Litigation Counsel

About Ancestry:

When you join Ancestry, you join a human-centered company where every person’s story is important. Ancestry®, the global leader in family history, connects everyone with their past so they can discover, preserve, and share their unique family stories. With our unparalleled collection of more than 65 billion records, over 3.5 million subscribers, and over 27 million people in our growing DNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain a new level of understanding about their lives. Over the past 40 years, we’ve built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen us as the platform for discovering, preserving, and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families.

We are committed to our location flexible work approach, allowing you to choose to work in the nearest office, from your home, or a hybrid of both (subject to location restrictions and roles that are required to be in the office- see the full list of eligible US locations HERE). We will continue to hire and promote beyond the boundaries of our office locations, to enable broadened possibilities for employee diversity.

Together, we work every day to foster a work environment that's inclusive as well as diverse, and where our people can be themselves. Every idea and perspective is valued so that our products and services reflect the global and diverse clients we serve. 

Ancestry encourages applications from minorities, women, the disabled, protected veterans and all other qualified applicants. Passionate about dedicating your work to enriching people’s lives? Join the curious.

Ancestry is seeking a litigation counsel to manage litigation and pre-litigation matters across our global operations. The role will be a remote position.  Reporting to the Associate General Counsel for Litigation and Employment, this individual will oversee all stages of litigation, advise the business on litigation risks, and actively manage outside counsel.  

The ideal candidate will have 3-5 years of litigation experience, with a mixture of a judicial clerkship, Big Law experience, and/or in-house experience.  This individual will be expected to operate in a fast-moving, global environment.

What You Will Do...

• Operate independently on small litigation and pre-litigation matters;

• Provide strategic legal advice to the business

• Draft and review pleadings and settlement agreements;

• Provide litigation advice on commercial contracts; 

• Participate in mediations and arbitrations on behalf of the Company;

• Have experience taking, defending, or preparing for depositions;

• Review and manage our records retention policy;

• Establish our e-discovery program;

• Manage Ancestry’s insurance portfolio and annual insurance renewals;

• Manage outside counsel, including actively revising drafts, leading strategy calls, and ensuring outside counsel adheres to budgets;

• Manage the Company’s litigation docket; and

• Travel occasionally on an as-needed basis. 

Who You Are...

• 3-5 years of relevant legal experience, with a mixture of a judicial clerkship, Big Law experience, and/or in-house experience.  Experience at a top-tier law firm is preferred.

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited U.S. law school with strong academic performance and an active member in good standing of at least one U.S. state bar.

• Strong writing skills.

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization and articulate complex legal issues clearly in both written and verbal formats. 

• Self-starter who can manage multiple priorities and projects independently, while staying aligned with business objectives and evolving legal requirements. 

• Highly self-aware and low-ego. You understand that high-stakes legal work is more effective (and enjoyable) when done with a sense of humor, deep respect for colleagues, and a focus on collective success. We value team members who bring energy, perspective, and enjoyment to their work without taking themselves too seriously.

• Applicants may be required to submit a writing sample at a later stage of the interview process.

Ancestry values pay transparency and equity. As a signatory of the ParityPledge in Support of Women and the ParityPledge in Support of People of Color, we are pleased to share the base salary range for this position: $120,000 - $150,000, with eligibility for bonus, equity, and comprehensive benefits including health, dental, and vision. Actual salary will depend on location and experience. We will provide detailed compensation data for a specific location during the recruiting process. Read more about our benefits HERE.

Additional Information:

Ancestry is an Equal Opportunity Employer that makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, citizenship, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. In addition, Ancestry will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

All job offers are contingent on a background check screen that complies with applicable law. For candidates who live in San Francisco, CA, pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Ancestry will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Ancestry is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Ancestry via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of Ancestry. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Ancestry as a result of the referral or through other means.