Director, Head of Legal Discovery & Strategy

Apple Apple · Big Tech · Cupertino, CA +1 · Corporate Functions

This role is for a Director, Head of Legal Discovery & Strategy at Apple. The primary focus is on leading the global Discovery Program, providing strategic advice, and building scaled operational solutions. While the role involves advising on the use of AI/ML and other emerging technologies to improve discovery compliance and efficiency, the core function is legal strategy and program management, not the direct development or deployment of AI models.

What you'd actually do

  1. Lead Apple's Discovery Program, supporting and delivering best-in-class discovery management across Apple's global litigation and regulatory docket
  2. Oversee the priorities and work of the Discovery teams, ensuring their work is defensible, compliant, and impactful — with measured, reported results
  3. Direct execution of the Discovery Program across all global litigations and investigations, ensuring best practices are followed and continually improved
  4. Collaborate with partner teams across the Legal department and other Apple business units to drive innovative discovery compliance
  5. Evaluate and report on the status of Discovery efforts to stakeholders and Legal leadership, incorporating recommendations for company-wide data management as needed

Skills

Required

  • 12–15+ years of experience managing large-scale discovery in an in-house legal department, government agency, or law firm
  • Experience designing vendor strategy and scaled program management
  • Strong understanding of the legal standards governing discovery compliance
  • Knowledge of digital forensics strategies and best practices
  • JD or equivalent and admission to at least one US state bar

Nice to have

  • A track record of identifying, prioritizing, and resolving issues quickly and effectively
  • Experience building and mentoring high performing teams while remaining deeply engaged in substantive legal work
  • A demonstrated ability to identify gaps, propose solutions, and take ownership of projects while balancing time, quality, cost, and risk
  • Strong collaboration skills — building relationships across teams, communicating openly, and supporting teammates and cross-functional partners in pursuit of shared goals
  • A demonstrated record of using automation, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), or other emerging technologies to improve discovery compliance and efficiency
  • Executive-level communication skills, with the ability to communicate risk strategies and technical discovery concepts to executives, attorneys, and non-technical stakeholders
  • Excellent program management skills and experience managing outside counsel, vendors, and competing priorities

What the JD emphasized

  • demonstrated record of innovation and impact
  • Experience building programs designed to measure and report impact
  • Experience designing and leading program development spanning legal and technical teams
  • Executive-level communication skills