Legal Counsel

The Team:

The Legal team consists of lawyers across the globe who bring to the team various kinds of expertise. We have commercial, regulatory, M&A, SEC compliance, corporate governance, privacy and employment expertise in-house as well as broad-based international legal experience to support the company’s 11,000+ employees working in wholly owned subsidiaries in 32 countries.

The Role:

The candidate will report directly to the APAC Head of Commercial, Legal.  This role will be primarily responsible for providing commercial contracting coverage to the various businesses in the APAC region, including the licensing and subscription of data (including indexes, research, esg and investment data) and support of contracting in the regulated businesses within the Wealth division which provides investment products and services. The coverage will extend to other commercial support required by the businesses, including partnerships and arrangements with third party data providers. This role will work closely with the Sales organizations to support the contracting process and requires experience with contracting in commercial contracting, exceptional analytical and negotiation skills, and the ability to provide practical legal advice to mitigate risk and grow the businesses. In addition, the candidate would be expected to assist from time to time with other legal matters in the APAC region, working with other teams within Legal, such as investigations or working with counsel to provide regulatory advice to the business. The candidate should preferably have some experience with regulatory investigations, working with external counsel on regulatory matters, and synthesizing advice so that it can be easily understood and actioned upon by the business.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate various commercial agreements, including investment management and platform agreements, licensing agreements, distribution agreements, partnership agreements and service contracts.
• Negotiate terms directly with customers and work collaboratively with internal stakeholders to draft and negotiate commercial agreements.
• Ability to work collaboratively with Sales operations teams throughout the broader sales lifecycle.  
• Identify legal risks and provide practical recommendations to mitigate potential issues.
• Collaborate with internal teams, including sales, finance, operations, regulatory, and compliance.
• Serve as a proactive, solutions-oriented business partner to internal clients, building strong, productive two- way partnerships with colleagues and key stakeholders.
• Offer legal support during regulatory investigations, while working closely with external counsel to obtain and interpret regulatory advice.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience as a qualified lawyer in Singapore practicing as a Commercial Lawyer, preferably in a reputable law firm or in-house legal department.
• Solid knowledge of contracting and licensing market conventions in data and software licensing.
• Strong negotiation and drafting skills with the ability to review and negotiate complex commercial agreements.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, with attention to detail.
• Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to present complex legal concepts in a clear and concise manner.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to provide practical and commercially viable legal advice.
• Proven track record of managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines.
• Experience with financial market and investment regulations applicable in the APAC region would be a bonus.

Morningstar’s hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to work remotely and collaborate in-person each week. We’ve found that we’re at our best when we’re purposely together on a regular basis, at least three days each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you’ll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.