Senior AI Legal Counsel (Associate Principal)

Sidley Austin LLP (IL LLP); Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 202,000 - 287,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligibility

Benefits package

Job summary

Sidley Austin LLP is seeking a senior legal AI Product Manager to serve as a subject matter expert for the AI Engineering team in Chicago. You will shape requirements, lead discovery with lawyers, and partner with design and engineering to deliver accurate, well-formatted outputs.

The role emphasizes responsible AI, governance, and cross-functional collaboration. The ideal candidate has a JD, 8+ years in law, and 2+ years in generative AI or legal tech, with strong communication to executives

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an ABA-accredited law school and bar admission in good standing.
• Minimum 8 years of legal experience at a large law firm or corporate legal department.
• At least 2 years focused on generative AI or legal technology; advising, designing, evaluating, or deploying AI-enabled solutions.
• Deep understanding of law firm workflows, risk management, and quality expectations.
• Cross-functional collaboration with product, engineering, and business stakeholders.
• Hands-on proficiency with generative AI tools and evaluating AI outputs.
• Knowledge of AI governance, confidentiality, and data privacy in legal practice.
• Ability to explain complex legal/technical concepts to non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Serve as senior legal SME for AI Engineering, shaping workflows and standards in product development.
• Translate lawyer workflows into requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Lead discovery with lawyers to identify high-value AI-enabled tasks such as contract review and due diligence.
• Collaborate with design/UX and engineering to improve user interfaces and outputs for accuracy and usability.
• Develop evaluation rubrics, gold-standard datasets, and test cases for AI products.
• Incorporate firm content like precedents and templates into AI solutions.
• Advocate for the firm's AI products, driving pilots, training, and adoption.
• Embed responsible AI controls in collaboration with risk, security, and privacy teams.
• Evaluate AI vendors and capabilities; contribute to build-versus-buy decisions.
• Advance processes and communicate direction to senior stakeholders; mentor colleagues.

Skills

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Judgment

Interpersonal communication

Multitasking

Pressure management

Analytical skills

Discretion

Education

J.D. ABA-accredited

Admitted in good standing in U.S. jurisdiction

Job description

Sidley Austin LLP is seeking a senior legal AI Product Manager to serve as a subject matter expert for the AI Engineering team in Chicago. You will shape requirements, lead discovery with lawyers, and partner with design and engineering to deliver accurate, well-formatted outputs.

The role emphasizes responsible AI, governance, and cross-functional collaboration. The ideal candidate has a JD, 8+ years in law, and 2+ years in generative AI or legal tech, with strong communication to executives