Commercial Legal Counsel

Broad outline of the Role

Tata Communications is seeking a highly motivated and qualified lawyer to join its Legal department. The position is based in Frankfurt and the successful candidate will be part of our Commercial Legal Team.

The primary function of the role is to provide commercial transactional support to the European business (includes the UK and Continental Europe) and to support cross-functional projects and initiatives. The business teams may be located within Europe or in other jurisdictions.

Key Responsibilities

• Reviewing, drafting and negotiating “standard” and “non-standard” commercial agreements for the provision of services, and advising business/sales team of relevant issues;
• Supporting RFPs and contracts- both negotiating new contracts and supporting in-life contract matters (such as, interpretation of terms, amendments, preliminary support on disputes before handover to the litigation team);
• Providing legal support for miscellaneous matters (not limited to sales contracts) including HR, leases/facilities;
• Supporting Senior Counsel(s)/senior members of the team, on complex transactions or other matters, as requested;
• Keeping senior stakeholders informed and escalating issues where needed in a timely manner;
• Managing multiple matters at a time and proactively engaging with internal stakeholders to drive a deal to closure;
• Managing multiple internal customers at a time (including senior stakeholders) and communicating clearly and effectively with them;
• Providing training for business/sales teams on legal or related issues for commercial agreements or processes where required;
• Developing knowledge of when to interface with and refer matters to other legal department teams as required (including procurement, compliance, regulatory and litigation) and ensuring timely closure of transactions in accordance with Company strategy and policies;
• Supporting miscellaneous know-how and best practice documentation projects, including creating and updating standard templates and acting as SPOC for cross-functional projects assigned; and
• Performing legal research/analysis and drafting opinions and position papers.

Minimum qualification & experience

Skills, Qualifications & Core Strengths

• A bachelor of laws (or German equivalent) degree with admission as a Lawyer in Germany;
• At least three (3) years post qualification experience (not including training contract or other common law or civil law jurisdiction equivalent), with experience in general corporate, commercial and contract law;
• Business-level / fluent German (C1 / C2)
• Excellent English language skills and fully conversant English writing skills;
• Experience of drafting and negotiating contracts etc in English is essential;
• Knowledge and experience related to the telecommunications (preferred) or other technology industries;
• Excellent technical drafter with a strong understanding of contract law;
• Ability to work autonomously (with limited supervision), and to work collaboratively with other members of the legal team, with judgment to escalate issues where appropriate;
• Time management skills with ability to manage multiple transactions and stakeholders;
• Excellent communications skills;
• Ability to work in an unstructured, fast-paced, multi-cultural environment;
• Motivated and proactive individual who provides solutions and can close matters promptly; and
• Ability to work and thrive in a remote-working environment and proactively take steps to integrate with the organisation.

Desirable:

• Knowledge or experience of the common law system
• Experience of negotiating global or multi-jurisdiction contracts and deals