Lead Counsel, Special Investigations & Incident Response

About the Role & Team

The Walt Disney Company is seeking a seasoned and strategic attorney to serve as Lead Counsel, Special Investigations & Incident Response. As Lead Counsel, you will work independently to serve as primary counsel advising teams on complex investigations, insider-threat matters, and cyber incident response. You’ll apply deep legal expertise, strategic judgment, and business insight to guide high-risk, high-impact decisions across global operations. This position demands autonomy, judgment, discretion, and the ability to secure alignment and support from senior leadership on issues of material significance.

The position primary location for this role is Burbank, CA, however we are open to candidates based close to any other Disney Hub.

What You Will Do:

• Investigations Leadership: Direct and oversee complex internal investigations into potential violations of law or company policy. Apply investigative expertise and sound judgment to resolve sensitive or high-stakes matters while ensuring investigations are conducted in compliance with legal, ethical, and policy obligations.   

• Strategic Legal Advisor: Act as a trusted counselor to Global Security Investigations, provide expert guidance on advancing insider threat investigations, including in areas involving workplace violence; sabotage, theft, and misuse of Company information; and schemes involving sensitive personnel or high-value assets. Interpret policy, assess risk, and offer practical legal solutions aligned with business priorities.
   
• Cyber Incident Response: Advise Global Information Security, Global Security, and impacted segments and business units through critical cyber incidents. Assert and maintain applicable legal privileges, assess legal and regulatory exposure, coordinate with cross-functional response teams, and ensure accurate and compliant messaging.

• Policy and Governance Development: Lead and support the creation and continuous enhancement of enterprise-wide investigative and incident management policies. Establish governance frameworks and standards to strengthen compliance and security resilience.  Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to integrate feedback, ensure alignment, and drive adoption across the organization.
   
• Leadership and Collaboration: Serve as primary counsel to senior business leaders during complex internal investigation and cyber incident response. Operate independently while knowing when to escalate high-risk or sensitive issues. Provide guidance and mentorship to investigators, incident response personnel, and fostering professional growth and operational excellence.

• Outside Counsel and Vendor Management: Manage and evaluate engagements with external counsel and vendors, with attention to cost efficiency, quality, and strategic alignment.
   
• Ethical Stewardship: Champion the company’s legal integrity and ethical standards; ensure business decisions are guided by compliance and sound legal judgment.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• At least 7 years of substantive legal experience conducting internal investigations, handling cyber or insider-threat matters, or supporting incident response in corporate, law firm, or government settings.
• Demonstrated knowledge of security procedures, incident response, cybersecurity, and investigations; proven ability to apply legal principles to complex operational contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to provide legal advice during fast-moving, high-profile matters; exercises sound judgment under pressure, making difficult decisions while ensuring full compliance with legal obligations, ethical standards, and company values.
• Experience advising senior executives, managing teams or outside counsel, and setting legal direction in fast-paced environments.
• Exceptional judgment, independence, communication, and collaboration across disciplines such as Legal, HR, and Security.
• Strong ethical compass, discretion, and composure under pressure.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior legal experience with federal or state law enforcement agencies.
• Experience leading complex financial and accounting fraud investigations, including analysis of financial records, transactional data, and internal controls.
• Demonstrated success leading complex or large-scale investigations and incident response matters.
• Strong understanding of regulatory frameworks governing cybersecurity, privacy, and investigations, including notification laws, breach reporting obligations, and cross-border incident coordination.

Education:

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school; active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.

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The hiring range for this position in Burbank, CA is $212,000 to $274,200 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.