Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP seeks an experienced commercial lawyer to join our in-house global Risk team led by the firm’s General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer in New York and London, with attorneys based in New York, London and Washington, D.C.  In this role, you will be responsible for a variety of in-house commercial legal matters supporting the firm’s global business objectives.

You will be responsible for working across a spectrum of legal, ethical, business and strategic issues to draft and negotiate complex client agreements and terms of business, advise the firm’s partners on client requirements and business-related requests, and collaborate with partners and counsel, as well as business teams across the Firm including Finance, Business Development, Information Security, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and other lawyers and professional staff on the global Risk team.

Main Responsibilities:

• Work across a spectrum of legal, ethical, business and strategic issues.
• Draft and negotiate complex client agreements in relation to various business sectors and types of representations.
• Help ensure that the firm’s client agreements comply with applicable ethical standards and the firm’s internal policy requirements.
• Identify and evaluate business and legal risks in client contracts and find solutions to mitigate them while achieving business goals.
• Advise and work collaboratively with the firm’s partners on client terms, requirements and commercial or business-related requests. 
• Draft and manage agreements, templates, client-facing and other external communications, playbooks and processes.
• Help draft and manage firm responses to client compliance and risk-related audits.
• Increase the efficiency and scalability of the commercial legal support provided by the firm’s in-house global Risk team.
• Supervise and collaborate with the global Risk team’s administrative staff.
• Collaborate with business partners and teams across the firm, including Finance, Business Development, Information Security, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, as well as other lawyers on the global Risk team.

Qualifications:

• Requires a JD and at least 3 years total experience at a top-tier law firm either as a practicing attorney working on client matters or in an in-house law firm role.
• Requires experience and passion for drafting and negotiating contracts.  Strong communication skills (written and verbal) and excellent client-facing and interpersonal skills a must.
• Must possess strict attention to detail and be accustomed to working to very high standards of accuracy and efficiency, coupled with strong project management skills and the ability to effectively manage priorities in a fast-paced and rapidly-evolving environment.
• Requires great judgment, ability to make risk-based assessments and capability of solving problems and making smart decisions in the face of ambiguity and imperfect information.
• Must possess willingness to jump in and do whatever needs to be done in an enthusiastic, proactive and resourceful manner, and a strong work ethic with a high degree of accountability and organization.