Bring Your Best! What this role needs:

Desired background:

• Six or more years of experience as an attorney practicing in-house, at a law firm, and/or in the governmental or NGO space with experience in commercial transactions, digital commerce and supporting technologies, financial services, litigation, and/or regulatory enforcement;
• Demonstrated ability to provide solution-oriented legal advice to business professionals throughout an enterprise;
• Intuitive sense of data privacy and security issues and strong experience advising on overlapping state and federal laws and regulations concerning these issues;
• Proven understanding of regulatory priorities and approaches for addressing largely unregulated technologies and processes such as big data, analytic (predictive and prescriptive) models and algorithms, machine learning, and AI;
• Demonstrated ability to proactively monitor and provide effective guidance on the development, evolution, and enforcement of laws and regulations in a rapidly changing commercial and regulatory environment;
• Recognition for building, maintaining, and managing strong and positive relationships with clients and colleagues;
• Outstanding analytical ability and drafting and negotiation skills regarding a broad variety of agreements, particularly those relating to software licensing, systems integration, cloud computing, or other complex services engagements; A writing sample may be requested.
• Exemplary academic record and a Juris Doctorate degree; note that a license to practice law in the State of Wisconsin or a commitment to become licensed within the first year of employment is required.

Desired personal attributes:

• The scope of this role may change over time to respond to business needs.  The successful candidate will be flexible and adaptable in terms of general skill sets & aspirations.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, a highly analytical and curious mind, creativity, comfort dealing with ambiguity, integrity, high ethical standards, and a positive sense of humor.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute effectively in a team environment and to manage a multijurisdictional practice and lead efforts involving other attorneys, advisors, and business people from across the enterprise.
• Ability to work autonomously as well and to deal with multiple tasks at the same time.
• A keen problem-solving approach using sound legal reasoning and practical business judgment to identify and address risks and achieve results that balance benefits for all stakeholders of the enterprise.

INFORMATION ABOUT NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL AND THE LAW DEPARTMENT:

Of the Northwestern Mutual Law Department’s 110 people, approximately 70 are lawyers, having come to Northwestern Mutual from all around the country after having graduated from a multitude of law schools and undergraduate institutions and having practiced in a wide variety of settings.  The balance of the Department consists of highly-skilled paralegals and research and administrative professionals who support significant aspects of the Department’s operations.  Our Law Department (in every aspect of its operation, including the Law Department Leadership Team, the Department’s practicing lawyers, and the Department’s professional administrative staff) is inclusive and diverse, comprising a rich mixture of men and women who come from a wide variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds and includes people of color and those who are openly gay or lesbian.

The Northwestern Mutual Law Department provides the vast majority of legal services in nearly all disciplines directly to the Company, with only select utilization of outside counsel.  There are eight main practice teams within the Law Department:  Insurance Products and Operations; Investment Products and Advisory Services; Corporate and Tax; Distribution; Litigation; Enterprise Governance; Private Securities Investments; and Real Estate Investments.  Lawyers have the opportunity to develop a thorough understanding of the Company’s business needs, and we are fully engaged in the execution of the Company’s business strategy.  This allows us to provide the most timely and effective counsel in an efficient manner and leads to greater career satisfaction for our attorneys, paralegals, and professional administrative staff.

As a mutual company with no shareholders, Northwestern Mutual exists solely for the benefit of providing protection, financial strength, and product value to our millions of clients through the use of robust financial planning and financial solutions that include both risk and investment products. The Company has the highest financial strength ratings awarded to any life insurance company by all four of the major financial ratings agencies.