At Western Digital, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible.

At our core, Western Digital is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we’ve been doing just that. Our technology helped people put a man on the moon.

We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest growth organizations in the world. From energizing the most competitive gaming platforms, to enabling systems to make cities safer and cars smarter and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and public cloud, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Binge-watch any shows, use social media or shop online lately? You’ll find Western Digital supporting the storage infrastructure behind many of these platforms. And, that flash memory card that captures and preserves your most precious moments? That’s us, too.

We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, storage devices and platforms for business and consumers alike. Our data-centric solutions are comprised of the Western Digital®, G-Technology™, SanDisk® and WD® brands.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. It’s You & Western Digital. Together, we’re the next BIG thing in data.

Develop and implement all facets of the company’s worldwide litigation strategy. Maintain responsibility for all aspects of litigation and pre-litigation disputes including patent defense, patent licensing, tax, insurance, trade secret, antitrust, commercial, and consumer matters. Lead strategy for high-profile government investigations, inquiries, and disputes including in the antitrust, securities, and law enforcement arenas. Develop and implement company policies to solve problems and mitigate risks so that company can capitalize on business opportunities while complying with national and international laws and regulations.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Engage with executives and business leaders on legal issues affecting litigation strategy
• Implement global strategy on litigation, arbitration, and disputes, including patent defense, patent licensing, corporate, commercial, product liability, insurance, toxic tort, and tax
• Drive global strategy for high-profile government investigations, inquiries and disputes including in the antitrust, securities, and law enforcement arenas
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Executive Team on a wide variety of complex business matters that entail litigation risks and ensure the company successfully navigates those risks
• Provide strategic counseling related to potential and actual disputes to the General Counsel, business units, and senior executives
• Create strategies and establish internal practices to mitigate and eliminate litigation risks to the extent possible and to ensure effective responses when these risks materialize
• Oversee the procurement and management of outside counsel in a cost-effective manner
• Oversee the team responsible for company’s document retention policies and procedures

• Work cross-functionally with IT, other key stakeholders and the business in general to ensure compliance with litigation-related obligations, including document holds, discovery, and responses to subpoenas

• Partner with the Contract Management Team to negotiate and draft dispute resolution provisions in contracts, settlement agreements, and releases
• Advise on company obligations, performance, and remedies under business collaborations, vendor agreements, and other contracts

• Develop and implement strategies that protect the company's intellectual property worldwide and apprise and advise leadership regarding the IP component of company decisions
• Anticipate and articulate intellectual property-related issues for the leadership team, formulate and execute an agreed-upon course of action to address identified issues

• In conjunction with all levels of leadership and process participants, identify areas of organizational risk and mitigation strategies
• Support the Contract Management Team and the Business Development Team to mitigate and eliminate litigation risks in company critical negotiations

10+ years of relevant experience in a Fortune 500 company in-house legal department and/or an AM Law 100 law firm

J.D. degree from an ABA-approved law school and current membership in the California State Bar

Patent litigation, PTO, PTAB experience

Technology degree

Federal Circuit clerkship

Experience working in the technology industry

Western Digital is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate based on their race, color, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming standards), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender (including a person’s gender identity, gender expression, and gender-related appearance and behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth), age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership status), physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. We also prohibit harassment of any individual on any of the characteristics listed above. Our non-discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with the laws and regulations set forth in the Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law poster.

Western Digital thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

Western Digital is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at staffingsupport@wdc.com to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

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Compensation & Benefits Details

• An employee’s pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to (1) relevant education; qualifications; certifications; and experience; (2) skills, ability, knowledge of the job; (3) performance, contribution and results; (4) geographic location; (5) shift; (6) internal and external equity; and (7) business and organizational needs.
• The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California, Colorado, New York or remote jobs that can be performed in California, Colorado and New York. This range may be modified in the future.
• You will be eligible to participate in Western Digital’s Short-Term Incentive (STI) Plan, which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance. Depending on your role and your performance, you may be eligible to participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents, pursuant to the terms of the LTI plan. Please note that not all roles are eligible to participate in the LTI program, and not all roles are eligible for equity under the LTI plan. RSU awards are also available to eligible new hires, subject to Western Digital’s Standard Terms and Conditions for Restricted Stock Unit Awards.
• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid vacation time; paid sick leave; medical/dental/vision insurance; life, accident and disability insurance; tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts; employee assistance program; other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity; tuition reimbursement; transit; the Virgin Pulse Program; the Applause Program, employee stock purchase plan, and the Western Digital Savings 401(k) Plan.
• Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.