Corporate Counsel (19165)

Corporate Counsel

Location: Remote or at the firm’s Scottsdale, Arizona headquarters 
Employment Type: Full-Time 
Department: Legal 
Reports To: Chief Operating Officer 

Build the Legal Function and Own the Outcome:

Cornerstone Advisors is seeking a senior Corporate Counsel to stand up and scale our legal function. This is a high-impact role for an experienced attorney who has operated in, or closely alongside, consulting or professional services firms and understands the pace, risk profile, and commercial complexity of our business. 

You will serve as the firm’s primary internal legal resource, partnering directly with the COO and executive leadership. This role is expected to participate as a member of the firm’s Operating Committee, contributing to enterprise-level decision making on risk, governance, and growth. 

This is not a traditional in-house support role. You will build, own, and operate the firm’s legal capability, setting standards, reducing risk, and enabling the business to move faster with confidence. 

We are looking for someone with the judgment, credibility, and hands-on orientation to lead, while still doing the work. 

What You’ll Own:

Commercial Contracts Strategy and Risk Leadership: 

• Draft, review, redline, and negotiate MCSAs, NDAs, SaaS agreements, SOWs, vendor agreements, engagement letters, and related commercial contracts 
• 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 

Legal Infrastructure & Operating Protocols: 

• 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 

Enterprise Risk, Data, and Governance: 

• Lead end-to-end risk assessments across key business activities 
• Establish and refine data use policies, privacy considerations, and client-related data practices 
• Create structured approaches to risk identification, documentation, and mitigation 
• Participate in Operating Committee discussions, advising on enterprise risk, commercial strategy, and governance decisions 
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on enterprise risk decisions 

Diligence, Transactions, and External Coordination: 

• Lead legal readiness for client and partner diligence requests (data rooms, documentation, response coordination)  
• Support M&A and strategic initiatives in partnership with external counsel  
• Act as the firm’s central point of coordination with outside law firms and third-party advisors  
• Ensure consistent quality, cost discipline, and alignment across external partners