Amazon Legal Team Forum

[Anonymous User]

Working through the interview process and very interested in joining one of the business lines' legal teams. It's a smaller group and per the AZ recruiter, so grain of salt obviously, one of their favorite teams to work with. Person who last had role moved to a different line that had more to do with their interests.

Mid-level coming from biglaw secondary office that pays non-market. I would appreciate any tips about the interview process and also salary negotiation. I have no idea where to begin and always assumed I'd stick around at a firm and on-track for that to be a possibility.

If helpful, I would be in a non-Seattle office. I am worried about leaving comp. on the table if this works out, but have no metric as to where to begin.

[Anonymous User]

Working through the interview process and very interested in joining one of the business lines' legal teams. It's a smaller group and per the AZ recruiter, so grain of salt obviously, one of their favorite teams to work with. Person who last had role moved to a different line that had more to do with their interests.

Mid-level coming from biglaw secondary office that pays non-market. I would appreciate any tips about the interview process and also salary negotiation. I have no idea where to begin and always assumed I'd stick around at a firm and on-track for that to be a possibility.

If helpful, I would be in a non-Seattle office. I am worried about leaving comp. on the table if this works out, but have no metric as to where to begin.

I'm also in the interview process with AZ and wondering the same things, so just checking in here!

[Anonymous User]

Working through the interview process and very interested in joining one of the business lines' legal teams. It's a smaller group and per the AZ recruiter, so grain of salt obviously, one of their favorite teams to work with. Person who last had role moved to a different line that had more to do with their interests.

Mid-level coming from biglaw secondary office that pays non-market. I would appreciate any tips about the interview process and also salary negotiation. I have no idea where to begin and always assumed I'd stick around at a firm and on-track for that to be a possibility.

If helpful, I would be in a non-Seattle office. I am worried about leaving comp. on the table if this works out, but have no metric as to where to begin.

I'm also in the interview process with AZ and wondering the same things, so just checking in here!

tl;dr: immerse yourself in the LPs.

I'm in my third year at Amazon. I started as a corporate counsel and just got promoted to senior corporate counsel. Like you, I'm in a non-Seattle office. Not sure where you are in the interview process, but normally it's resume screen -> phone screen -> writing assessment -> loop (the day of "in-person" interviews) -> offer (typically two or three days after your loop). Amazon does not stack rank candidates, if you meet the hiring bar you will get an offer (but the hiring bar is generally very high)--so the earlier you interview for an open role the better. Generally your loop will meet and debrief your interview within two days of your loop. If there's consensus you meet the hiring bar, and your "bar raiser" doesn't veto your candidacy, the recruiter will send your offer letter within 5 days from your interview.

If you're a mid-level I assume you're interviewing for a corporate counsel position. Amazon's base salary tops out at $150k cash (regardless of position), with the remainder of your comp in RSUs--my target comp when I started was $280k. Because you can't exercise any stock your first two years, you get a cash gross-up so your take hope pay never dips below ~$250. That said, I wouldn't negotiate too much on comp--get a feel from your recruiter what options you have, they're generally very forthright. When I started Amazon stock was under $700 so I've made WAY more than my target comp.

Take the writing assessment seriously. I've seen PLENTY of senior corporate associates from V10s get rejected because their writing assessments failed to meet the hiring bar. Biggest piece of advice I can give for the loop is to memorize the LPs and frame each answer around how it hits an LP. Amazon's interview questions are all short form hypos so be prepared to think quickly and give very structured answers. No one will ding you if you take a few seconds to compose yourself before answering. Obviously biased, but I think the legal talent at Amazon is unmatched. I'm consistently blown away by how uniformly intelligent folks here are. That said, there is consistent pressure to be on your A-game every day and in every meeting. Folks won't hesitate to publicly pressure test your reasoning and call out any weaknesses or bullshit. Good luck.

[Anonymous User]

$280k basically matches mid-level pay after accounting for 401k match -- that's insane. How are the hours generally? 50/week? 60?

How does comp scale in 5-10 years?

[Anonymous User]

Working through the interview process and very interested in joining one of the business lines' legal teams. It's a smaller group and per the AZ recruiter, so grain of salt obviously, one of their favorite teams to work with. Person who last had role moved to a different line that had more to do with their interests.

Mid-level coming from biglaw secondary office that pays non-market. I would appreciate any tips about the interview process and also salary negotiation. I have no idea where to begin and always assumed I'd stick around at a firm and on-track for that to be a possibility.

If helpful, I would be in a non-Seattle office. I am worried about leaving comp. on the table if this works out, but have no metric as to where to begin.

I'm also in the interview process with AZ and wondering the same things, so just checking in here!

tl;dr: immerse yourself in the LPs.

I'm in my third year at Amazon. I started as a corporate counsel and just got promoted to senior corporate counsel. Like you, I'm in a non-Seattle office. Not sure where you are in the interview process, but normally it's resume screen -> phone screen -> writing assessment -> loop (the day of "in-person" interviews) -> offer (typically two or three days after your loop). Amazon does not stack rank candidates, if you meet the hiring bar you will get an offer (but the hiring bar is generally very high)--so the earlier you interview for an open role the better. Generally your loop will meet and debrief your interview within two days of your loop. If there's consensus you meet the hiring bar, and your "bar raiser" doesn't veto your candidacy, the recruiter will send your offer letter within 5 days from your interview.

If you're a mid-level I assume you're interviewing for a corporate counsel position. Amazon's base salary tops out at $150k cash (regardless of position), with the remainder of your comp in RSUs--my target comp when I started was $280k. Because you can't exercise any stock your first two years, you get a cash gross-up so your take hope pay never dips below ~$250. That said, I wouldn't negotiate too much on comp--get a feel from your recruiter what options you have, they're generally very forthright. When I started Amazon stock was under $700 so I've made WAY more than my target comp.

Take the writing assessment seriously. I've seen PLENTY of senior corporate associates from V10s get rejected because their writing assessments failed to meet the hiring bar. Biggest piece of advice I can give for the loop is to memorize the LPs and frame each answer around how it hits an LP. Amazon's interview questions are all short form hypos so be prepared to think quickly and give very structured answers. No one will ding you if you take a few seconds to compose yourself before answering. Obviously biased, but I think the legal talent at Amazon is unmatched. I'm consistently blown away by how uniformly intelligent folks here are. That said, there is consistent pressure to be on your A-game every day and in every meeting. Folks won't hesitate to publicly pressure test your reasoning and call out any weaknesses or bullshit. Good luck.

How did you prepare for the more legal-focused hypotheticals that ask about substantive issues?

[Anonymous User]

$280k basically matches mid-level pay after accounting for 401k match -- that's insane. How are the hours generally? 50/week? 60?

How does comp scale in 5-10 years?

Hours completely depend on what group you're in. M&A/Corporate counsel have roughly BigLaw hours ,and if you're supporting a product line that's in hyper-growth mode you can expect 60+hr weeks. For everyone else I think the average is 50-55hrs, though there are definitely peaks and valleys. Some managers really care about keeping good work-life harmony (Amazon's version of work-life balance), others don't at all. On the bright side, David Z has been pushing managers in the legal org to make sure folks don't feel overwhelmed though actual changes have, so far, been pretty inconsistent.

Everyone in my loop was upfront that coming to Amazon legal was not a "lifestyle" move, though I've found it super manageable. My days are super long and super busy, but when I do disconnect for the night I actually am able to disconnect. There's relatively little weekend work in my group, and my manager/team takes every possible measure to respect PTO.

[Anonymous User]

How did you prepare for the more legal-focused hypotheticals that ask about substantive issues?

Depends a lot on what group you are interviewing for, but you should have a good understanding on the legal issues that underpin the business (Audible Legal should have a good understanding of global copyright regimes, Twitch legal should know laws governing UGC, every applicant should be comfortable identifying competition and privacy issues).

The main way to prepare is to practice vocalizing your reasoning, ultimately that's what your interviewers care about. I spent a few days internalizing the STAR method prior to my loop (if you're smart enough to get to the loop you can probably guess the general tenor of questions--think of some possible questions and practice answers), part of that was getting comfortable with pausing for a few seconds before answering.

[Anonymous User]

How did you prepare for the more legal-focused hypotheticals that ask about substantive issues?

Depends a lot on what group you are interviewing for, but you should have a good understanding on the legal issues that underpin the business (Audible Legal should have a good understanding of global copyright regimes, Twitch legal should know laws governing UGC, every applicant should be comfortable identifying competition and privacy issues).

The main way to prepare is to practice vocalizing your reasoning, ultimately that's what your interviewers care about. I spent a few days internalizing the STAR method prior to my loop (if you're smart enough to get to the loop you can probably guess the general tenor of questions--think of some possible questions and practice answers), part of that was getting comfortable with pausing for a few seconds before answering.

Are you able to give insight about the litigation group side of things?

[Anonymous User]

Are you able to give insight about the litigation group side of things?

I don't have a great amount of insight into the lit functions, unfortunately. I would try to get a feel for what the major current/near-term litigation risks are. I don't want to give any specific guidance since it probably implicates some internal information, but a Google search will probably give you enough of a survey. Also be prepared to answer strategic questions--risk tolerance, willingness to litigate, etc.--and explain your rationale.

[Anonymous User]

Working through the interview process and very interested in joining one of the business lines' legal teams. It's a smaller group and per the AZ recruiter, so grain of salt obviously, one of their favorite teams to work with. Person who last had role moved to a different line that had more to do with their interests.

Mid-level coming from biglaw secondary office that pays non-market. I would appreciate any tips about the interview process and also salary negotiation. I have no idea where to begin and always assumed I'd stick around at a firm and on-track for that to be a possibility.

If helpful, I would be in a non-Seattle office. I am worried about leaving comp. on the table if this works out, but have no metric as to where to begin.

I'm also in the interview process with AZ and wondering the same things, so just checking in here!

tl;dr: immerse yourself in the LPs.

I'm in my third year at Amazon. I started as a corporate counsel and just got promoted to senior corporate counsel. Like you, I'm in a non-Seattle office. Not sure where you are in the interview process, but normally it's resume screen -> phone screen -> writing assessment -> loop (the day of "in-person" interviews) -> offer (typically two or three days after your loop). Amazon does not stack rank candidates, if you meet the hiring bar you will get an offer (but the hiring bar is generally very high)--so the earlier you interview for an open role the better. Generally your loop will meet and debrief your interview within two days of your loop. If there's consensus you meet the hiring bar, and your "bar raiser" doesn't veto your candidacy, the recruiter will send your offer letter within 5 days from your interview.

If you're a mid-level I assume you're interviewing for a corporate counsel position. Amazon's base salary tops out at $150k cash (regardless of position), with the remainder of your comp in RSUs--my target comp when I started was $280k. Because you can't exercise any stock your first two years, you get a cash gross-up so your take hope pay never dips below ~$250. That said, I wouldn't negotiate too much on comp--get a feel from your recruiter what options you have, they're generally very forthright. When I started Amazon stock was under $700 so I've made WAY more than my target comp.

Take the writing assessment seriously. I've seen PLENTY of senior corporate associates from V10s get rejected because their writing assessments failed to meet the hiring bar. Biggest piece of advice I can give for the loop is to memorize the LPs and frame each answer around how it hits an LP. Amazon's interview questions are all short form hypos so be prepared to think quickly and give very structured answers. No one will ding you if you take a few seconds to compose yourself before answering. Obviously biased, but I think the legal talent at Amazon is unmatched. I'm consistently blown away by how uniformly intelligent folks here are. That said, there is consistent pressure to be on your A-game every day and in every meeting. Folks won't hesitate to publicly pressure test your reasoning and call out any weaknesses or bullshit. Good luck.

Thank you! This is super helpful. I am working on my writing assessment at the moment and plan to spend most of the weekend ironing it out. I need to memorize the LPs.

Any thoughts or tips on the phone screen? Is there a reason is not on video? I saw that it's done through an Amazon platform, so I wasn't sure if I needed to be video-ready.

[Anonymous User]

Working through the interview process and very interested in joining one of the business lines' legal teams. It's a smaller group and per the AZ recruiter, so grain of salt obviously, one of their favorite teams to work with. Person who last had role moved to a different line that had more to do with their interests.

Mid-level coming from biglaw secondary office that pays non-market. I would appreciate any tips about the interview process and also salary negotiation. I have no idea where to begin and always assumed I'd stick around at a firm and on-track for that to be a possibility.

If helpful, I would be in a non-Seattle office. I am worried about leaving comp. on the table if this works out, but have no metric as to where to begin.

I'm also in the interview process with AZ and wondering the same things, so just checking in here!

tl;dr: immerse yourself in the LPs.

I'm in my third year at Amazon. I started as a corporate counsel and just got promoted to senior corporate counsel. Like you, I'm in a non-Seattle office. Not sure where you are in the interview process, but normally it's resume screen -> phone screen -> writing assessment -> loop (the day of "in-person" interviews) -> offer (typically two or three days after your loop). Amazon does not stack rank candidates, if you meet the hiring bar you will get an offer (but the hiring bar is generally very high)--so the earlier you interview for an open role the better. Generally your loop will meet and debrief your interview within two days of your loop. If there's consensus you meet the hiring bar, and your "bar raiser" doesn't veto your candidacy, the recruiter will send your offer letter within 5 days from your interview.

If you're a mid-level I assume you're interviewing for a corporate counsel position. Amazon's base salary tops out at $150k cash (regardless of position), with the remainder of your comp in RSUs--my target comp when I started was $280k. Because you can't exercise any stock your first two years, you get a cash gross-up so your take hope pay never dips below ~$250. That said, I wouldn't negotiate too much on comp--get a feel from your recruiter what options you have, they're generally very forthright. When I started Amazon stock was under $700 so I've made WAY more than my target comp.

Take the writing assessment seriously. I've seen PLENTY of senior corporate associates from V10s get rejected because their writing assessments failed to meet the hiring bar. Biggest piece of advice I can give for the loop is to memorize the LPs and frame each answer around how it hits an LP. Amazon's interview questions are all short form hypos so be prepared to think quickly and give very structured answers. No one will ding you if you take a few seconds to compose yourself before answering. Obviously biased, but I think the legal talent at Amazon is unmatched. I'm consistently blown away by how uniformly intelligent folks here are. That said, there is consistent pressure to be on your A-game every day and in every meeting. Folks won't hesitate to publicly pressure test your reasoning and call out any weaknesses or bullshit. Good luck.

Thank you! This is super helpful. I am working on my writing assessment at the moment and plan to spend most of the weekend ironing it out. I need to memorize the LPs.

Any thoughts or tips on the phone screen? Is there a reason is not on video? I saw that it's done through an Amazon platform, so I wasn't sure if I needed to be video-ready.

Is the writing assignment the same as the questionnaire?

I just used the dial-in for my phone screen, no video aspect there.

[Anonymous User]

Is the writing assignment the same as the questionnaire?

I just used the dial-in for my phone screen, no video aspect there.

Your experience so far is typical, the phone screen is almost never via VC. Only the actual loop is done on video conference. The writing assessment isn't the same as the questionnaire, it's an actual assignment you have a few days to complete (e.g., you'll be asked to review/draft an agreement or something similar). You'll only be asked to complete the writing assessment if the phone screen went well.

[Anonymous User]

What's the initial phone interview like? Just want to make sure I go into this prepared.

[Anonymous User]

It's more casual and really depends on the interviewer. It's the only step in the process where you'll really get "typical" interview questions--since it's only with one person it's more important to establish a sense of rapport. When I was interviewing my phone screen was set for 30 mins and I ended up talking to my interviewer for almost an hour. Typically the phone screen is with someone on the team you're interviewing for (but not always). When I interview folks now I'm generally just making sure they're competence seems to match their resume and that they're someone I'd want to work with.

In terms of preparation, I would be sure to know the LPs, details of for the position (check with your recruiter if you're unsure on specifics), and be prepared to convey how you'd be to work with. Really this is the only filter for personality fit.

[Anonymous User]

It's more casual and really depends on the interviewer. It's the only step in the process where you'll really get "typical" interview questions--since it's only with one person it's more important to establish a sense of rapport. When I was interviewing my phone screen was set for 30 mins and I ended up talking to my interviewer for almost an hour. Typically the phone screen is with someone on the team you're interviewing for (but not always). When I interview folks now I'm generally just making sure they're competence seems to match their resume and that they're someone I'd want to work with.

In terms of preparation, I would be sure to know the LPs, details of for the position (check with your recruiter if you're unsure on specifics), and be prepared to convey how you'd be to work with. Really this is the only filter for personality fit.

[Anonymous User]

It's more casual and really depends on the interviewer. It's the only step in the process where you'll really get "typical" interview questions--since it's only with one person it's more important to establish a sense of rapport. When I was interviewing my phone screen was set for 30 mins and I ended up talking to my interviewer for almost an hour. Typically the phone screen is with someone on the team you're interviewing for (but not always). When I interview folks now I'm generally just making sure they're competence seems to match their resume and that they're someone I'd want to work with.

In terms of preparation, I would be sure to know the LPs, details of for the position (check with your recruiter if you're unsure on specifics), and be prepared to convey how you'd be to work with. Really this is the only filter for personality fit.

This is great, thanks so much. When you say recruiter I assume you mean Amazon's recruiter that emailed me? Can I dm you real quick for some questions?

[Anonymous User]

It's more casual and really depends on the interviewer. It's the only step in the process where you'll really get "typical" interview questions--since it's only with one person it's more important to establish a sense of rapport. When I was interviewing my phone screen was set for 30 mins and I ended up talking to my interviewer for almost an hour. Typically the phone screen is with someone on the team you're interviewing for (but not always). When I interview folks now I'm generally just making sure they're competence seems to match their resume and that they're someone I'd want to work with.

In terms of preparation, I would be sure to know the LPs, details of for the position (check with your recruiter if you're unsure on specifics), and be prepared to convey how you'd be to work with. Really this is the only filter for personality fit.

As a counterpoint, my phone screener included substantive questions on legal concepts, as well as hypothetical behavioral based scenarios.

[techthrowaway]

Hey Amazon anon, since you mentioned getting promoted, I'm curious what the promotion process/criteria is like at Amazon. Did your workflow/day-to-day change post-promotion? At my company, it feels like everyone under GC/director level roughly does the same pool of work, just with different titles.

Feel free to PM me if this is too sensitive or off topic.

[Anonymous User]

What are the exit opportunities out of amazon legal? My outside POV is they’re pretty good - you can go to another big tech or you can go back to a firm but I’d love to hear how it is in reality

[Anonymous User]

Necroing old thread to minimize creating same new thread.

Does anybody have any knowledge on the hypos they asked? Would appreciate any insight.