Graduate Legal Counsel - Tech Sector

Canonical; Seattle (WA); Remote; USD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Graduate Legal Counsel to join their expanding in-house legal team. This exciting role offers the chance to work on transactional matters in technology and enterprise software, providing legal support to diverse internal clients. The ideal candidate will have a strong academic background, a law degree, and a passion for technology. You will collaborate with a global team, gaining exposure to various legal challenges while contributing to innovative projects. This position promotes professional growth and work-life balance in a supportive environment, making it an ideal opportunity for recent graduates eager to make an impact.

Benefits

Competitive performance-based compensation

Annual reviews

Learning budgets

Recognition rewards

Work-life balance support

Qualifications

• Strong academic achievement and social engagement are essential.
• Ability to provide high-quality legal and commercial advice.

Responsibilities

• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts globally.
• Providing legal support to internal clients, including sales teams.

Skills

Commercial Judgment

Organizational Skills

Legal Research

Drafting Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Education

Law Degree (JD or equivalent)

High School Diploma

Job description

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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 enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. Our customers include top public cloud and silicon providers, as well as industry leaders across sectors. We have a global, distributed team of 1200+ colleagues in over 75 countries, with few office-based roles. Teams meet in person 2-4 times a year in interesting locations worldwide to align on strategy and execution.

We are founder-led, profitable, and growing.

We are expanding our in-house legal team and creating an opportunity for an exceptional recent graduate as a junior Legal Advisor or junior Legal Counsel. The successful candidate will be a rigorous and effective practitioner with strong academic achievement and social engagement. They will work on transactional matters in technology and enterprise software, including global employment, contracting, and partnerships. We prioritize ability over experience; the role is open to applicants with a relevant degree but no extensive work experience is required. The candidate will work closely 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, detailed analysis, conscientiousness, and a drive to identify opportunities for 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.

The role entails

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

What we are looking for in you

1. An exceptional academic record from high school and university
2. A law degree, JD or equivalent, with active license or current progress towards licensure
3. Drive and a track record of exceeding expectations
4. Strong organizational skills and ability to work in a fast-paced, multicultural environment
5. Ability to work independently and in teams
6. A passion for technology demonstrated through personal initiatives
7. Professional English skills, with excellent drafting and presentation abilities
8. Confidence to communicate openly and share ideas
9. Appreciation for diversity and effectiveness in multicultural settings
10. Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, and accountability
11. Thoughtfulness and self-motivation
12. Result-oriented with a personal commitment to meet deadlines
13. Willingness to travel twice a year for company events, up to two weeks

Nice-to-have skills

1. Experience in commercial transactions, IP, or corporate law
2. Leadership and influence skills
3. Understanding of open source community and values
4. Knowledge of the tech industry (silicon, data centers, connected devices, software)
5. Experience in in-house legal teams or law firms

What we offer colleagues

We offer competitive, performance-based compensation, annual reviews, benefits reflecting our values, and a distributed work environment with biannual team sprints, learning budgets, recognition rewards, and more. We support work-life balance and professional growth.

About Canonical

Canonical pioneers in open source, publishing Ubuntu, a key platform for AI, IoT, and cloud. We recruit globally, uphold high standards, and promote excellence. Working here means embracing innovation, continuous learning, and thinking differently.

Canonical is an equal opportunity employer

We value diversity and are committed to fair treatment for all applicants regardless of background or identity.