Associate Counsel

Associate Counsel - B2B Commercial Law 17006935

London

Competitive

American Express is a global service company, providing customers with exceptional access to products and experiences that enrich lives and build business success.

Each day, we make it easier, safer and more rewarding for consumers and businesses to purchase the things they need and for merchants to sell their goods and services, enabling them to do and achieve more.

We’re committed to becoming the world’s most respected service brand and daily deliver extraordinary service to our customers, constantly reinventing our ways of working to ensure we offer rich rewards that redefine expectations for our clients and ourselves.

We are seeking a qualified Lawyer who will be responsible for providing support to clients and projects primarily across the B2B Business Units of American Express, including Bank Partnerships, Global Merchant Services and Loyalty, and Global Commercial Payments business units - supporting synergies and leadership opportunities. 

This is an exciting and challenging role that will allow the successful candidate to utilise their Legal expertise to drive a strategic agenda for the organisation. There are ten legal professionals of different levels of seniority and experience in this team within the General Counsel’s Organization (GCO) in EMEA. The successful candidate will have an opportunity to provide generalist legal counsel and work in close cooperation with other members of the team. You will work in a collaborative and enjoyable working environment. You will enjoy the benefits of our state of the art offices in the heart of London. The building provides a unique workspace designed to encourage agile working and creative thinking. You will be part of a thriving and engaged culture where employee engagement and satisfaction ratings consistently place us amongst the Sunday Times Best Big Companies to work for, amongst other workplace awards.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provision of legal support for all operations of Bank Partnerships, Global Merchant Services and Loyalty and Global Commercial Payments across EMEA markets
• International commercial contract work (e.g. draft, review and analyse a wide range of agreements and legal documents, support negotiations, draft and enhance contract templates, advise on interpretation of existing agreements)
• Support litigious/contentious matters, with external counsel as appropriate
• Legal support on various marketing initiatives (e.g. preparation of distribution, cooperation and sponsorship agreements) or other strategic initiatives (e.g. Digital Initiatives)
• Support acquisitions, strategic alliances and other transactions, including legal due diligence and contract drafting and negotiating
• Support new product development and business re-engineering initiatives;
• Support the GCO team in making sure management and the organization understands and complies with legal and regulatory requirements
• Support GCO team in identifying and effectively managing legal risks
• Support monitoring relevant legislative developments across EMEA markets
• Support management of outside counsel, including budgets monitoring with the aim to ensure that the company receives cost effective legal advice
• Report matters which bear a significant regulatory, financial or brand risk; Note: Employment law and tax law are out of scope of this role, therefore no particular experience in those areas of law is required. In addition to the above the position holder will be required to perform other duties as assigned by the manager from time to time. 

Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.

The successful candidate will bring the following skills and attributes:

• A lawyer qualified in a common law jurisdiction, ideally with relevant professional experience at a reputable law firm or international company
• Fluent in English. Additional European language a plus
• Solid drafting, research and negotiation/influencing skills
• Solid analytical skills
• Solid understanding of general principles of law applicable to commercial practice as well as experience in areas of law applicable to payments industry
• Understanding of regulatory matters generally and areas applicable to payments industry
• Proven ability to handle litigious/contentious matters
• Ability to work under time pressure to meet tight deadlines and clients’ expectations
• Some international travel may be required.

Required Attributes:

• Strategic thinker with good business understanding and analytical skills
• Skilled at effective multi-tasking - able to manage and prioritize a wide variety of matters and clients to high levels of client satisfaction
• Excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing - able to communicate clearly, concisely, effectively and persuasively with internal and external clients and senior management
• Adaptability - strong team player who thrives on collaboration and understands the individual part they play in the success of a cross-functional team
• Self-sufficiency – inquisitive, takes initiative and owns their learning and development, comfortable working with minimal direct supervision
• Prepared to take the lead and make appropriate recommendations to middle and – if required – senior management. This role requires someone with credibility and presence
• Excellent relationship management and people skills – ability to adapt communication style to a broad mix of people and personalities. Ability to form and maintain strong working relationships
• Willingness to learn and grow and to leverage experience gained in this position to expand skill set for future career growth at American Express
• Ability to respond under time pressure to business issues with executable solutions clearly linked to business objectives
• Process-management skills - ability to help identify and implement; improvements in work process to enhance efficiency and productivity
• Commitment to integrity 

We place great importance on doing what is right, what is best and what is innovative. And we continue seeking people to champion these values and beliefs as we grow. The world’s a big place, filled with big ideas and amazing people. And we want the best of them here at American Express. We’re interested in where you came from, but we’re even more excited about where you will go with American Express.

To complete your application please click below. However, if you require any assistance with the completion of this process – or need any reasonable adjustments to be made – then please contact the Recruitment Team.