Dev Stahlkopf

Dev Stahlkopf of Microsoft Corporation

Dev Stahlkopf was appointed as Microsoft’s general counsel in early 2018, after having spent over a decade at the world-renowned software and technology company. She, chief legal officer Brad Smith and Microsoft’s team of over 1000 legal and corporate affairs professionals oversee a vast portfolio of legal matters which encompasses the company’s IP assets, government affairs issues, disputes and commercial work. The team is particularly well regarded for its pioneering work in legal diversity issues, boasting one of the longest-running diversity initiatives for outside law firms which has seen a significant increase in the amount of work handled by minority attorneys. Stahlkopf also recently announced that the company will require that external suppliers, including law firms, offer employees a minimum of 12 weeks of paid parental leave in an effort to support new parents. The legal department at Microsoft has also revised its working relationship with outside counsel, recently announcing its Strategic Partner Programme which will see the company build a closer relationship with a number of law firms on retainer, while also moving away from fees paid through billable hours and into greater use of alternative fee arrangements. Commentators are full of praise for Stahlkopf’s leadership and legal credentials, reporting: “In terms of her key strengths, strategic vision is very high on the list. She is very thoughtful about the long-term, strategic interests of her company and how to position it in the best possible way. Secondly, its her straight up, analytical horsepower – she grasps concepts quickly and reaches strategic decision.”