Corporate Counsel (19198)
About the role
Cornerstone Advisors is seeking a senior Corporate Counsel to stand up and scale the firm's legal function. This role requires an experienced attorney with a background in consulting or professional services firms.
Responsibilities
Build the firm’s legal capability, setting standards, reducing risk, and enabling the business to move faster with confidence.
Own positions on liability, indemnification, data use, IP, AI-related provisions, and confidentiality.
Redesign and modernize template agreements, including a full refresh of the firm’s MSA.
Develop practical risk frameworks that balance protection with commercial velocity.
Build the firm’s legal operating model from the ground up (playbooks, templates, approval frameworks, escalation paths).
Establish contracting standards, fallback language, and negotiation guardrails.
Implement scalable systems for contract management, exception tracking, and knowledge capture.
Identify and deploy tools (including AI-enabled solutions) to improve review speed and consistency.
Lead end-to-end risk assessments across key business activities.
Create structured approaches to risk identification, documentation, and mitigation.
Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on enterprise risk decisions.
Support M&A and strategic initiatives in partnership with external counsel.
Ensure consistent quality, cost discipline, and alignment across external partners.
Lead legal readiness for client and partner diligence requests (data rooms, documentation, response coordination).
Act as the firm’s central point of coordination with outside law firms and third-party advisors.
Requirements
J.D. and active bar membership.
9–15+ years of legal experience, with a mix of law firm and in-house exposure.
Direct experience in or supporting consulting / professional services firms.
Proven ability to design and stand-up legal frameworks, not just operate within them.
Demonstrated credibility partnering with executives and contributing at the operating committee level.
Strong familiarity with data usage, privacy, and AI-related contractual considerations.
Experience leading diligence processes and supporting transactions.
Comfort operating as a “player-coach” in a fast-moving, non-bureaucratic environment.
Modernizing legacy contract frameworks.
Exposure to M&A coordination or acquisition support.
Building legal systems from the ground up.
Qualifications
Experience standing up or significantly evolving a legal function from scratch or near-scratch.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize tasks effectively.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
Skills
Contract drafting and negotiation.
Data privacy and security.
Intellectual property management.
Technology and digital transformation.
Enterprise risk management.
Business process improvement.
Benefits
Cornerstone Advisors offers competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a supportive work environment.
Pay
Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
Schedule
Full-time position, remote or at the firm’s Scottsdale, Arizona headquarters.