Wes Smith

Experience

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  Protective Life

  Jun 2003 - Mar 2006

  Business Analyst

  Business Analyst responsible for designing, building, and testing various software applications. Also designed and implemented Sarbanes-Oxley controls for mainframe and desktop applications.

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  Intermark

  Mar 2006 - Jul 2008

  Quality Assurance Manager

  Managed QA department responsible for all web-based applications.

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  Medseek

  Oct 2011 - Jun 2012

  Quality Assurance Engineer

  Designed, built, and maintained automated testing programs. Managed configurations for QA Team.

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  Protective Life

  Jun 2012 - now

  I am primarily responsible for providing legal support for our IT, Vendor Management, and Operations departments. This involves negotiating and drafting vendor agreements, handling vendor disputes, overseeing the vendor agreement review process, managing software audits, providing legal analysis for technical issues (remote hosting, data privacy and security, etc.), and providing day-to-day support to our Operations department. I am also responsible for managing our Corporate Insurance function. This involves procurement and management of insurance coverages, including Work Comp, E&O, D&O, Property, and Cyberliability coverages. I also manage all corporate collection matters, class action settlements, and intellectual property activities.Additionally, I provide support for acquisition due diligence as well as integration of acquired entities. This involves analyzing target vendor agreements, negotiating new vendor agreements as needed, analyzing license structure needed for the acquired entity, and dealing with operational issues following closing. Show less I primarily function as the lead attorney supporting the Corporate IT Department over a wide range of legal issues. These include negotiating and drafting vendor agreements, providing advice and legal analysis regarding various technical issues (remote hosting, cyber security etc.), and leading software license audit response activities.In addition to these duties, I still maintain my responsibilities as Contracts Manager. This involves managing the vendor contract review process for the entire enterprise via drafting, reviewing, and editing various vendor agreements and providing oversight of the review progress and work assignments. I also assist business owners throughout the organization with various vendor issues and disputes. I also regularly advise other company attorneys regarding technology, agreement drafting, and vendor management best practices. Show less

  • Sr. Counsel and VP

    Mar 2023 - now

  • Counsel and 2VP

    Jul 2020 - Feb 2023

  • Associate Counsel, AVP

    Mar 2018 - Jul 2020

  • Senior Staff Attorney, Director

    Jan 2017 - Mar 2018

  • Contracts Manager

    Jan 2014 - Dec 2016

  • Regulatory Analyst

    Jun 2012 - Dec 2013