Role Description
The Legal Counsel role supports the Contracts team in managing the global contracts process and legal processes, ensuring compliance and providing legal and contractual support across the APAC region.
The scope of the work will cover the APAC region's legal and contract needs. The role also includes broader legal responsibilities related to corporate governance, compliance, and strategic M&A initiatives.
Principle Accountabilities:
- Reviewing and negotiating client contracts in APAC, including bids & tenders, ensuring all commercial and legal liability clauses are reflected in contractor employment and services contracts as is legally possible.
- Identifying any contractual risks as they arise and, where required by the commercial contracts process, escalating to the appropriate person as soon as identified.
- Participate in contracts audits to assess contractual compliance and identify improvements.
- Advising, as needed on internal and Contractor APAC legal issues.
- Drafting of services agreements, subcontracts, confidentiality, and contractor (employment and limited company) agreements for APAC region as needed.
- Review supplier agreements as needed.
- Ensuring execution of client contracts process from start through to conclusion and to roll out any changes to the relevant departments.
- Management of storage of all contracts in a systematic way (soft and hard copies) in addition to maintenance of process documentation in contracts management software including archiving of expired contracts.
- Updating of clauses and policies within the existing contractor agreements.
- Responsible for Bullhorn and contracts management system database cleansing and updating for APAC.
- Liaising with relevant departments in region to obtain information for insurance and contract reviews.
- Liaising with insurers and/or brokers to request insurance on contracts and to highlight relevant issues.
- Extract contract information for completion of the payroll, billing and invoicing forms.
- Monitoring and notify the business about client contract expiry dates
- Collaborate with regional counterparts to align local legislation and practices.
- Additional research and building of policies in line with legislation and ensure that any changes are then reflected and communicated as appropriate.
- Share best practices/knowledge/resources and ideas with the group.
- Update internal contract trackers (or contracts management system when implemented) on a regular basis and carry out general administrative duties.
- Conduct contracts training (commercial contracts and employment contracts) for relevant business units.
- Support Finance with the drafting of relevant compliance documentation for transactions including but not limited to intra-group service agreements and loan agreements.
- Handle and report potential legal issues and claims in the APAC region, escalating to Group Legal Counsel as needed.
- Respond to legal threats, including demand letters and threatened lawsuits, in coordination with Group Legal Counsel and external advisors.
- Provide legal advice to Human Resources on employment law, internal policies, and dispute resolution.
- Oversee APAC corporate entities in partnership with external corporate secretaries to ensure legal and structural compliance.
- Work with local partners, including amending, removing, or replacing partnership agreements.
- Manage Power of Attorney (POA) updates and replacements annually or as needed.
- Assist Finance with bank account openings across the APAC region, including the preparation of all corporate formalities (board resolutions) required.
- Manage licenses and permits required for operations in the APAC.
- Support the setup of new legal entities in the region.
Skills, Knowledge, and Experience:
- 7–10+ years experience in Contracts management and Legal/commercial role
- Qualified legal contracts professional with strong APAC experience in contract drafting, risk management, compliance, and cross-functional stakeholder engagement within commercial and employment law frameworks.
- Experience aligning regional practices with global standards
- Experience in Corporate & Operational Legal Support
