Contracts & Compliance Attorney

Sidley Austin•Chicago, IL

4d•$125,000 - $140,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Contracts and Compliance Staff Attorney will be principally responsible for negotiating client-driven engagement letters, Outside Counsel Guidelines, Information Security and AI Amendments (collectively “Client Contracts”) for existing and prospective clients on behalf of the Firm and coordinating the input from various Firm stakeholders to facilitate a prompt resolution of issues and agreement with Client Contracts. This position will work under the supervision of the Contracts & Compliance Attorney Senior Manager and directly with Firm partners and management and senior members within the Firm’s Office of General Counsel and Conflicts and New Business organizations. This position will also help support necessary processes and procedures to ensure compliance with legal and ethical obligations of a global law firm, including compliance with relevant aspects of AML/KYC, AI, insurance, privacy, and data security requirements in both U.S. and non-U.S. offices.

Requirements

Juris Doctor or equivalent degree from an accredited law school
Minimum 2 years of experience in reviewing, interpreting, and negotiating Outside Counsel Guidelines, Engagement Terms, and Master Service Agreements in a law firm or corporate setting
Knowledge of rules of professional responsibility
Admission to a bar in jurisdiction where Firm has an office (preferably Illinois or New York)
Strong organizational skills and self-starter
Strong attention to detail
Good judgment and strategic thinking
Strong interpersonal communication skills
Strong analytical, problem-solving and legal research skills
Able to work harmoniously and effectively with others
Able to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretion
Able to work under pressure
Able to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities in a high performance environment

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with contract terms relating to privacy and data security
Database research experience, especially IntappTerms
Experience with Netdocs or other document management systems and Microsoft Office Suite

Responsibilities

Serve as subject matter expert on the ethical and legal issues with respect to Client Contracts and Client Questionnaires, including facilitating and, where appropriate, leading discussions and negotiations with firm clients regarding such matters.
Identify terms that should be escalated and discussed with senior members of the Office of General Counsel, Conflicts and New Business or Firm management and facilitate the resolution of issues with respect to problematic ethical and legal terms in Client Contracts.
Coordinate and work closely with all stakeholders in the OCG process, including Conflicts and New Business, Client Arrangements, Billing, IT Security, Privacy, Vendor Contracting and other teams in connection with the review of Client Contracts.
Support creation of procedures/manual for the review of Client Contracts, including creating efficiencies and repositories for responses to frequent legal and ethical issues.
Maintain an updated database for tracking the progress of Client Contracts negotiations to ensure timely resolutions.
Serve as subject matter expert regarding coding of ethical and legal issues in IntappTERMS.
Conduct periodic audit of coding for ethical and legal issues in IntappTERMS and correct inaccurate entries.
Review and analyze conflicting engagement terms in multiple engagement letters and/or Client Contracts for the same client and recommend solutions.
Work with senior members of the Conflicts and New Business organization, Advance Waiver Committee, and others to identify Client Contracts and engagement letters without full advance waivers.
Supervise work of contract specialists, project managers and others supporting Client Contracts related initiatives
Study and stay current with laws and rules pertaining to conflicts of interest, Client Contracts, and related ethical issues in each jurisdiction in the United States where the Firm maintains offices.
Support necessary processes and procedures to ensure compliance with legal and ethical obligations of a global law firm, including compliance with relevant aspects of AML/KYC, insurance, privacy, and data security requirements in both U.S. and non-U.S. offices.
Perform various special projects and duties as assigned.