Corporate Counsel: Source; Hybrid

Introduction

Location preferences for NC, TX, IL, GA, CO.

Members of the Legal organization at select locations will generally be expected to follow a hybrid work model, which includes two days of in-office attendance each week, with limited exceptions.

Cisco Legal is a global, multidisciplinary team of attorneys and legal professionals. We work closely across all aspects of Cisco to provide practical legal solutions while building creative, innovative technologies for customers worldwide. The Open Innovation Legal team partners directly with engineering teams and other legal teams to shape how Cisco contributes to and benefits from the open source ecosystem.

You'll be a trusted advisor to engineering teams navigating the intersection of open source software, AI technologies, and intellectual property. This role is perfect for a curious attorney who gets passionate about understanding how technology works and translating between legal requirements and engineering realities. You'll have the opportunity to work on complex and evolving legal issues at the intersection of open source software, AI technologies, and intellectual property.

We value curiosity over credentials and believe the best legal advice comes from truly understanding the technology. You'll learn from industry‑leading open source legal experts and contribute to the legal strategies that shape Cisco's engagement with the open source community. We are looking for someone who sees legal as enabling innovation, not blocking it and can build trust through technical credibility and practical solutions.

• Partner directly with engineering teams to understand their technical goals and provide practical legal guidance on open source usage, contribution, and compliance.
• Review open source projects technical documentation to identify and assess legal risks.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of scalable processes and self‑service resources for common open source and open AI legal questions.
• Support M&A due diligence on open source and IP matters in technology transactions.
• Stay current on emerging issues at the intersection of AI and open source, including model licensing, training data, and AI‑generated code.
• Build relationships within the open source community and understand ecosystem dynamics.
• Work independently to manage a portfolio of matters with minimal direction.

• JD from an accredited law school and active bar membership.
• 2‑5 years of legal experience.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to handle multiple projects independently.
• Excellent communication skills with ability to explain complex legal concepts to non‑legal audiences.
• Demonstrated intellectual curiosity and comfort learning new technologies.
• Experience with legal risk assessment and practical problem‑solving.

• Experience working with engineering teams or technical clients.
• Understanding of copyright law and software licensing.
• Familiarity with Git Hub, Huggingface or other development tools.
• Demonstrated use of AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot) in legal practice.
• Experience with any of the following: patent law, trademarks, M&A due diligence, or compliance programs.
• Technical background (CS degree, coding bootcamp, or self‑taught programming).
• Personal interest in technology.

At Cisco, we're revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era - and beyond. We've been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you'll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.

We are Cisco, and our…