Legal Counsel

Morningstar

Frankfurt, Madrid or London

We are seeking a Legal Counsel (“LC”) who will be based in either Frankfurt, Madrid or London. The LC will report directly to Morningstar DBRS’s Canadian Senior Vice President, Legal and will also work with the Morningstar Global Head of Regulatory Strategy and Advisory, Legal. The LC will work closely with Morningstar DBRS’s business leaders in the UK and EU and will be responsible for the leadership, development and management of legal affairs for commercial activity across Europe, the UK, India and in other areas around the globe.

As a critical member of the Morningstar DBRS team, the LC will be expected to operate at a strategic level in a fast-paced, dynamic environment; to advise senior executives, and assist in making informed and balanced decisions to help shape and move the business forward.

Responsibilities

Given the amount and variety of activity, coupled with the evolving culture of Morningstar DBRS as a result of continuous growth, as well as the evolving landscape in the UK and Europe, the LC will need to be very hands-on and have the ability to deal with a broad range of legal matters.
While not an exhaustive list, here are some examples of day-to-day activities the LC will be involved in:
Providing legal support to commercial business initiatives and supporting the Morningstar DBRS business development team in carrying out their activities. This will include negotiating and advising on letters of engagement, confidentiality agreements, requests for proposals and due diligence inquiries with/from companies seeking to engage Morningstar DBRS to assign credit ratings
Negotiating and advising on rating feed agreements and website subscriptions; and supporting the Morningstar DBRS data products team in carrying out their activities
Reviewing, negotiating and advising on non-reliance and hold harmless letters from accounting firms and others providing reports in the credit analytical function and supporting the Morningstar DBRS credit analytics teams in relation to this
Negotiation, drafting, and reviewing of Morningstar DBRS commercial contracts related to data service providers, sponsorship agreements, procurement contracts and other agreements
Working closely with the Morningstar DBRS Compliance team, the Morningstar Regulatory team, the Morningstar DBRS Marketing and Communications team and the Morningstar DBRS People and Culture team to ensure that Morningstar DBRS is properly managing legal compliance and regulatory responsibilities as well as ensuring commercial practicality and protecting the organization’s reputation
Supporting the commercial legal needs of the Morningstar Credit Analytics (“MCA”) team, including, in particular, negotiating agreements with potential clients of MCA platforms and data feeds
Ensuring that Morningstar DBRS and MCA commercial activities are conducted in accordance with applicable laws and the commercial requirements of those with whom it does business, with a particular emphasis on the EU, UK and India
Keeping abreast of legal developments, particularly those affecting the credit rating agency industry
Other matters as assigned and/or determined from time to time

Qualifications

Law degree
Must be admitted to practise as a solicitor in Germany, Spain or England; other jurisdictions are an advantage
At least 5 years of corporate, transactional or financial services experience; credit rating, capital markets, or regulatory/compliance experience is an advantage