H-1B Visa Legal Counsel Jobs
Legal Counsel roles qualify as H-1B visa specialty occupations because they require at least a bachelor's degree in law plus bar admission. Employers in corporate, finance, and tech sectors regularly sponsor H-1B petitions for in-house counsel positions, and the role's licensing requirements support a strong specialty occupation argument.
Find H-1B Visa Legal Counsel JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 142+ Legal Counsel jobs
See all 142+ Legal Counsel Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Legal Counsel roles.
Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Accelerate your career. Join the organization that's driving the world's technology and shape the future.
Ingram Micro is a leading technology company for the global information technology ecosystem. With the ability to reach nearly 90% of the global population, we play a vital role in the worldwide IT sales channel, bringing products and services from technology manufacturers and cloud providers to business-to-business technology experts. Our market reach, diverse solutions and services portfolio, and digital platform Ingram Micro Xvantage™ set us apart. Come join our team where you’ll make technology happen in surprising ways. Let’s shape tomorrow - it’ll be a fun journey!
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Drafts, negotiates and interprets vendor agreements, sales and purchase contracts, licensing and other agreements, counselling business leaders on risk, deal structuring and negotiation strategy.
- Advises on compliance with contractual responsibilities and applicable laws/regulations.
- Advises on real estate, employment, and procurement matters.
- Manages litigation, including external counsel.
- Supports human resources, corporate procurement, IT, finance, treasury and risk management activities.
- Works on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and investments.
- Advises on applicable potential and current legislation and informs clients about relevant laws or changes.
- Assists with Ingram Micro Public Sector business.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited U.S. law school with a strong academic record.
- Active membership in the California Bar, or eligibility for Registered In-House Counsel status in California.
- 10+ years of legal experience, including significant experience advising complex organizations on commercial, corporate, and business law matters.
- Combination of in-house corporate legal experience and experience at a nationally recognized or leading law firm strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated success supporting a publicly traded Fortune 500/Fortune 100 company or advising similar large-scale corporate clients on a broad range of legal and business matters.
- Strong background in drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and managing a wide variety of commercial agreements, including strategic, technology, vendor, and customer contracts.
- Experience advising executive leadership and cross-functional business teams on legal, regulatory, risk management, and governance matters.
- Working knowledge of public company obligations, corporate governance, SEC disclosure considerations, compliance programs, and enterprise risk management.
- Proven ability to balance legal risk with business objectives and provide practical, solutions-oriented legal advice in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience managing litigation, outside counsel, and dispute resolution strategies preferred.
- Excellent judgment, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to work independently with limited supervision, manage complex projects, and effectively prioritize competing demands.
- Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including mentoring, developing, and managing junior legal professionals.
LOCATION
This role is based at the Irvine, California World Headquarters with occasional travel. The position offers a hybrid work schedule, with three days per week onsite and two days working remotely.
COMPENSATION
The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $158,900.00 - $270,100.00 per year. The ranges above reflect the potential annual base pay across the U.S. for all roles; the applicable base pay range will depend on the candidate’s primary work location, pay grade, and variable compensation plan. Individual base pay within each range depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time of hire. New hires starting base pay generally falls in the bottom half (between the minimum and midpoint) of a pay range.
At Ingram Micro certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, annual bonus or sales incentives and long-term incentives. These awards are allocated based on position level and individual performance. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, paid time off, parental leave, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, and wellbeing benefits, among others.
This is not a complete listing of the job duties. It’s a representation of the things you will be doing, and you may not perform all these duties.
Please be prepared to pass a drug test and successfully pass a pre-employment (post offer) background check.
Ingram Micro Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.
INTRODUCTION
Accelerate your career. Join the organization that's driving the world's technology and shape the future.
Ingram Micro is a leading technology company for the global information technology ecosystem. With the ability to reach nearly 90% of the global population, we play a vital role in the worldwide IT sales channel, bringing products and services from technology manufacturers and cloud providers to business-to-business technology experts. Our market reach, diverse solutions and services portfolio, and digital platform Ingram Micro Xvantage™ set us apart. Come join our team where you’ll make technology happen in surprising ways. Let’s shape tomorrow - it’ll be a fun journey!
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Drafts, negotiates and interprets vendor agreements, sales and purchase contracts, licensing and other agreements, counselling business leaders on risk, deal structuring and negotiation strategy.
- Advises on compliance with contractual responsibilities and applicable laws/regulations.
- Advises on real estate, employment, and procurement matters.
- Manages litigation, including external counsel.
- Supports human resources, corporate procurement, IT, finance, treasury and risk management activities.
- Works on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and investments.
- Advises on applicable potential and current legislation and informs clients about relevant laws or changes.
- Assists with Ingram Micro Public Sector business.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited U.S. law school with a strong academic record.
- Active membership in the California Bar, or eligibility for Registered In-House Counsel status in California.
- 10+ years of legal experience, including significant experience advising complex organizations on commercial, corporate, and business law matters.
- Combination of in-house corporate legal experience and experience at a nationally recognized or leading law firm strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated success supporting a publicly traded Fortune 500/Fortune 100 company or advising similar large-scale corporate clients on a broad range of legal and business matters.
- Strong background in drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and managing a wide variety of commercial agreements, including strategic, technology, vendor, and customer contracts.
- Experience advising executive leadership and cross-functional business teams on legal, regulatory, risk management, and governance matters.
- Working knowledge of public company obligations, corporate governance, SEC disclosure considerations, compliance programs, and enterprise risk management.
- Proven ability to balance legal risk with business objectives and provide practical, solutions-oriented legal advice in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience managing litigation, outside counsel, and dispute resolution strategies preferred.
- Excellent judgment, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to work independently with limited supervision, manage complex projects, and effectively prioritize competing demands.
- Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including mentoring, developing, and managing junior legal professionals.
LOCATION
This role is based at the Irvine, California World Headquarters with occasional travel. The position offers a hybrid work schedule, with three days per week onsite and two days working remotely.
COMPENSATION
The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $158,900.00 - $270,100.00 per year. The ranges above reflect the potential annual base pay across the U.S. for all roles; the applicable base pay range will depend on the candidate’s primary work location, pay grade, and variable compensation plan. Individual base pay within each range depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time of hire. New hires starting base pay generally falls in the bottom half (between the minimum and midpoint) of a pay range.
At Ingram Micro certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, annual bonus or sales incentives and long-term incentives. These awards are allocated based on position level and individual performance. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, paid time off, parental leave, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, and wellbeing benefits, among others.
This is not a complete listing of the job duties. It’s a representation of the things you will be doing, and you may not perform all these duties.
Please be prepared to pass a drug test and successfully pass a pre-employment (post offer) background check.
Ingram Micro Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.
See all 142+ H-1B Visa Legal Counsel Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new H-1B Visa Legal Counsel Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship in Legal Counsel
Verify your bar admission transfers
H-1B approval for Legal Counsel depends partly on active bar membership in a relevant jurisdiction. Confirm your home-country legal credentials have been evaluated and that you've pursued admission through your state bar before the I-129 is filed.
Target in-house roles over law firms
Corporate legal departments at publicly traded companies sponsor H-1B petitions far more consistently than law firms, which often treat associates as temporary hires. Focus your search on companies with dedicated compliance, contracts, or regulatory counsel headcount.
Search verified sponsors on Migrate Mate
Filter Legal Counsel roles by employers with confirmed H-1B LCA filing history on Migrate Mate. This shows you which companies have already sponsored the role, so you're not guessing about sponsorship willingness during outreach.
Check the prevailing wage before negotiating
Your employer's LCA must certify a wage at or above the DOL prevailing wage for your location and job level. Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up the Level I through Level IV wage tiers for Legal Counsel before you receive an offer.
Prepare a specialty occupation memo early
USCIS scrutinizes Legal Counsel petitions where the job description is broad. Work with your employer's immigration counsel to document why the role requires a law degree specifically, using your actual job duties rather than a generic counsel description.
Account for premium processing in your timeline
Standard H-1B adjudication can run several months, which affects your start date and any cap-gap or grace period calculations. Premium processing upgrades the decision timeline to 15 business days and is commonly used for time-sensitive Legal Counsel hires.
H-1B Visa Legal Counsel: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Legal Counsel role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes. Legal Counsel positions require at minimum a Juris Doctor and active bar admission, which satisfies USCIS's degree-in-a-specific-specialty requirement. The O*NET classification for lawyers confirms the role requires a doctoral or professional degree. Employers still need to document that the specific position requires that level of legal education, not just that law degrees are common in the field.
Which types of employers sponsor H-1B visas for Legal Counsel roles?
Corporate legal departments at technology, financial services, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing companies are the most consistent H-1B sponsors for in-house counsel. Law firms sponsor far less frequently and usually only for foreign-trained attorneys in specific practice areas. You can find employers with verified LCA filing history for Legal Counsel roles on Migrate Mate, which filters by role and sponsorship activity.
Can I work as Legal Counsel on H-1B if I'm not licensed in the state where the job is located?
Generally no. USCIS expects the H-1B beneficiary to hold an active bar license in the jurisdiction where they'll practice. If you're licensed elsewhere, you'll typically need to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination and meet that state's bar admission requirements before or concurrent with the H-1B filing. Some roles involving only federal law or transactional work have more flexibility, but state bar admission is the standard expectation.
How does the DOL prevailing wage apply to H-1B Legal Counsel positions?
Before filing the I-129, your employer files an LCA certifying they'll pay at or above the DOL prevailing wage for the Legal Counsel role in your work location. Wage levels range from Level I for entry-level positions to Level IV for senior roles. The OFLC Wage Search lets you look up the applicable wage tier by job title and metropolitan area so you can verify the offer aligns before the LCA is submitted.
What happens to my H-1B status if my employer's Legal Counsel role is eliminated?
You have a 60-day grace period after losing H-1B employment to find a new sponsoring employer, file a change of status, or depart the U.S. Your new employer must file an H-1B transfer petition before that window closes. USCIS allows H-1B portability, meaning you can begin working for the new employer once the transfer petition is filed, without waiting for approval, as long as the petition is non-frivolous.