Legal Counsel (US) - Commercial Legal 

Why this role matters:

Vonage’s Legal Department is looking for a talented Commercial Legal Counsel to support our fast paced Commercial Legal support team focused on revenue generating activities across our 2 core business areas: (i) Unified Communications and Contact Center (as a Service) division and (ii) Communications API and Conversational Commerce division  

The Commercial Legal Counsel will support complex and strategic transactions with our customers, partners and suppliers primarily supporting our North American business and some international activities; oversee a pipeline of commercial new business deals, manage new and existing customers and contracts (renewals, upsells, addenda etc); act as escalation point for other commercial deals; and be a trusted advisor to the business on a range of commercial contracts, data protection, dispute resolution and legal issues in connection with the services as well as support to the sales teams.

You will be providing day-to-day in-house legal support relating  to new and existing/renewing business, including but not limited to, reviewing and negotiating changes to our Terms of Service and MSAs for the relevant business line, drafting and negotiating contract amendments, special conditions, partner agreements (resell, referral, ISV, Technology etc), confidentiality agreements, general contract queries, etc., and ensuring that the Company obtains the maximum commercial advantage from its business relationships while minimizing/managing risk exposure. The advice and support will involve any number of legal issues important to the Company including driving revenue, legal and regulatory compliance, data protection, customer and partner relationships and supporting the development of new products and services.

IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOU, CONTINUE READING BELOW…

What you will do:

Strategic Responsibilities:

• Manage legal and financial risk exposure in all contact negotiations
• Create streamlined processes for contract negotiations
• Support the creation of streamlined and simplified processes for the provision of support to all other areas of the Company.Operational Responsibilities:

• Experience Reviewing, negotiating creating and managing contracts with customers, partners, resellers, etc,  for a global business to protect the interest and risk of the Company and to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations
• Proven track record and ability to work in a high-pressure sales driven revenue generation environment with prompt and accurate responses to questions and production of work product
• Advise on and facilitate the implementation of current regulatory compliance requirements for the Company – having particular focus on compliance with data protection laws and regulations
• Support the sales and account management teams in reviewing RFPs and customer questionnaires
• Liaise closely with other business functions, particularly Sales, Operations and Finance, Service Delivery, Product and Client Services  to support them on Commercial Legal matters
• Advise on disputes and claims and actively engage in the settlement and/or closure of ongoing litigations and arbitration proceedings in favor of the Company
• Develop and constantly improve the legal framework, especially with regards to standardization of contract templates, processes and procedures that serve a global purpose and provide the ability to cross-sell all of the Company’s services
• Coordinate and liaise with any external lawyers in relation to various transactions and Company activities

What’s required for application:

• Attorney qualified to practice in the US (minimum 5yrs+ PQE) 
• Experience working in-house in a SaaS company (specifically with sales and account management departments)
• Strong transactional experience in technology and SaaS areas
• Strong experience with data privacy and data privacy laws (including GDPR)
• Proven practical and proactive problem-solver who possesses strong business acumen
• Experience in drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts (sales, channel/agent, reseller, etc.) for a global technology company
• Experience working within a fast paced, dynamic, monthly / quarterly driven company
• Excellent attention to detail
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong team player and self-motivating. Track record of employing diplomacy and gravitas to drive consensus and results
• Proactive and self motivated; track record of challenging and improving on the status quo
• Keen interest in using Legal technology solutions including AI based technologies
• Sound, practical, and independent judgment; committed to the highest ethical standards.

Desired Skills:

• Able to work in a fast-paced environment with high pressure periods and deadlines
• Experience negotiating subscription software as a service (SaaS) contracts
• Able to self-manage
• Practical knowledge and experience of data protection issues
• Ability to utilize various communication methods to drive efficiency in working and be comfortable with direct communications with internal clients and stakeholders and externally with 3rd party lawyers, companies including prospects, customers, partners and resellers.

 What you will bring:

Common Character/Behavioral Traits:

• Passionate about delivering excellence
• Embraces ‘sense of urgency’ ‘results driven’ and ‘accountability’ as key personal work ethics
• Possess sound commercial judgment
• Able to act clearly and diplomatically with an eye for detail and accuracy
• Able to work collaboratively with different teams across the Company
• Approachable, flexible, dependable.

What is in it for you:

In addition to providing exciting work, career advancement opportunities, and a collaborative work environment, Vonage provides competitive pay and benefits including unlimited discretionary time off and tuition reimbursement.

Note: The purpose of this profile is to provide a general summary of essential responsibilities for the position and is not meant as an exhaustive list. Assignments may differ for individuals within the same role based on business conditions, departmental need or geographic location.

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