Legal Counsel – Corporate position plays a key role in supporting a broad range of corporate and commercial legal matters across the organization. This position is responsible for drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts while providing strategic legal guidance to internal business partners. The ideal candidate will bring strong analytical skills and practical legal judgment to navigate complex transactional issues. This role collaborates closely with cross-functional teams to identify and mitigate legal risk while advancing Nelnet's business objectives.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a broad range of commercial agreements, including SaaS customer agreements, MSAs, SOWs, partnership agreements, NDAs, and vendor/procurement contracts.
Provide practical, risk-balanced legal advice to sales, procurement, operations, and product teams that aligns with business objectives.
Identify and escalate material legal and business risks appropriately while independently resolving routine matters.
Assist with general corporate governance and compliance, including entity maintenance, board materials, and ancillary corporate filings.
Support M&A, structured finance, joint venture, and restructuring transactions under senior attorney supervision.
Help manage outside counsel on discrete projects as needed.
Contribute to the development and maintenance of contract templates, playbooks, and internal legal guidelines.
Support contract lifecycle management processes and drive efficiency improvements within the legal function.
Collaborate cross-functionally with sales, finance, product, IT, security, and compliance teams to deliver clear, actionable legal guidance.
EDUCATION:
J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school and admission to practice law and in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction required.
EXPERIENCE: 3-5 years of relevant experience at a law firm and/or in-house legal department. Experience drafting and negotiating commercial contracts, including SaaS or technology-related agreements. Experience with general corporate and transactional matters.
Prefer prior in-house experience, particularly at a technology or financial services company; supporting corporate governance or routine transaction matters; and/or supporting capital markets, structured finance, and M&A transactions.
COMPETENCIES/SKILLS: Strong written and verbal communication skills
Ability to manage multiple matters simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and deliver practical, business-focused advice.
The base salary range for this role is $125,000 to $165,000 depending on experience. We offer a highly competitive total compensation package that includes a base salary commensurate with experience, performance-based bonus opportunities, stock awards as part of our long-term incentive plan, and a competitive benefits package that includes health, retirement, wellness programs, and more.
Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA, generous earned time off, 401K/student loan repayment, life insurance & AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, employee stock purchase program, tuition reimbursement, performance-based incentive pay, short- and long-term disability, and a robust wellness program. Click here to learn more about our benefits: .
