Samuel Foster
New Richmond,WI
Summary
Resilient in-house counsel with over 5 years of experience in complex legal environments, facilitating team growth and scalability. Expertise in negotiating SaaS and commercial agreements, leading global privacy and compliance initiatives, and supporting product development from concept to launch. Recognized for transforming legal challenges into strategic advantages, effectively managing risk while maintaining operational momentum.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Assistant Adjunct Professor
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
St. Paul, MN
05.2025 - 07.2025
- Co-taught Deals and Disputes (Summer Term), integrating hybrid instruction with real-world simulations for practical deal-making exposure.
- Mentored law students in legal skills focusing on business strategy, contract drafting, negotiation, and risk assessment.
Senior Commercial Counsel
TSI Incorporated
Shoreview, MN
01.2023 - 07.2025
- Counseled Senior Management Team (SMT) on strategic initiatives across regulated industries, including pharmaceuticals, healthcare, semiconductors, government and defense, industrial manufacturing, aerospace, and energy, by formulating legal strategies that fostered innovation, reduced risk, and facilitated growth.
- Provided strategic legal counsel throughout product lifecycle by collaborating with Engineering, Product, Compliance, Sales, and Marketing teams to align regulatory strategy—incorporating Privacy by Design—with market demands, facilitating innovation, compliance, and product success
- Synchronized efforts with R&D, Engineering, and Product Teams to establish Prototype and Pilot Agreements—securing IP, preserving data integrity, and fostering customer feedback to advance innovation and strengthen product-market alignment.
- Engaged with global Sales and Marketing Teams to facilitate negotiation of MPAs and FWAs with customers in regulated markets, ensuring alignment on SLAs, QAs, and enterprise software licenses to promote long-term partnerships and adherence to standards and regulations governing critical infrastructure
- Engineered scalable legal frameworks for SaaS and HaaS solutions, supported by MSAs and modular appendices (e.g., DPAs, SLAs, API terms), to enhance negotiation efficiency and decrease turnaround time by 30%, promoting accelerated deal cycles and regulatory-ready expansion.
- Spearheaded OneTrust implementation and Privacy Policy revision—ensuring alignment of operations and data practices with global privacy standards including HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA/CPRA.
- Transformed Legal Operations by analyzing CLM tools and directing ROI-driven AI implementation—optimizing templates, workflows, and playbooks to decrease turnaround time by 40% and support self-service.
- Oversaw global certification strategies in partnership with Compliance, Product, and Engineering Teams to align with cybersecurity, RF, EMC, safety, metrology, and hazardous location regulations—including EU RED and impending Cyber Resilience Act—securing compliant market entry.
- Administered global trade compliance functions including licensing, HTS classification, and documentation—promoting EAR compliance and efficient cross-border shipments.
Associate General Counsel & Privacy Officer
Compeer Financial
Baldwin, WI
09.2022 - 01.2023
- Directed privacy compliance strategy for lending operations, maintaining full compliance with FCA, GLBA, and CCPA/CPRA.
- Negotiated vendor contracts to secure favorable terms while mitigating risks.
- Executed third-party risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities in vendor relationships.
- Conducted internal audits to evaluate data security and privacy practices.
- Developed training programs to enhance staff knowledge of data protection protocols.
- Joined forces with IT to implement robust data security measures, assess systems and networks, and execute risk assessments aimed at pinpointing and mitigating vulnerabilities in data protection.
Contracts & Data Privacy Attorney
TSI Incorporated
Shoreview, MN
07.2020 - 09.2022
- Directed global privacy compliance by executing risk assessments, mitigation plans, and aligning with HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA/CPRA to minimize regulatory exposure.
- Oversaw privacy operations encompassing DPIAs, vendor reviews, SCCs, and data mapping to integrate Privacy by Design and PETs into global data practices.
- Negotiated B2B and public-sector agreements with global Sales Teams to enhance deal velocity while ensuring compliance in regulated markets.
- Managed global channel partner agreements, including distribution and reseller contracts, to protect IP and ensure regional compliance.
- Conducted legal due diligence for cross-border acquisition of U.K. manufacturer, reviewing records and compliance for post-close governance alignment.
- Designed and delivered global legal training on contracts, confidentiality, privacy, and FCPA, fostering compliance culture and enhancing legal fluency across functions.
Judicial Law Clerk
U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
St. Paul, MN
08.2019 - 07.2020
- Conducted comprehensive legal research and analysis to support judicial decision-making across diverse federal cases.
- Drafted detailed legal opinions, bench memos, orders, and recommendations for complex federal matters.
Various roles in Risk, BI, and Systems Analysis
ProPartners Financial & GreenStone FCS
St. Paul, MN
06.2013 - 07.2019
- Business Systems Analyst: Directed cross-functional systems analysis to optimize SaaS platforms for agribusinesses, enhancing efficiency and compliance.
- Program Coordinator & BI Specialist: Partnered with agribusinesses to formulate customized loan programs, executing data modeling and stress testing for multi-billion-dollar ag lending portfolio.
- Scorecard Analyst: Evaluated creditworthiness and financial risk for agricultural retailers and producers using quantitative analysis and custom risk scoring models.
Mission Generation Vehicular Equipment Maintenance
133rd Airlift Wing, Minnesota Air National Guard
St. Paul, MN
05.2009 - 04.2015
- Led maintenance operations for mission-critical ground support vehicles, ensuring readiness and compliance.
- Supervised junior personnel, honing leadership and process execution skills in high-pressure settings.
Education
J.D. -
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
St. Paul, MN05.2019
MBA -
University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium
Eau Claire, WI05.2015
Bachelor of Science - Applied Social Science, Economics
University of Wisconsin–Stout
Menomonie, WI05.2013
Skills
- Commercial Contract Negotiation
- SaaS & Tech Transactions
- Product Counseling
- Global Privacy Compliance
- Privacy by Design
- AI Governance
- Regulatory Compliance
- Licensing & IP Protection
- GTM Strategy
- Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM)
- Risk Identification & Mitigation
- Legal Policy Drafting & Training
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Integrity
- Time Management & Prioritization
- Business Acumen
Certification
- CIPP/E – Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe, IAPP, 01/2021
- AIGP – Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional, Expected 09/2025
Timeline
Assistant Adjunct Professor
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
05.2025 - 07.2025
Senior Commercial Counsel
TSI Incorporated
01.2023 - 07.2025
Associate General Counsel & Privacy Officer
Compeer Financial
09.2022 - 01.2023
Contracts & Data Privacy Attorney
TSI Incorporated
07.2020 - 09.2022
Judicial Law Clerk
U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
08.2019 - 07.2020
Various roles in Risk, BI, and Systems Analysis
ProPartners Financial & GreenStone FCS
06.2013 - 07.2019
Mission Generation Vehicular Equipment Maintenance
133rd Airlift Wing, Minnesota Air National Guard
05.2009 - 04.2015
J.D. -
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
MBA -
University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium
Bachelor of Science - Applied Social Science, Economics
University of Wisconsin–Stout
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