Jonathan Palmer

Jonathan Palmer serves as General Counsel at Microsoft and leads the Corporate Legal Affairs department. He oversees the company’s core legal and compliance functions related to litigation, employment, competition, immigration, corporate governance, mergers & acquisitions, intellectual property, and internal investigations. Previously, Jon was a Litigation Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and Heller Ehrman LLP. From 2005 to 2008 he was based in Asia, where he was Managing Partner for Heller Ehrman’s offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, and Shanghai.

Jon has an active pro bono practice, focusing on immigration and political asylum issues. He is a passionate advocate for legal reform—particularly in the areas of civil justice reform and alternative dispute resolution. He sits on the Board of Directors of Lawyers for Civil Justice and the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR Institute). Jon received his BA from Stanford University and his JD from University of California, Berkeley.