Deputy General Counsel - Corporate Transactions

As Deputy General Counsel – Corporate Transactions, you will serve as the senior legal leader responsible for the Company’s most significant corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, corporate finance matters, and other strategic transactions across The Walt Disney Company. You will advise senior executives on complex, high-stakes matters and help shape business strategy by translating legal, regulatory, reputational, and commercial risk into practical, business-oriented guidance that advances enterprise priorities, supports innovation, and protects the Company’s long-term interests. You will work closely with the General Counsel, Corporate Legal Group, the Chief Legal Officer, and senior leaders across the Company, and you will lead a high-performing team that supports enterprise priorities globally.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a legal team overseeing legal support for a broad portfolio of strategic corporate matters and functions, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, Disney’s strategy team, corporate finance, consumer payments, and other corporate matters.

• Report to the General Counsel for Corporate Legal and serve as a strategic legal advisor to senior executive leadership (including the CLO, CFO and CEO), providing thoughtful, business-forward counsel on complex, sensitive, and high-impact matters.

• Anticipate legal, regulatory, reputational, and business risks in a dynamic environment and help leaders make informed decisions with clarity, sound judgment, and pragmatism.

• Partner closely with business leaders and cross-functional legal colleagues to structure creative, practical, and market-based solutions that advance business priorities while protecting the Company’s long-term interests.

• Bring the right stakeholders together early to navigate complex issues collaboratively, resolve tradeoffs thoughtfully, and support timely decision-making on matters of enterprise importance.  

• Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing legal team by fostering excellence, accountability, collaboration, talent development, and continuous improvement.

• Drive operational excellence within the function, including effective prioritization, resourcing, knowledge sharing, and the scalable delivery of high-quality legal services.

• Build trusted relationships with senior business leaders, legal colleagues, and external partners through credibility, transparency, strong collaboration, and consistent sound judgment.

Basic Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years of significant legal experience leading complex corporate transactions.

• Strong legal judgment and demonstrated ability to assess risk, advise senior leaders, and guide decision-making on complex and sensitive matters.

• Exceptional business acumen, including the ability to understand strategic objectives and translate legal analysis into practical, actionable advice.

• Proven ability to operate effectively in a matrixed, multidisciplinary environment and to collaborate across a broad range of legal and business stakeholders.

• Demonstrated success leading and developing high-performing teams, with experience building capability, driving performance, and leading through change.

• Strong executive presence and a track record of influencing and earning the confidence of senior-most leaders.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate difficult issues clearly, directly, and in practical business terms.

• Ability to navigate ambiguity and make disciplined, well-reasoned decisions in areas where there may be no clear precedent.

• Active license in good standing to practice law in a U.S. jurisdiction.

Preferred Qualifications

• Corporate finance experience.

• Experience advising in a large, complex, global organization.

• A forward-looking, innovative mindset, with curiosity, sound judgment, and the ability to help the business move quickly and responsibly in a changing environment.

Required Education:

• Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree or equivalent international degree

The hiring range for this position in California is $345,900.00-$463,900.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.