Legal Counsel, IP, Technology and Procurement

Job description

BNP Paribas Overview

BNP Paribas has a presence in 73 countries with more than 198,000 employees, including 145,000 in Europe. It ranks highly in its two core activities: Retail Banking & Services and Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB).

BNP Paribas Corporate & Institutional Bank is a leading European investment bank with global leadership in many of our businesses. With nearly 30,000 employees in over 57 countries, CIB can offer you an exciting and truly global career.

Overall Job Purpose

We are looking to hire a permanent Intellectual Property or Technology lawyer to join our IP, Technology and Procurement Legal team. The team supports the bank on all intellectual property, technology, data protection, outsourcing and offshoring issues. This includes support for the bank's global innovative digital programme, which provides a wide scope and variety of cutting-edge work for the team.

Areas of responsibilities

• Provide high quality, efficient legal advice and assistance on a wide range of matters across all business areas and functions of BNP Paribas CIB, focusing on technology, IP, data protection and data transfers, e-commerce, and digital initiatives.

• Review new initiatives and activities undertaken by various business lines and other functions of CIB and advise them of relevant IP, technology, data protection and wider data issues, including supporting the bank's innovative digital programme.

• Review, negotiate and draft legal documentation effectively, whilst ensuring consistent and rigorous legal risk management.

• Promote the use of our standard processors and templates and ensure compliance with regulatory and legal requirements potentially across multiple jurisdictions.

• Provide support, guidance and training on IP, technology and data protection specialist issues to local and global Legal teams (including in other departments and Group entities) and other functions.

• Support and provide advice on all IP, technology, data protection and wider data aspects of intra-group agreements and data transfer projects.

• Support the existing programme of preparing procedures, precedents, templates, user manuals and training in relation to the above areas of advice.

• Coordinate and provide advice on branding and trade mark filings and management as well as other intellectual property protection mechanisms, including patents.

• Work with our colleagues in local and global Legal teams to share resource across business lines and jurisdictions, and communicate with all clients regularly, maintaining strong relationships.

• Instruct and interact with external legal counsel where appropriate to promote high quality, cost-efficient external legal services.

Contributive responsibilities

• Where appropriate, assist, involve and communicate with other internal functions and teams within the Legal departments (based in the UK and in other jurisdictions), and Group Legal Head Office on projects and other matters.

• Keep up to date with legal, market and regulatory developments; share knowledge appropriately with relevant areas of the business and across the legal teams globally.

• Actively participate and contribute ideas during team meetings.

• Contribute to a group team spirit through mutual support, effective internal communication and mentoring.

• Manage projects and resolve queries from others within Legal.

• Observe and embody the BNP Paribas Group values and principles.

Desired profile

Qualifications :

Essential Skills / Competencies

• Qualified lawyer, PQE, in a major international jurisdiction with relevant practical experience gained at an international law firm or institutional bank in an IP / Technology / Commercial team. NB: candidates with greater or lesser experience (including NQs) may also be considered.

• English/ French dual qualification, and/ or experience of French law would be beneficial, but not essential.

• Has in-depth and solid knowledge of intellectual property (ideally including trade marks, copyright and patents), technology and data protection laws, which may be evidenced by the candidate having studied IP law at a post graduate level, such as the Oxford IP Diploma.

• Is independent, thorough and dynamic, with excellent communication and drafting skills.

• Has strong time management and prioritisation skills, is self-sufficient and operates comfortably in an environment with limited secretarial/admin support.

• Has the ability to work as part of a team, since s/he will be working with a range of different people across several jurisdictions within the bank (e.g. our clients in the business, our stakeholders in other functions of the bank, and colleagues in the Legal Department itself).

• French language skills and/or experience of French law are not necessary but would be beneficial.