Senior Counsel - Public Affairs

Zones; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 176,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision coverage

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

Job summary

Zones, LLC is seeking a Corporate Attorney to provide business-minded legal counsel across commercial transactions, government and public sector contracting, and corporate matters. The ideal candidate will draft, review, and negotiate complex agreements, support mergers or corporate governance efforts, and collaborate with Sales, Finance, Procurement, and Operations to mitigate risk while enabling growth.

Qualified candidates should have a J.D. and be admitted to a U.S.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• 7+ years of relevant legal experience, with a mix of law firm and in-house corporate work preferred.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating sophisticated commercial contracts.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on complex commercial and government contracts.
• Counsel internal stakeholders on contractual risk, liability, indemnification, and IP terms.
• Support federal and public sector contracting, including FAR/DFARS considerations.
• Develop contract templates, guidelines, and best practices for the business.

Skills

Commercial contracting

Government contracting

Negotiation

Contract risk assessment

Education

J.D. degree

Job description

Description

Company Overview

When it comes to IT solution providers, there are a lot of choices. But when it comes to providers with innovative and differentiating end-to-end service offerings, there’s really only one: Zones – First Choice for IT. TM

Zones is a Global Solution Provider of end-to-end IT solutions with an unmatched supply chain. Positioned to be the IT partner you need, Zones, a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) in business for over 35 years, specializes in Digital Workplace, Cloud & Data Center, Networking, Security, and Managed/Professional/Staffing services. Operating in more than 120 countries, leveraging a robust portfolio, and utilizing the highest certification levels from key partners, including Microsoft, Apple, Cisco, Lenovo, Adobe, and more, Zones has mastered the science of building digital infrastructures that change the way business does business ensuring whatever they need, they can Consider IT Done. Follow Zones, LLC on Twitter @Zones, and LinkedIn and Facebook.

Position Overview:

The Corporate Attorney will serve as a key legal advisor to the business, providing practical, business-oriented counsel across a broad range of commercial transactions, government and public sector contracting, vendor relationships, strategic partnerships, and corporate matters.

This role will draft, review, negotiate, and advise on complex agreements supporting both public and private sector business, including state & local government and public sector contracts, utility agreements, customer and commercial contracts, vendor agreements, subcontractor agreements, and partner/alliance agreements. The Corporate Attorney will work closely with Sales, Finance, Procurement, Operations, Risk, other legal team members, and executive leadership to structure agreements, identify and mitigate legal and commercial risks, negotiate agreements, and enable business growth.

The ideal candidate combines strong contract negotiation skills with experience navigating the unique regulatory and contractual requirements associated with government and public sector customers. Experience supporting mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, or other general corporate matters is highly desirable, and experience with Federal Government contracting is a plus.

What you will do as the Corporate Attorney:

The requirements below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.This job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of the duties and responsibilities of the position, and the duties and responsibilities may change without notice.

Commercial & Customer Contracting

• Work directly with sales leads and other stakeholders to support strategy, opportunities, and contracting with customers, vendors, and partners.
• Proactively identify and drive advancements in contract templates and internal processes for continuous improvement in business operations.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and provide legal guidance on a broad range of complex commercial agreements, and work closely with stakeholders to drive to closure.
• Support customer contracting, including master services agreements, professional services agreements, statements of work, purchase agreements, licensing agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other commercial arrangements.
• Advise business leaders on contractual risk, liability, indemnification, warranties, intellectual property, insurance, data protection, termination rights, and other material contract provisions.
• Provide practical recommendations that appropriately balance legal risk with business objectives and commercial considerations.
• Develop and maintain contract templates, standard provisions, negotiation guidelines, and contracting best practices.

Public Sector & Federal Contracting

• Provide legal support for contracting with federal, state, local, education, and other public sector customers.
• Review and negotiate government and public sector contracts, solicitations, RFP terms, subcontracting agreements, teaming agreements, and related documents.
• Advise internal stakeholders regarding federal contracting requirements and contractual compliance obligations.
• Provide guidance regarding relevant federal acquisition requirements, including FAR and DFARS provisions, when applicable to the company's contracts and business.
• Identify government-contracting risks and work across the organization to develop practical mitigation strategies.
• Partner with business and compliance stakeholders on contract requirements involving representations, certifications, flow-down provisions, recordkeeping, audit rights, and other public sector obligations.

Utilities

• Provide legal support for agreements involving utility-sector customers and partners, including contracting arrangements with regulated or public utility organizations.
• Advise business teams on contractual requirements, risk allocation, procurement requirements, and other considerations unique to utility-sector engagements.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to address complex customer terms while supporting commercially viable solutions.

Vendor, Supplier & Partner Agreements

• Draft and negotiate agreements with technology partners, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, service providers, subcontractors, and other third parties.
• Support strategic partner and alliance relationships, including reseller, referral, channel, and related partnership agreements.
• Work closely with Procurement and business stakeholders to negotiate favorable commercial terms while effectively managing legal and operational risk.
• Provide guidance on disputes, contractual interpretation, renewals, amendments, terminations, and other issues arising throughout the contract lifecycle.

Corporate Legal Support

• Provide general corporate legal guidance across the organization as needed.
• Partner with senior leadership on strategic initiatives, corporate transactions, and emerging legal and business risks.
• Assist with corporate governance, entity management, and other corporate matters as appropriate.
• Support legal due diligence and transaction activities associated with acquisitions, investments, integrations, or other strategic transactions, when applicable.

What you will bring to the team:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• 7+ years of relevant legal experience, with a combination of law firm and in-house corporate experience preferred.
• Significant experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating sophisticated commercial contracts.
• Demonstrated experience supporting public sector and/or government contracting, with federal contracting experience strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of federal contracting principles, including familiarity with FAR and DFARS requirements.
• Experience negotiating vendor, supplier, partner, subcontractor, and commercial customer agreements.
• Experience working with or supporting utility-sector contracts or customers preferred.
• Strong knowledge of commercial contracting principles, risk allocation, and contract negotiation.
• Ability to independently manage complex negotiations while knowing when to appropriately elevate significant business or legal risk.
• Strong analytical, judgment, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, actionable business guidance. Ability to manage multiple priorities and operate effectively in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior in-house legal experience within technology, IT services, solutions integration, managed services, or similarly complex B2B organization.
• Experience supporting mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence, transaction documentation, integration, and related corporate activities.
• Experience with corporate governance and general corporate legal matters.
• Experience supporting organizations that sell to a combination of commercial, public sector, federal, and regulated-industry customers.
• Experience partnering directly with senior executives, Sales, Finance, Procurement, Operations, and Compliance teams.

Key Competencies:

• Commercial Acumen: Understands the business impact of legal decisions and develops solutions that appropriately balance risk and opportunity.
• Negotiation: Confidently leads complex negotiations with customers, government entities, vendors, and strategic partners.
• Government Contracting Expertise: Understands the heightened contractual and compliance considerations associated with public sector and federal business.
• Practical Legal Judgment: Distinguishes between material legal risks and negotiable business considerations.
• Executive Communication: Communicates complex legal concepts clearly and effectively to business leaders and non-legal stakeholders.
• Collaboration: Builds trusted relationships across Legal, Sales, Finance, Finance, Procurement, Operations, Compliance, and leadership.
• Ownership: Independently drives legal matters from initial review through negotiation and resolution.

Qualified Candidates can expect a salary of $195,000

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Zones offers a comprehensive Benefits package

While we’re committed to providing top-tier solutions, we’re just as committed to supporting our own team. Our team members enjoy a variety of comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental and vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, voluntary accident, hospitalization and critical illness insurance options, a 401(k) plan with matching provision, and many more. Generally, Zones currently offers paid time off and personal sick leave in compliance to individual state requirements.

At Zones, work is more than a job – it is an exciting career on a global team that is client centric, has a passion for technology, embraces change and lifelong learning in a collaborative culture. And as a Minority Business Enterprise, a Corporate Plus member of the Northwest Minority Supplier Development Council, and an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, our community is just as diverse. If you’re interested in working on the cutting edge of IT innovation, sales, engineering, operations, administration, and more, Zones is the place for you!

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.

Zones participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is a system that compares information from a team member’s Form I-9 to federal records to confirm their eligibility to work in the United States.