Job Description

Grant Thornton is seeking a Counsel: Technology, AI, Commercial Legal to join the team in Chicago, IL.

Risk, Regulatory and Legal Affairs (RRLA) Counsel: Technology, AI, Commercial Legal

Grant Thornton is seeking a business-savvy attorney to advise our leaders, client-facing teams, and internal development teams on the firm’s innovation and digital transformation initiatives, including the use of artificial intelligence and our intellectual property strategy. The ideal candidate blends strong legal acumen with practical judgment, helping the business innovate confidently while managing regulatory, contractual, and reputational risk.

You’ll partner closely with Product, Technology, Risk, Privacy, Security, and Commercial teams to design guardrails for AI adoption, protect our IP, and support our go to market initiatives across a multinational, fast-moving professional services environment.

Key Responsibilities

AI and Emerging Technology Counseling

• Advise on the lawful and ethical use of AI/ML tools, including risk assessments, governance, data and privacy, testing/monitoring, human-in-the-loop controls, and transparency requirements.
• Draft and negotiate AI-related contract terms across a multinational platform.
• Monitor multinational AI regulatory developments and translate them into actionable policies, playbooks, and training for business stakeholders.
• Help design and operationalize AI and data governance committees and workflows.
• Build and operationalize concise guidance, templates, training, and checklists for non-lawyers.

Intellectual Property

• Counsel on a multinational IP strategy for services, content, software, and data assets (copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets; light experience with patents is a plus).
• Structure licensing and SaaS arrangements.
• Support brand protection, content usage, and clearance, including by supporting our marketing and communications groups

Product Counseling and Commercial Contracting

• Provide practical product counseling from ideation through launch.
• Review and negotiation of MSAs, SOWs, licensing and professional services agreements with AI, data, and IP elements.
• Coordinate with outside counsel and internal SMEs; contribute to playbooks and internal knowledge bases.

Qualifications:

• J.D. from an accredited law school; admitted to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 5 to 8+ years of relevant experience in-house or at a law firm advising on a mix of: technology transactions, IP/licensing, and/or AI/ML use.
• Familiarity with AI governance concepts and leading frameworks and experience counseling on AI governance programs and exposure to global AI regulatory trends and relevant standards preferred.
• Solid grounding in copyright/trademark and trade secret protection.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex legal risk into practical, business-friendly guidance and contract language.
• Experience reviewing, editing and negotiating professional services agreements; master service agreements; technology and software agreements; and vendor contracts is especially desirable.
• Ability to effectively advise on risk mitigation and provide legal solutions that meet business objectives
• Ability to quickly adapt to shifting priorities or unanticipated events
• Prior experience in professional services or B2B enterprise technology environments is a plus.

The base salary range for this position in the firm's Chicago, IL office is between $243,800 and $325,000 per year.

At Grant Thornton, we believe in making business more personal and building trust into every result – for our clients and you. Here, we go beyond your expectations of a career in professional services by offering a career path with more: more opportunity, more flexibility, and more support. It’s what makes us different, and we think being different makes us better.

In the U.S., Grant Thornton delivers professional services through two specialized entities: Grant Thornton LLP, a licensed, certified public accounting (CPA) firm that provides audit and assurance services ― and Grant Thornton Advisors LLC (not a licensed CPA firm), which exclusively provides non-attest offerings, including tax and advisory services.

In 2025, Grant Thornton formed a multinational, multidisciplinary platform with Grant Thornton Ireland. The platform offers a premier Trans-Atlantic advisory and tax practice, as well as independent American and Irish audit practices. With $2.7 billion in revenues and more than 50 offices spanning the U.S., Ireland and other territories, the platform delivers a singular client experience that includes enhanced solutions and capabilities, backed by powerful technologies and a roster of 12,000 quality-driven professionals enjoying exceptional career-growth opportunities and a distinctive cross-border culture.

Grant Thornton is part of the Grant Thornton International Limited network, which provides access to its member firms in more than 150 global markets.