Commercial Counsel, Legal Architect
$175,000–$225,000 year
On-site · Chicago, Illinois, United States
Job Summary
Commercial Counsel, Legal Architect in Chicago on-site role focused on designing and building SRAM's commercial legal infrastructure. Responsibilities include selecting and governing a contract lifecycle management platform, designing self-service workflows, developing templates and playbooks, tracking and ensuring delivery of signed agreements, and leveraging AI-assisted workflows. The role leads complex commercial transactions (global manufacturing, supply relationships, distribution and channel partnerships, sponsorship and sports marketing deals), acts as a cross-functional legal problem-solver with sourcing, product development, sales, and marketing, and helps scale the commercial legal function. Requires JD, active bar admission, 7–12 years of commercial legal experience, experience building/increasing commercial legal infrastructure, strong drafting/negotiation across various agreement types, cross-border experience, enthusiasm for legal tech/AI, ability to distill legal complexity into actionable business guidance, and a proactive, unambiguous leadership style.
Required Qualifications
- Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school
- Active bar admission in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
- 7 to 12 years of commercial legal experience
- Demonstrated experience building or significantly improving commercial legal infrastructure (templates, playbooks, workflow design, contract management platform implementation)
- Strong drafting and negotiation skills across a range of commercial agreements (supply, manufacturing, distribution, licensing, sponsorship, services)
- Experience with cross-border commercial agreements and international operations
- Interest/enthusiasm for legal technology and AI-assisted workflows
- Ability to translate legal complexity into clear business guidance
- High initiative and comfort with ambiguity
- Commercial mindset toward risk management
- On-site in Chicago, willingness to travel domestically/internationally
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