Provide legal counsel on a wide variety of corporate matters, including corporate governance, operations, regulatory compliance, and corporate policies.