Vendor Engagements Lead Attorney

Overview

Milbank is seeking an experienced commercial contracts attorney to lead the substantive legal review, negotiation, and standardization of the firm’s vendor agreements, statements of work, and renewals. Reporting to the Head of AI, Knowledge & Innovation and the Office of General Counsel, this role will help develop and implement the firm’s global positions on legal and risk issues and will work closely with legal, privacy, information security, operational, and supplier stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Review, draft and revise contractual language, including provisions addressing indemnification, liability, intellectual property, data privacy, information security, confidentiality, insurance, termination, and regulatory compliance.

Negotiate contract terms with vendors on behalf of the firm and provide regular status reporting to stakeholders on active negotiations.

Coordinate specialized review with legal, privacy, information security, and global support teams.

Advise on data security, data privacy, and governance issues and ensure identified risks are addressed appropriately in contract terms.

Develop and deliver training on contract review, negotiation strategy, and risk-related considerations.

Identify opportunities to use AI and other tools to streamline substantive contract review.

Train and supervise supporting attorneys and coordinate closely with the Vendor Engagements Operations Lead.

Assist internal stakeholders with responses to client vendor questionnaires.

All other responsibilities as needed.

Compensation: The anticipated base salary range offered for this role will be between $290,000 to $330,000 and represents the firm’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible base compensation. Actual base compensation will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, performance, qualifications, degrees, and location, well as the needs of the firm.

J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to the New York State Bar, or equivalent, required.

Seven or more years of relevant experience in a large law firm or comparable professional services environment.

Demonstrated experience reviewing and negotiating technology agreements, SaaS and cloud contracts, professional services agreements, and other vendor contracts.

Deep familiarity with data privacy, information security, confidentiality, indemnification, liability, and regulatory requirements.

Experience reviewing and negotiating intellectual property terms in commercial contracts, including AI-related terms and issues.

Proficiency with Document Management Systems (e.g., NetDocuments, iManage), document comparison tools such as Litera Compare, Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) systems, Harvey AI, Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and Copilot, and other relevant legal technologies is a plus.

Demonstrated judgment and the ability to maintain productivity in a high-volume environment with competing priorities.

Excellent communication skills and the presence to work effectively with partners, technology leadership, and suppliers.

Experience representing a law firm in vendor-contract negotiations is a plus.