Graduate Legal Counsel - Tech Sector

Canonical; Las Vegas (NV); Remote; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Canonical is seeking a Graduate Legal Counsel to join its expanding in-house legal team. The role involves providing legal support on transactional matters related to technology and enterprise software. Ideal candidates will possess a law degree and demonstrate strong organizational and communication skills. This position offers a distributed work environment and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

USD 2,000 annual learning and development budget

Annual compensation review and performance bonuses

Distributed work environment with biannual in-person team sprints

Qualifications

• Excellent academic record from high school and university.
• Active law license or in progress.

Responsibilities

• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts globally.
• Providing legal support to internal teams, including sales.
• Consulting with local counsel in various countries.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication

Attention to detail

Commercial judgment

Interpersonal skills

Education

Law degree, JD, or equivalent

Job description

Join to apply for the Graduate Legal Counsel - Tech Sector role at Canonical

Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is widely used in breakthrough enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. Our customers include the world's leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders across sectors. The company is pioneer in global distributed collaboration, with 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries and few office-based roles. Teams meet a few times a year in interesting locations worldwide to align on strategy and execution.

The company is founder-led, profitable, and growing. We are expanding our in-house legal team, creating an opportunity for an exceptional recent graduate as junior Legal Advisor or junior Legal Counsel. The successful candidate will be rigorous, effective, and have a strong academic record and social engagement. They will work on transactional matters related to technology and enterprise software, including global employment, contracting, and partnerships. The role is open to applicants with a relevant degree; extensive experience is not required. They will collaborate with our legal team and colleagues worldwide.

Candidates must demonstrate good commercial judgment, be organized, efficient, and capable of providing high-quality legal and commercial advice. We seek a rigorous work ethic, attention to detail, conscientiousness, and a proactive attitude to improvement.

Location: This role is home-based in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or the Americas, with an option to work from our London office.

Responsibilities include:

1. Reporting to our global general counsel
2. Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts globally
3. Providing legal support to internal teams, including sales
4. Supporting company initiatives with cross-functional teams
5. Maintaining contract data in Canonical's system
6. Consulting with local counsel in various countries

Ideal candidate profile:

• Excellent academic record from high school and university
• Law degree, JD, or equivalent, with active license or in progress
• Driven, proactive, and willing to exceed expectations
• Strong organizational skills and ability to work in a multicultural, fast-paced environment
• Effective independently and in teams
• Passionate about technology, with personal initiatives or projects
• Excellent English communication, drafting, and presentation skills
• Confident in sharing ideas and feedback respectfully
• Appreciative of diversity, polite, and effective in multicultural settings
• Interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, and accountability
• Self-motivated and thoughtful
• Result-oriented with a commitment to deadlines
• Willing to travel twice a year for company events

Nice-to-have skills:

• Experience in commercial transactions, IP, or corporate law
• Leadership qualities and influence skills
• Understanding of open source community and values
• Knowledge of the technology industry
• Experience in in-house legal teams or law firms

What we offer:

• Distributed work environment with biannual in-person team sprints
• USD 2,000 annual learning and development budget
• Annual compensation review and performance bonuses
• Additional benefits aligned with our values

About Canonical

Canonical is a pioneering tech company leading the open source movement. As the publisher of Ubuntu, a key platform for AI, IoT, and cloud, we are transforming software. We hire globally, uphold high standards, and foster a remote-first culture. Working here challenges you to innovate, learn, and grow.

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to fair hiring practices regardless of background or identity.