Data Protection & Commercial Contracts Counsel

Quarles & Brady LLP; Minneapolis (MN); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Comprehensive benefits

Career development opportunities

Job summary

A leading law firm based in Minneapolis seeks a Data Protection & Commercial Contracts Counsel to lead data protection strategies and ensure compliance with legal regulations. Responsibilities include advising on data management, negotiating contracts, and developing training programs. Ideal candidates will possess a JD, a bar license, and extensive experience in data protection law. Excellent analytical and communication skills are essential. Competitive salary and benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in data protection and privacy risk.
• Experience drafting and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Strong understanding of U.S. privacy and data processing laws.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain comprehensive data protection strategy.
• Advise on compliance with legal obligations and internal policies.
• Review and negotiate vendor and client contracts for data protection.

Skills

Strategic judgment

Negotiation skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

JD from an accredited law school

Job description

Office Locations: Indianapolis, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Naples, Phoenix, St. Louis, Tampa, Tucson

The Data Protection & Commercial Contracts Counsel (Counsel) leads the firm’s overall data protection strategy and assists with the firm’s commercial contracts. The Counsel continues the firm’s efforts to develop and maintain an overall data protection program and all policies and protocols to support the same to help ensure firmwide compliance with relevant laws, regulations, industry best practices, and ethical obligations. The Counsel is responsible for educating leaders, attorneys, and business professionals about related best practices and compliance regulations with respect to data protection. The Counsel also reviews and negotiates vendor contracts and client contracts, including data processing addenda, to protect firm interests, manage risk, and support business goals. The Counsel reports to the firm’s Associate General Counsel and works in close partnership with Office of General Counsel and firm leadership, Information Technology (including the Director of Network Security), Records Management, and administration to support efficient contracting and responsible data management with a goal of and fostering client confidence and legal compliance.

Grow Your Career at Quarles

At Quarles, your goals matter. We foster a collaborative, inclusive culture where your voice is heard and your growth is supported. Join a team that values creativity, flexibility, and shared success.

What We Offer

• Supportive, adaptable work environment
• Career development through mentoring and training – Professional growth opportunities
• Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits

Be part of a firm where great people achieve great things—together.

Key Responsibilities/Duties

Data Protection Strategy, Compliance & Contracting

• Develop, implement, and maintain comprehensive data protection strategy, policies, and procedures to comply with regulatory requirements, ethical obligations, and best practices.
• Advise Information Technology leadership, General Counsel’s office, the firm AI Committee, and firm leadership regarding data protection and AI legal developments and market tends.
• Support the firm’s vendor diligence and management program.
• Advise firm on data processing agreements and review vendor contracts to ensure client data processing requirements are properly documented and met.
• Support AI governance.
• Monitor compliance with legal obligations and the firm’s data protection policies to help ensure compliance with the same.
• Monitor emerging data privacy laws and regulations and advise on operational impacts.
• Support the firm’s health plan privacy program.
• Advise and coordinate with Records Management to update and maintain records retention and destruction policies and implement the same.
• Partner with Information Technology leadership to map privacy controls to technical safeguards.
• Partner with Information Technology leadership, General Counsel’s office, and Conflicts Counsel to negotiate and oversee client privacy and other data protection terms in outside counsel guidelines (including AI terms) and data processing addendums and ensure obligations are feasible, achieved, and maintained.
• Assist with client data protection audits, due diligence requests, RFP responses, and inquiries related to the firm’s data privacy and protection practices.
• Support incident response by collaborating with Office of General Counsel and Information Technology in the event of a security incident to evaluate any incident, assess breach notification obligations, and advise on remediation.
• Review, draft, negotiate, and advise on the firm’s information technology and other commercial contracts to identify, analyze and mitigate potential commercial contracting risk while balancing business interests.

Training, Awareness & Culture

• Develop data protection training for attorneys, legal professionals, and business professionals and track compliance and effectiveness.
• Advise firm leadership, attorneys, and business professionals on best practices for managing client and firm data securely.
• Promote a culture of data protection that aligns with legal requirements, best practices, ethical obligations, and client expectations.

Other

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Who Are You?

• JD from an accredited law school required.
• Active bar license in state of residence and in state where officed by Quarles (may be the same state) required, or willingness to obtain required license(s) or in-house exception (where applicable).
• 5 or more years of data protection and privacy risk, and compliance experience within a law firm or other regulated services industry.
• Experience drafting and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Demonstrated strong understanding of contract law and intersection with data protection principles.
• Deep working knowledge of U.S. privacy and data processing law, including federal and state laws and breach notification requirements.
• Familiarity with foreign data protection laws and regulations, including GDPR.
• Familiarity with data collection and data storage processes.
• CIPP/US certification preferred,
• CIPP/AIGP certification preferred.

Core Competencies

• Strategic and pragmatic judgment balancing client demands, firm risk, business interests, and ethical duties
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills
• Able to communicate complex legal and technical requirements to a diverse audience
• Ability to drive adoption through training, internal communication, and leadership influence
• Excellent analytical, organizational, interpersonal relations, and written and oral communication skills
• Demonstrated strategic qualities and ability to earn the confidence of firm leaders, attorneys, vendors, and clients
• Able to coordinate multiple issues and projects simultaneously
• Able to use sound judgment and discretion in dealing with highly confidential information
• Strong customer service attitude
• Able to work independently in a fast-paced environment

Quarles & Brady offers competitive salaries, bonus and great benefits to employees including paid time off, health, vision, dental, 401k, life, disability and much more. Benefit eligibility is dependent on hours. Compensation is determined upon the market in which the position is located, the responsibilities of the position, the experience, education and skills of the applicant, and other job-related factors.

Quarles is an equal opportunity employer.