Senior Director Legal Counsel Creative Cloud

Adobe•San Jose, CA

About The Position

Our Company Changing the world through digital experiences is what Adobe's all about. We give everyone, from emerging artists to global brands, everything they need to design and deliver exceptional digital experiences. We're passionate about empowering everyone to craft beautiful and powerful images, videos, and apps, and transform how companies interact with customers across every screen. We're on a mission to hire the very best and are committed to building exceptional employee experiences where everyone is respected and has access to equal opportunity. We realize that new ideas can come from everywhere in the organization, and we know the next big idea could be yours! The Opportunity Adobe is seeking a Senior Director, Legal to serve as the lead attorney for the Creative Cloud (CC) business unit on a global scale. Creative Cloud encompasses over 20 desktop and mobile apps, including Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and After Effects — along with integrated services such as Adobe Fonts, and cloud storage. This is a high-impact leadership role at the intersection of law and business strategy. The right candidate is, first and foremost, a business affairs attorney — someone who leads with a deep understanding of business objectives and combines that with expert legal judgment to help the business achieve its goals while right-sizing risk. This means developing a thorough command of CC's product lines, customer segments, go-to-market strategies, platforms, and competitive position, and translating that knowledge into clear, practical legal guidance. This role reports to the VP and Deputy General Counsel of Creativity & Productivity (C&P), who reports to the Chief Legal Officer, and works closely with colleagues across the Legal & Government Relations (LGR) organization and throughout Adobe.

Requirements

J.D. degree and active membership in at least one state bar.
15+ years of relevant legal experience, including prior in-house experience or first-chair law firm experience.
6+ years of people management experience leading large, talented legal teams.
Extensive knowledge across multiple legal disciplines relevant to product compliance: privacy, trust and safety, consumer protection, trade compliance, IP, antitrust, licensing, and international law.
Extensive experience leading, negotiating, and closing large, complex, strategic partnerships.
Advanced substantive knowledge of generative artificial intelligence and its legal implications.
Strong command of SaaS software business models and the legal frameworks that govern them.
Proven ability to understand and internalize business strategy, company goals, and competitive dynamics — and to use that knowledge to inform risk advising and team prioritization.
Significant understanding of Adobe's current and possible future technologies, strategies, policies, and competitors, as well as applicable law and industry trends.
Demonstrated experience right-sizing risk: making practical, business-friendly legal recommendations that enable growth rather than stymie it.
Experience advising and working directly with senior executives and Board members.
Ability to communicate effectively and with credibility across all levels of the organization.
Strategic problem solver with excellent legal and business judgment, including demonstrated experience identifying and acting on risk mitigation opportunities.
Exceptional interpersonal skills, a collaborative spirit, a great sense of humor, and someone who does not take her or himself too seriously and has an unwavering commitment to professionalism.
A meticulous, creative thinker who thrives in a fast-moving, cross-functional environment.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Development Lead, grow, and inspire a team of highly talented attorneys and legal specialists supporting CC product compliance globally.
Empower team members to make sound, independent risk decisions grounded in a clear understanding of laws, regulations, business objectives, and strategic priorities.
Maintain a high-quality, well-staffed team by monitoring workload, anticipating headcount needs, advocating for resources, and shifting support to align with evolving business unit priorities.
Foster a team culture of business partnership and collaboration— ensuring attorneys work collaboratively with business teams rather than acting as gatekeepers.
Legal Strategy & Risk Advising Serve as the primary legal advisor to CC business and product leadership, advising senior executives on legal risks across all CC product and business activities worldwide.
Develop and drive risk and innovation strategy across a broad and rapidly evolving international legal landscape, including consumer protection, IP, antitrust, licensing, and applicable international laws.
Connect the dots across business strategy, product plans, and legal risk — breaking down silos, ensuring consistency, and eliminating blind spots across the organization.
Anticipate legal and market trends, look around corners, and put plans in place to address emerging risks before they materialize.
Cross-Functional Partnership Partner closely with privacy, trust and safety, trade compliance, Employment, Corporate, Product, Security, and Go-To-Market teams to manage CC product compliance end-to-end.
Develop deeply meaningful relationships with senior stakeholders across Adobe, building the organizational knowledge and trust needed to get things done effectively.
Develop a deep understanding of CC customer segments — including Education, Government, Enterprise, Teams, and Individual — the offers provided to each, associated terms, and routes to market.
Support CC’s back-end platforms where legal compliance requirements are essential to Adobe's overall compliance profile.
Innovation & Continuous Improvement Act as both a custodian of existing legal frameworks and an innovator — continuously evolving the team's operating model to meet new business needs, a shifting legal landscape, and emerging market trends.
Develop creative, scalable legal support models that empower the team to prioritize work according to the risk level and strategic value of each product or initiative.
Lead the continued development and improvement of all aspects of CC global product and services compliance.