Docusign brings agreements to life. Over 1.5 million customers and more than a billion people in over 180 countries use Docusign solutions to accelerate the process of doing business and simplify people’s lives. With intelligent agreement management, Docusign unleashes business-critical data that is trapped inside of documents. Until now, these were disconnected from business systems of record, costing businesses time, money, and opportunity. Using Docusign’s Intelligent Agreement Management platform, companies can create, commit, and manage agreements with solutions created by the #1 company in e-signature and contract lifecycle management (CLM).

At Docusign, as we lead the Intelligent Agreement Category, we are looking for a skilled and technically fluent Lead Counsel for our Engineering & Product Legal team. This isn't your typical in-house role; we need you to act as an embedded legal advisor to our engineering and product teams in a dynamic AI enterprise SaaS environment.

This role supports our engineering teams from a truly unique position. You will work directly with Docusign's engineering teams who are developing unmatched solutions, driven by proprietary data and insights, built from over 20 years of eSignature leadership. As a steward of this trust, you will drive innovation that reshapes legal technology and the practice of law, upholding our brand while building the next generation of intelligent agreement solutions.

This role offers the opportunity to craft innovative legal solutions at the intersection of emerging technology and product development, with a particular focus on AI integration. The ideal candidate will serve as a hands-on legal partner, deeply involved from the ideation phase through product launch. You will be crucial in shaping technical capabilities, supporting the development of intelligent agreement solutions, and ensuring compliance with evolving regulatory frameworks. This position demands a strategic, tech-savvy partnership approach, translating complex regulations into actionable engineering workflows.

Where else can you help build the tools of your own future? The future of agreements is now.

This position is an individual contributor role reporting to the Senior Director & Deputy General Counsel - Product Engineering, IP and Partner.

Responsibility

• Serve as the core legal partner to engineering, product, and data science teams, providing practical, technically sharp advice from concept ideation through product launch and post-launch iteration

• Inform on a wide range of IP issues, including patent and licensing strategy (especially for third-party and open-source software, and AI models), and trade secret protection

• Analyze license terms and ensure compliance for all software and AI model usage

• Identify and address legal risks associated with new product features and technologies including advising on AI-specific issues such as data sets, AI model training, data governance, and the ethical use of AI

• Collaborate closely with privacy teams to ensure product compliance with relevant data privacy and security laws and regulations, and counsel on consumer protection and digital marketplace compliance

• Act as a critical liaison, effectively connecting the dots between engineering/product teams and other legal subject matter experts (e.g., litigation, privacy, regulatory)

• Serve as a subject-matter expert for core teams and leadership, proactively guiding product decisions

• Assist in the drafting, maintenance, and training on internal policies and frameworks related to AI and technology which involves creating playbooks for engineering teams and establishing internal best practices, and building privacy-by-design and compliance-by-design frameworks

Remote: Employee is not required to be in or near an office frequently and works from a designated remote work location for the majority of the time.

Positions at Docusign are assigned a job designation of either In Office, Hybrid or Remote and are specific to the role/job. Preferred job designations are not guaranteed when changing positions within Docusign. Docusign reserves the right to change a position's job designation depending on business needs and as permitted by local law.

Basic

• J.D. Degree from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with a U.S. state bar

• Minimum of 12+ years of relevant legal experience, ideally with a blend of in-house and technology-focused law firm roles

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering field (e.g., Computer Science, Electrical Engineering) or significant professional experience supporting software development, AI/ML, and SaaS platforms

• Experience with software, AI/ML concepts, neural networks, and the underlying technology of SaaS and cloud services

• Experience in counseling on intellectual property and contract issues specific to technology, with particular emphasis on open source and AI

• Experience as a SaaS product counsel or extensive commercial contracting expertise, coupled with a solid understanding of data governance and modern technology stacks

Preferred

• Proven ability to provide practical, technically driven advice and effectively balance legal risks with strategic business goals

• Experience in regulated and product compliance, particularly in domains analogous to Health Life Sciences (HLS), Financial Technology (FinTech), or other highly regulated industries

• Demonstrated ability to clearly and concisely translate complex legal concepts to both technical and non-technical teams

• A track record of thriving in fast-paced environments, managing multiple high-priority projects simultaneously, and taking initiative to learn new technologies and legal areas

• Strong ability to build trust and work effectively with a diverse array of internal stakeholders, including engineering, product, sales, and security teams

• Familiarity with intellectual property law as it relates specifically to software, cloud, and digital technology

• Demonstrated interest in legal technology and its potential to transform industries

• Experience in contract templatization, automation, and contract theory across various industries

• Specialization in AI, IP, privacy, data rights, and critical regulatory frameworks (e.g., EU AI Act, CPRA, GDPR)

• Strong business acumen with the ability to effectively translate complex legal concepts for business stakeholders

Pay for this position is based on a number of factors including geographic location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Based on applicable legislation, the below details pay ranges in the following locations:

California: $177,900.00 - $287,425.00 base salary

Illinois, Colorado, Massachusetts and Minnesota: $170,900.00 - $241,400.00 base salary

Washington, Maryland, New Jersey and New York (including NYC metro area): $170,900.00 - $251,325.00 base salary

Washington DC: $177,900.00 - $251,325.00 base salary

Ohio: $150,300.00 - $212,325.00 base salary 

This role is also eligible for the following:

• Bonus: Sales personnel are eligible for variable incentive pay dependent on their achievement of pre-established sales goals. Non-Sales roles are eligible for a company bonus plan, which is calculated as a percentage of eligible wages and dependent on company performance.
• Stock: This role is eligible to receive Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).

Global benefits provide options for the following:

• Paid Time Off: earned time off, as well as paid company holidays based on region
• Paid Parental Leave: take up to six months off with your child after birth, adoption or foster care placement
• Full Health Benefits Plans: options for 100% employer paid and minimum employee contribution health plans from day one of employment
• Retirement Plans: select retirement and pension programs with potential for employer contributions
• Learning and Development: options for coaching, online courses and education reimbursements
• Compassionate Care Leave: paid time off following the loss of a loved one and other life-changing events

Working here

Docusign is committed to building trust and making the world more agreeable for our employees, customers and the communities in which we live and work. You can count on us to listen, be honest, and try our best to do what’s right, every day. At Docusign, everything is equal.

We each have a responsibility to ensure every team member has an equal opportunity to succeed, to be heard, to exchange ideas openly, to build lasting relationships, and to do the work of their life. Best of all, you will be able to feel deep pride in the work you do, because your contribution helps us make the world better than we found it. And for that, you’ll be loved by us, our customers, and the world in which we live.

Accommodation

Docusign is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need such an accommodation, or a religious accommodation, during the application process, please contact us at accommodations@docusign.com.

If you experience any issues, concerns, or technical difficulties during the application process please get in touch with our Talent organization at taops@docusign.com for assistance.

Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice

This position is not eligible for employment in the following states: Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.

It's important to us that we build a talented team that is as diverse as our customers and where all employees feel a deep sense of belonging and thrive. We encourage great talent who bring a range of perspectives to apply for our open positions. Docusign is an Equal Opportunity Employer and makes hiring decisions based on experience, skill, aptitude and a can-do approach. We will not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, registered domestic partner status, caregiver status, marital status, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected category.

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