Legal Counsel Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Illinois
Illinois legal counsel roles draw international candidates to Chicago's financial district, Loop-area law firms, and major employers like United Airlines, Exelon, and Abbott Laboratories. Positions span corporate compliance, contracts, and regulatory work across healthcare, finance, and tech sectors. Competition is strong, but visa sponsorship opportunities exist across the state's diverse employer base.
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Get Access To All JobsGeneral Information
Req #
WD00104670
Career area:
Legal
Country/Region:
United States of America
State:
Illinois
City:
Chicago
Date:
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Working time:
Full-time
Additional Locations:
* United States of America - Illinois - Chicago
Why Work at Lenovo
We are Lenovo. We do what we say. We own what we do. We WOW our customers.
Lenovo is a US$83 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #153 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver Smarter Technology for All, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company with a full-stack portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-ready, and AI-optimized devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets), infrastructure (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), software, solutions, and services. Lenovo’s continued investment in world-changing innovation is building a more equitable, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY).
This transformation together with Lenovo’s world-changing innovation is building a more inclusive, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. To find out more visit www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.
Description and Requirements
REPORTS TO
Global Privacy Leader
ROLE FOCUS
Strategic AI ecosystem
FUNCTION
Legal / Global Privacy and Data Protection
TRAVEL
Approximately 10%
Lenovo is seeking an experienced Senior Counsel, Privacy & AI to join its Legal Department and Global Privacy & Data Protection Team. This role will serve as a strategic legal advisor on privacy, artificial intelligence, data governance, and emerging technology initiatives across Lenovo's worldwide business operations.
This is an embedded, product-facing role providing strategic and day-to-day legal support for AI-enabled products and services, including generative and multimodal AI, AI assistants and agentic capabilities, personalization features, on-device and cloud processing, and third-party integrations. The role will work closely with cross-functional teams and other legal subject matter experts to identify risks, develop mitigation strategies, support product launches, and help drive scalable governance processes.
The successful candidate will combine deep privacy and technology expertise with strong business judgment and technical fluency. Working closely with product, engineering, security, AI governance, commercial legal, regional privacy attorneys, and other legal stakeholders, this attorney will translate complex legal requirements into practical, scalable solutions that enable innovation while appropriately managing legal and regulatory risk.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as a privacy legal advisor for product, engineering, and business teams developing AI-enabled products and services.
- Provide practical, risk-based guidance throughout the product lifecycle and partner with product, engineering, security, AI governance, and business stakeholders to identify legal and regulatory risks, develop appropriate mitigation measures, and support launch readiness and ongoing governance of AI-enabled products and services.
- Conduct and support privacy impact assessments, AI risk assessments, and other legal reviews, identifying requirements, mitigation measures, residual risks, and matters requiring escalation.
- Review and advise on product requirements, architectures, data flows, privacy notices, consent mechanisms, launch plans, and supporting documentation.
- Draft, review, and negotiate agreements involving AI technologies, data licensing, cloud services, software development, suppliers, and strategic technology partners.
- Develop and maintain scalable governance frameworks, policies, standards, assessment templates, and review processes supporting privacy and AI compliance programs.
- Support investigations and response activities involving privacy, data governance, AI, or cybersecurity-related issues.
- Monitor global legal, regulatory, enforcement, and policy developments affecting AI and emerging technologies and advise stakeholders on business and product impacts.
- Improve review processes, reduce bottlenecks, and create scalable guidance for recurring issues while maintaining strong documentation and defensible decision-making.
Basic Qualifications
- Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
- Active license to practice law and good standing in at least one United States jurisdiction.
- 12+ years of relevant legal experience, including substantial experience in privacy, data protection, product counseling, AI, machine learning, or other data-intensive technologies.
- Demonstrated experience advising technology, software, digital-service, or AI product teams throughout the product-development lifecycle.
- Strong working knowledge of U.S. and international privacy and data protection requirements, including GDPR, U.S. state privacy laws, and their application to emerging AI technologies and complex global data flows.
- Strong technical fluency and ability to understand system architecture, data flows, model documentation, software and cloud integrations, security assessments, and AI-enabled products and services.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, sound legal judgment, and the ability to translate complex legal and technical concepts into practical business guidance.
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple complex projects, prioritize effectively, identify and escalate material risks, and thrive in a fast-paced global organization.
- Privacy and AI governance certifications (CIPP/US, CIPP/E, AIGP, or comparable credentials).
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience advising on generative AI, foundation or large language models, multimodal models, AI assistants, agentic systems, retrieval-augmented generation, model training and fine-tuning, model evaluation, or on-device and cloud inference.
- Experience supporting integrated hardware, software, cloud, and AI ecosystems (such as PCs, smartphones, tablets, connected devices, operating-system integrations, software preloads, applications, APIs, SDKs, and third-party services).
- Familiarity with AI governance programs and frameworks, including the EU AI Act, NIST AI Risk Management Framework, ISO 27701, or similar standards.
- Experience advising on biometrics, sensitive personal information, automated decision-making, consumer protection, or AI safety issues.
- Experience with privacy engineering, data governance, privacy-enhancing technologies, and impact assessment programs.
- Experience reviewing or advising on commercial agreements involving AI technologies, cloud services, software, data licensing, or technology partnerships.
- Experience supporting regulatory inquiries, investigations, or incident response activities.
- Experience advising a global multinational or consumer technology company.
- Undergraduate or graduate degree(s) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent is a plus.
What Success Looks Like
- Build trusted relationships across Legal, Product, Engineering, Security, AI Governance, and business teams.
- Enable innovation while appropriately managing legal, regulatory, and reputational risk.
- Drive practical, well-reasoned legal recommendations and appropriately escalate strategic or high-risk matters.
- Anticipate issues, navigate ambiguity, and translate complex requirements into scalable solutions.
- Influence outcomes and help teams move quickly while maintaining strong governance and accountability.
The base salary budgeted range for this position is $170k - 210K. Individuals may also be considered for bonus and/or commission.
Lenovo’s various benefits can be found on www.lenovobenefits.com.
In compliance with Colorado's EPEWA, the expected application deadline for this position is October 27, 2026. This applies to both external and internal candidates.
LI-FL1
LI-Remote
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any federal, state, or local protected class.
Additional Locations:
United States of America - Illinois - Chicago
United States of America
United States of America - Illinois
United States of America - Illinois - Chicago
General Information
Req #
WD00104670
Career area:
Legal
Country/Region:
United States of America
State:
Illinois
City:
Chicago
Date:
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Working time:
Full-time
Additional Locations:
* United States of America - Illinois - Chicago
Why Work at Lenovo
We are Lenovo. We do what we say. We own what we do. We WOW our customers.
Lenovo is a US$83 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #153 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver Smarter Technology for All, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company with a full-stack portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-ready, and AI-optimized devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets), infrastructure (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), software, solutions, and services. Lenovo’s continued investment in world-changing innovation is building a more equitable, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY).
This transformation together with Lenovo’s world-changing innovation is building a more inclusive, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. To find out more visit www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.
Description and Requirements
REPORTS TO
Global Privacy Leader
ROLE FOCUS
Strategic AI ecosystem
FUNCTION
Legal / Global Privacy and Data Protection
TRAVEL
Approximately 10%
Lenovo is seeking an experienced Senior Counsel, Privacy & AI to join its Legal Department and Global Privacy & Data Protection Team. This role will serve as a strategic legal advisor on privacy, artificial intelligence, data governance, and emerging technology initiatives across Lenovo's worldwide business operations.
This is an embedded, product-facing role providing strategic and day-to-day legal support for AI-enabled products and services, including generative and multimodal AI, AI assistants and agentic capabilities, personalization features, on-device and cloud processing, and third-party integrations. The role will work closely with cross-functional teams and other legal subject matter experts to identify risks, develop mitigation strategies, support product launches, and help drive scalable governance processes.
The successful candidate will combine deep privacy and technology expertise with strong business judgment and technical fluency. Working closely with product, engineering, security, AI governance, commercial legal, regional privacy attorneys, and other legal stakeholders, this attorney will translate complex legal requirements into practical, scalable solutions that enable innovation while appropriately managing legal and regulatory risk.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as a privacy legal advisor for product, engineering, and business teams developing AI-enabled products and services.
- Provide practical, risk-based guidance throughout the product lifecycle and partner with product, engineering, security, AI governance, and business stakeholders to identify legal and regulatory risks, develop appropriate mitigation measures, and support launch readiness and ongoing governance of AI-enabled products and services.
- Conduct and support privacy impact assessments, AI risk assessments, and other legal reviews, identifying requirements, mitigation measures, residual risks, and matters requiring escalation.
- Review and advise on product requirements, architectures, data flows, privacy notices, consent mechanisms, launch plans, and supporting documentation.
- Draft, review, and negotiate agreements involving AI technologies, data licensing, cloud services, software development, suppliers, and strategic technology partners.
- Develop and maintain scalable governance frameworks, policies, standards, assessment templates, and review processes supporting privacy and AI compliance programs.
- Support investigations and response activities involving privacy, data governance, AI, or cybersecurity-related issues.
- Monitor global legal, regulatory, enforcement, and policy developments affecting AI and emerging technologies and advise stakeholders on business and product impacts.
- Improve review processes, reduce bottlenecks, and create scalable guidance for recurring issues while maintaining strong documentation and defensible decision-making.
Basic Qualifications
- Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
- Active license to practice law and good standing in at least one United States jurisdiction.
- 12+ years of relevant legal experience, including substantial experience in privacy, data protection, product counseling, AI, machine learning, or other data-intensive technologies.
- Demonstrated experience advising technology, software, digital-service, or AI product teams throughout the product-development lifecycle.
- Strong working knowledge of U.S. and international privacy and data protection requirements, including GDPR, U.S. state privacy laws, and their application to emerging AI technologies and complex global data flows.
- Strong technical fluency and ability to understand system architecture, data flows, model documentation, software and cloud integrations, security assessments, and AI-enabled products and services.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, sound legal judgment, and the ability to translate complex legal and technical concepts into practical business guidance.
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple complex projects, prioritize effectively, identify and escalate material risks, and thrive in a fast-paced global organization.
- Privacy and AI governance certifications (CIPP/US, CIPP/E, AIGP, or comparable credentials).
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience advising on generative AI, foundation or large language models, multimodal models, AI assistants, agentic systems, retrieval-augmented generation, model training and fine-tuning, model evaluation, or on-device and cloud inference.
- Experience supporting integrated hardware, software, cloud, and AI ecosystems (such as PCs, smartphones, tablets, connected devices, operating-system integrations, software preloads, applications, APIs, SDKs, and third-party services).
- Familiarity with AI governance programs and frameworks, including the EU AI Act, NIST AI Risk Management Framework, ISO 27701, or similar standards.
- Experience advising on biometrics, sensitive personal information, automated decision-making, consumer protection, or AI safety issues.
- Experience with privacy engineering, data governance, privacy-enhancing technologies, and impact assessment programs.
- Experience reviewing or advising on commercial agreements involving AI technologies, cloud services, software, data licensing, or technology partnerships.
- Experience supporting regulatory inquiries, investigations, or incident response activities.
- Experience advising a global multinational or consumer technology company.
- Undergraduate or graduate degree(s) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent is a plus.
What Success Looks Like
- Build trusted relationships across Legal, Product, Engineering, Security, AI Governance, and business teams.
- Enable innovation while appropriately managing legal, regulatory, and reputational risk.
- Drive practical, well-reasoned legal recommendations and appropriately escalate strategic or high-risk matters.
- Anticipate issues, navigate ambiguity, and translate complex requirements into scalable solutions.
- Influence outcomes and help teams move quickly while maintaining strong governance and accountability.
The base salary budgeted range for this position is $170k - 210K. Individuals may also be considered for bonus and/or commission.
Lenovo’s various benefits can be found on www.lenovobenefits.com.
In compliance with Colorado's EPEWA, the expected application deadline for this position is October 27, 2026. This applies to both external and internal candidates.
LI-FL1
LI-Remote
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any federal, state, or local protected class.
Additional Locations:
United States of America - Illinois - Chicago
United States of America
United States of America - Illinois
United States of America - Illinois - Chicago
Legal Counsel Job Roles in Illinois
See all Legal Counsel Jobs in Illinois
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Search Legal Counsel Jobs in IllinoisLegal Counsel Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for legal counsels in Illinois?
Large Illinois-headquartered corporations are the most consistent sponsors for legal counsel roles. Companies like Abbott Laboratories, Baxter International, United Airlines, Exelon, and Hyatt Hotels have sponsored work visas for in-house counsel positions. Major financial institutions with Chicago offices, including financial services firms and insurance companies, also sponsor legal counsel roles with some regularity. Sponsorship is more common for in-house positions than for law firm associate roles.
Which visa types are most common for legal counsel roles in Illinois?
The H-1B visa is the most common visa for legal counsel positions in Illinois. The role typically qualifies as a specialty occupation because it requires at least a Juris Doctor degree and state bar admission. Candidates from Australia may qualify for the E-3 visa, and Canadian and Mexican nationals may be eligible under the TN visa category for lawyers. L-1A and L-1B visas apply when transferring within a multinational company's legal department.
Which cities in Illinois have the most legal counsel sponsorship jobs?
Chicago accounts for the overwhelming majority of legal counsel visa sponsorship opportunities in Illinois. The Loop, River North, and Fulton Market neighborhoods concentrate corporate headquarters and major law offices with in-house legal teams. Outside Chicago, Deerfield, Northbrook, and Lake County host pharmaceutical and manufacturing company headquarters, including Abbott Laboratories and Baxter, which maintain their own legal departments and have sponsored international legal counsel.
How to find legal counsel visa sponsorship jobs in Illinois?
Migrate Mate filters legal counsel jobs specifically by visa sponsorship, so you see Illinois-based roles where employers have a documented history of sponsoring international candidates. Search for legal counsel positions and filter to Illinois to find in-house roles at corporations and institutions actively hiring. Because many sponsoring employers are large Chicago-headquartered companies, targeting corporate counsel and compliance-focused listings on Migrate Mate gives the most relevant results for internationally sponsored positions.
Are there state-specific considerations for legal counsel visa sponsorship in Illinois?
Illinois requires legal counsel to be admitted to the Illinois State Bar to practice law independently, which affects visa petitions. Employers must demonstrate the role requires a law degree as a minimum requirement, which is straightforward for licensed attorney positions but more nuanced for compliance or contract roles that may not require bar admission. Chicago's dense corporate headquarter presence means prevailing wage determinations reflect a competitive legal market, which employers must meet for H-1B sponsorship.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored legal counsel jobs in Illinois?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.