mid Legal Counsel ic · Posted Jul 8, 2026
$159,600 – $296,400
USD per year

About this role

Cadence Design Systems is hiring a mid-level Legal Counsel based in San Jose, CA. The posting calls out experience with System Design. Compensation is listed at $159,600–$296,400 per year.

Role
Legal Counsel
Function
legal
Level
mid
Track
Individual contributor
Employment
Full-time
Location
San Jose, CA
Posted
Jul 8, 2026

Job description

from Cadence Design Systems careers

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

Cadence is a leading provider of system design tools, software, IP, and services.  We take pride in our collaborative and high-performance culture, and we are looking for a junior- to mid-level attorney with employment experience to join our team.  The Corporate Counsel will support a variety of employment law matters and compliance, including partnering with the employment and corporate legal teams to assist on employment matters for M&A, and litigation counseling, as needed.

This position is ideal for someone with employment advising experience, particularly on deal diligence and compliance, who is also detail-oriented, practical, collaborative, and wants to learn and grow with the team. Litigation experience is also welcome.

Main Responsibilities:

LABOR & EMPLOYMENT ADVISING

·         Support various employment law matters throughout the employee lifecycle, including employment policies and contracts, performance issues, severance, employee benefits, anti-discrimination/harassment, wage and hour, OFCCP compliance, training, and other laws regulating employment.

·         Support M&A deals, including advising on employment issues, managing outside counsel advice, assisting with building internal processes around employment diligence on M&A deals, and collaborating with other groups in legal and across departments.

·        Support competitive hire and exit processes, including cross-department collaboration.

·         Support subpoenas and related requests for employee records and information.

·         Assist with existing and potential litigation and internal investigations, as needed.

·         Identify opportunities to streamline processes and improve efficiencies. 

Minimum Qualifications:

·         JD from an ABA accredited law school and qualified to practice law in CA;

·         3-5 years of related experience with a firm or corporate legal department;

·         Superior legal writing skills with a high level of attention to detail;

·         Excellent oral and written communication skills;

·         Sound judgment, flexibility, and ability to work independently while collaborating across business units;

·         Team player that wants to pitch in and help with a positive attitude.

Preferred Experience:

·         Prior work with technology companies

·         Employment law experience across jurisdictions, including internationally

We invite you to see what it’s like to work with a dynamic legal team in a company with a high-performance culture recognized as a Great Place to Work around the world, including as one of the Fortune “100 Best Companies to Work For” over the last ten years.

The annual salary range for California is $159,600 to $296,400. You may also be eligible to receive incentive compensation: bonus, equity, and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the salary range is a guideline and compensation may vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies and work location. Our benefits programs include: paid vacation and paid holidays, 401(k) plan with employer match, employee stock purchase plan, a variety of medical, dental and vision plan options, and more.

We’re doing work that matters. Help us solve what others can’t.

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