Innovation Lawyer - M&A / Private Equity

Position summary

The Innovation Lawyer – M&A / Private Equity will play a key role in advancing the Firm's use of AI-enabled and other legal technologies to support the Firm's mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and private equity practices. Drawing on significant M&A and private equity experience, this role will work closely with deal attorneys to identify high-impact opportunities for AI-enabled solutions that improve efficiency, consistency, and client service across the deal lifecycle.

As a member of the Innovation Department, the Innovation Lawyer will design and scale practice-specific workflows, capture the expertise and approach of the Firm's leading deal lawyers in AI-enabled solutions, contribute to knowledge management initiatives, support strategic planning, and help drive adoption of emerging tools. This position requires strong legal acumen, comfort with evolving technology, and the ability to translate practice needs into practical, scalable solutions.

Job duties and responsibilities

• Partner with M&A and private equity attorneys to identify and implement high-value applications of AI-enabled and other innovative technology, grounded in a deep understanding of their work, clients (including private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, and strategic acquirers), and industries.
• Design, promote, and scale practice-specific, AI-enabled workflows in close collaboration with colleagues across the Firm's Innovation Department.
• Gather feedback, assess needs, and identify opportunities to use AI responsibly to streamline core M&A and private equity activities, such as due diligence and diligence reporting, drafting and negotiating purchase agreements and ancillary documents, preparing disclosure schedules, reviewing contracts, and managing closing checklists and deal processes.
• Participate in M&A and private equity practice group management teams and technology-focused working groups, and lead or support pilots of emerging AI solutions, bringing the perspective of an experienced M&A and private equity lawyer.
• Collaborate with the Firm's knowledge management lawyers to shape the next generation of knowledge management for M&A and private equity practices, piloting AI-enabled approaches that turn the Firm's deal experience (such as precedent transactions, negotiated terms, and market data) into accessible, continuously updated knowledge that attorneys can apply directly in their work.
• Capture the expertise and approach of the Firm's leading M&A and private equity lawyers (such as preferred negotiating positions, acceptable fallbacks, risk thresholds, and when an issue warrants escalation) and reflect it in AI-enabled solutions, including by working with senior deal attorneys to articulate their reasoning, translating it into playbooks, review criteria, and workflow and prompt logic, validating AI outputs against expert standards, and keeping that expertise current as market practice evolves.
• Serve as a conduit between the Innovation Department and Reed Smith Legal Solutions on matters affecting M&A and private equity attorneys.
• Design and deliver practice-aligned onboarding, training, and communications that build confidence, reduce friction, and drive adoption of new tools; facilitate presentations, demos, and learning sessions that showcase practical, real-world AI applications for deal work; and act as a change champion for M&A and private equity practices through ongoing engagement, coaching, and reinforcement with attorneys and group leaders.
• Support the strategy and budgeting functions of the Innovation Department in collaboration with attorneys.
• Serve as a subject matter resource on AI-enabled solutions for M&A and private equity practices and evaluate their impact.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Job duties and responsibilities included are not exhaustive and may be supplemented as necessary. Reed Smith reserves the right to revise or modify job duties and responsibilities at any time.

Requirements

Education: J.D. from an American Bar Association (ABA)-accredited law school or an equivalent law degree from a non-U.S. institution.

Experience:

• Minimum of seven (7) years of M&A or private equity experience, either as a practicing attorney or as an innovation attorney focused on M&A and private equity practices.
• Preferred: hands-on experience advising on public and private M&A transactions and private equity matters (such as buyouts, add-on acquisitions, exits, and investments), including managing due diligence and negotiating transaction documents.
• Experience designing or implementing practice-specific workflows, training, or change initiatives that improve efficiency and client service.
• Experience capturing and structuring the expertise of senior lawyers (for example, through playbooks, negotiation guides, review standards, or AI workflow design) so that it can be applied consistently across matters.
• Experience working with AI-enabled or other legal technology tools (such as AI-assisted diligence, contract analysis, or deal management platforms) in support of M&A or private equity practices.
• Law firm experience preferred.

Skills:

• Ability to translate M&A and private equity legal experience into practical, AI-enabled solutions.
• Proficiency in communicating and presenting complex ideas to diverse audiences, with the ability to build credibility and influence adoption across all levels of the Firm.
• Ability to adapt to evolving technologies and client needs, with a demonstrated interest in exploring emerging legal tools and solutions.
• Demonstrated use of sound judgment and discretion when making decisions in dynamic and complex environments.
• Highly organized and capable of managing multiple priorities, projects, and competing deadlines, maintaining attention to detail and self-directing work, even in a remote or hybrid environment without direct oversight.
• Flexible and adaptable, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and adjust to evolving priorities and business needs.
• Proven ability to concentrate for extended periods, think critically, and make strategic decisions in high-pressure situations.
• Client- and stakeholder-centric approach, with a track record of building and sustaining productive working relationships across diverse, cross-functional teams.
• Ability to interpret and synthesize complex legal, technical, and business information to support effective decision-making.

Additional information

Supervisory responsibilities: None

Equipment used: Personal computer and other office equipment such as telephone, calculator, copier, scanner, etc.

Essential job functions

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods and perform tasks requiring prolonged and/or extensive computer use.
• Ability to use computers, telecommunications, and digital collaboration tools to perform core job responsibilities.
• Ability to engage in effective and professional communication.
• Ability to analyze complex information while maintaining attention to detail, managing multiple priorities, and exercising sound judgment in decision-making.
• Ability to access, use, and safeguard confidential and sensitive information while performing job responsibilities in work environments
• that support confidentiality, privacy, and information security requirements.
• Ability to work extended or adjusted hours as needed, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and early start times to support collaboration with international stakeholders in EMEA and to meet business, operational, or project needs.
• Ability to travel for meetings, training, and conferences as required.
• Ability to work in-office as required to meet business or project needs.

Working conditions

You will be required to work in the office a minimum of four (4) days per week and may occasionally be called upon to work beyond your normal daily schedule. The details of your weekly schedule will be discussed further with your direct supervisor.

Pay ranges

This represents the presently anticipated low and high end of Reed Smith's pay range for this position. Actual pay may vary based on various factors, including but not limited to location and experience.

• Pittsburgh, Dallas, Miami, Houston, Denver, Atlanta: $196,000 - $259,000
• Chicago, Philadelphia: $210,000 - $276,000
• Boston, Washington, D.C.: $225,000 - $295,000
• New York, Los Angeles: $233,000 - $302,000
• San Francisco: $246,000 - $320,000

Employee benefits overview

Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Medical Insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Virtual Health Services
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Accident Insurance
• Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Short-Term Disability Coverage
• Long-Term Disability Coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Lyra Health Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Paid Family Leave (for eligible Exempt and Non-Exempt staff)
• Transportation Benefit
• Back-up Child Care Services
• College Coach Program
• Pet Insurance
• Paid Sick Time (for Exempt staff)
• Paid Time Off (available to all full-time, non-temporary employees)

Reed Smith offers a challenging work environment, business casual dress code and a total compensation package that includes a competitive salary, flexible benefits program, tuition assistance, and generous 401(k) plan.

Reed Smith is an Equal Opportunity Employer with Core Values of Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork & Respect, Innovation, and Impact. Reed Smith also provides reasonable accommodations in accordance with law, including in the application and interview process.

Qualified candidates only. No search firms.