Senior Counsel, Commercial Transactions

Relativity; Baltimore (MD); Hybrid; USD 183,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

Relativity is seeking a Senior Counsel with deep expertise in SaaS, software licensing, and strategic commercial transactions to enable growth while managing risk.

The role partners with Sales, Product, Security, Finance and Compliance to negotiate customer agreements and optimize contracting processes in a fast-paced tech environment.

Qualifications

• Eight or more years of relevant in-house and/or law firm experience in technology transactions.
• Extensive experience negotiating SaaS, software, cloud services, professional services, data processing, and enterprise agreements.
• Experience supporting complex commercial contracting environments.
• Strong understanding of technology, information security, privacy, IP, and regulatory considerations.
• Experience with AI-enabled products and emerging technology issues.
• JD from an accredited law school; license to practice in the United States.
• Proficiency with AI tools, MS Office, Salesforce, Ironclad, and legal research platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer, procurement, and strategic negotiations and transactions including software, SaaS, and hybrid cloud services.
• Advise internal stakeholders with strategic legal counsel on commercial and operational issues.
• Collaborate with Sales, Product, Security, Finance, and Compliance to enable growth and manage risk.
• Develop scalable contracting processes and standard forms.
• Utilize AI legal technology tools effectively and responsibly.
• Participate in internal approval workflows and contract prioritization.

Skills

Contract negotiations

SaaS contracts

Software licensing

Commercial contracting

AI tools familiarity

Regulatory/compliance awareness

Communication skills

Education

JD degree

US bar license

Tools

Microsoft O365

Salesforce

Ironclad

Asana

Legal research platforms

Job description

Overview

Hybrid

The Senior Counsel, Commercial Transactions serves as a senior legal advisor supporting Relativity's commercial contracting function and strategic business initiatives.

Primary Objective: Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on a broad range of customer-facing and strategic commercial transactions, with a primary focus on SaaS, software licensing, strategic partnership and go-to-market arrangements, cloud services, AI-enabled offerings, data processing, and other commercial arrangements.

Secondary Objective: Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Product, Partner, Customer Success, Strategy, Security, Finance, Procurement, and other business stakeholders to enable growth, manage legal risk, develop scalable contracting processes, and support strategic initiatives.

Welcome to a different kind of legal team. We don’t slow business down – we help it move forward. This is a team of legal professionals who are as invested in outcomes as the business teams we support. We are looking for an attorney who thrives at the intersection of law and business and who drafts and negotiates with confidence, brings solutions, and influences stakeholders well beyond the legal lane.

If you are a critical thinker with a genuine love for the craft of contract work, this is your team.

Job Description and Requirements

Role Responsibilities

• Lead customer, procurement, and strategic commercial negotiations and transactions, including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating software, SaaS and hybrid cloud services, AI-related offerings, and strategic partnership agreements. Collaborate with Sales, Finance, Security, IT, and Compliance teams to deliver on time and problem-solve while managing stakeholder and customer communications.

• Be a reliable and trusted advisor to internal stakeholders by providing creative, strategic legal advice and business counsel on commercial, operational, and strategic legal issues, and negotiating a high volume of contracts with varying complexity. Identify issues and provide solutions.

• Engage with customers to ensure they feel listened to and heard, and deliver value.

• Suggest and implement process improvements, such as new standard forms or variations to enhance efficiency and align with business and product requirements.

• Demonstrate agility and enjoyment working with AI legal technology tools by identifying which tools work best for different purposes and being willing to try new ones.

• Lead and support strategic pricing initiatives, pricing governance projects, and commercial model optimization, partnering with Finance, Global Business Operations, and business stakeholders.

• Participate in internal approval workflow systems, prioritize contracts, and respond to questions from stakeholders and clients.

• Utilize AI tools (including legal technology tools), Microsoft O365, Salesforce, and Ironclad effectively and responsibly.

Qualifications

• Preferred Qualifications: Eight (8) or more years of relevant experience in-house and/or at a law firm supporting technology transactions.

• Extensive experience negotiating SaaS, software, cloud services, professional services, data processing, strategic partnerships, and enterprise commercial agreements.

• Experience supporting complex commercial contracting environments.

• Strong understanding of technology, including legal technology, cloud services, software licensing models, information security, privacy, intellectual property, and regulatory considerations.

• Experience supporting AI-enabled products and emerging technology issues.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Intelligence, flexibility, creativity, diligence, resourcefulness, responsiveness, and strong communications skills.

• Required: Trained in and experienced with contract negotiations, including commercial contracts, SaaS contracts, and related services and support agreements.

• Required: Complex software, SaaS and hybrid cloud agreements, master agreements, professional services agreements, and software development agreements.

• Desirable but not required: Basic knowledge of data privacy laws and practices in a SaaS context involving the security and processing of customer data that may include personal information.

• Desirable but not required: Experience with government technology procurement contracting (state, federal, local), and familiarity with GSA, SEWP, FAR; basic knowledge of FedRAMP and applicability to SaaS offerings.

• Desirable but not required: Understanding of software development, computer technology, SaaS infrastructure and services, open-source communities, and IP concepts and laws.

• Education: JD degree from an accredited law school and license to practice in the United States.

• Ability to research and analyze legal issues.

• Solid proficiency with AI tools, legal technology tools, MS Office, and legal research platforms; familiarity with Salesforce, Ironclad, and Asana.

Compensation and Benefits

Relativity is committed to competitive, fair, and equitable compensation practices. This position is eligible for total compensation including base salary, an annual performance bonus, and long-term incentives. The expected salary range is between $183,000 and $275,000. The final offered salary will be based on experience, skill set, qualifications, and internal pay equity. Hiring at the top end is not typical to allow for future growth.