Her Story
About Madi
Madi Schemmel is an accomplished in-house legal professional with expertise in commercial transactions, contract negotiation, and legal support for technology-driven organizations. As Legal Counsel at SAS, she advises internal stakeholders across the business, negotiating and managing a broad range of commercial agreements, including software licenses, hosted managed services agreements, professional services contracts, and non-disclosure agreements. Her work is centered on supporting the financial services sector, particularly large banking clients, while contributing to strategic growth initiatives and staying at the forefront of emerging developments in artificial intelligence and legal technology.
Before joining SAS in 2023, Madi built a strong foundation in commercial contracting as a Contracts Associate at Meta, where she drafted and managed high volumes of commercial agreements and became a subject matter expert in research contracts. Earlier in her career, she gained valuable legal experience through clerkships and internships in workers' compensation, estate planning, business law, litigation, and criminal law. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English Language and Literature with a Pre-Law emphasis from Arizona State University before completing her Juris Doctor at Santa Clara University School of Law, where she served as Vice President of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society. She is also certified in mediation and legal research and is fluent in both English and Spanish.
Recognized for her leadership and professional excellence, Madi was honored with the 2026 Next Generation of Leaders (In-House) Award from Women, Influence & Power in Law (WIPL). Beyond her legal practice, she has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to community service through volunteer work supporting breast cancer awareness and hunger relief initiatives. With a career focused on commercial transactional law, research contracts, and legal support for the financial industry, Madi continues to strengthen her expertise while pursuing advancement to senior and principal legal counsel roles, driven by a passion for innovation, collaboration, and delivering strategic legal solutions.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Madi
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the strong support system I have both professionally and personally. I am fortunate to have a manager who is an exceptional mentor and advocate, a collaborative team that is always willing to support one another, and a family—especially my husband—whose unwavering encouragement has helped me navigate challenges, grow through difficult experiences, and continue striving for excellence in my career.
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