Job Description

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 Senior Legal Counsel, Commercial position will report to the Global Head of Commercial, Legal. The selected candidate will support the drafting, review, and negotiation of a variety of commercial agreements, including index licensing & product creation agreements, data licensing agreements, market data agreements, vendor agreements and will coordinate with fellow members of the Legal & Compliance team to ensure alignment. The position will also support maintenance of the internal Index Oversight Committee process, various reporting (e.g. EU-BMR reporting), and may support contracting in certain regulated businesses. This role will work closely with the Sales and Operations organizations to support the contracting process and requires experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts, 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 and special projects throughout the company. The Senior Legal Counsel will cover matters globally, as needed.
This role may be based in our London, England, Timisoara, Romania, or Cape Town, South Africa offices.
Responsibilities:

• Responsible for working with all sales and product associates to review contracts in line with project review, communication and renewal procedures
• Preparation, maintenance and negotiation of various templates and process documents
• Review and negotiation of various inbound data and procurement agreements
• Responsible for addressing internal and customer comments in a timely manner to ensure licensing agreements are executed in a timely manner
• Reporting and recording progress to the project team and escalating queries and issues as they arise
• Report indirectly on Index licensing and regulatory issues to the Morningstar Legal & Compliance team in the appropriate regions

Requirements:

• 10+ years' experience practicing as a commercial lawyer, preferably in an in-house legal department
• 7+ years' experience in index data licensing and familiarity with regulatory processes
• 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.
• Familiarity with use of AI tools, as well as negotiation of clauses related to AI tools.
• 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.

Ready to Shape the Future? At Morningstar, every hire we make strengthens our mission to empower investor success. Apply now and help shape the future of investing with us.
Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office 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.
402_MstarResSoAfr Morningstar Research Pty Ltd (South Africa) Legal Entity

Skills Required