Commercial and Trademark Legal Counsel
MSCI · Mumbai
On the forefront of the financial services industry, MSCI offers a fast-paced yet collegial environment, which is created through a strong culture of teamwork and close working relationships within the legal commercial contracts team and with other functional departments at MSCI. This is an excellent opportunity for an outstanding, highly motivated lawyer with experience in data and SaaS licensing and intellectual property, including trademarks, to work closely with our Commercial Legal teams in the Americas, EMEA and APAC. In addition to attending commercial legal team meetings, the role sits within a cutting-edge, AI-focused contract negotiation team operating across these regions.
Reporting and supervision: the role reports to Chris Harte, Head of AI Contract Team (based in London), with day-to-day functional leadership from Sonal Bane (based in Mumbai), partnering with MSCI's regional Commercial Legal teams and working with MSCI's Global IP Counsel on trademark matters.
- Negotiate complex technology and data agreements to provide MSCI services, including data licenses, Software-as-a-Service arrangements, financial product licenses, managed services agreements, and redistribution arrangements primarily under New York law.
- Handle trademark matters in partnership with MSCI's IP team, including running trademark clearance knockout searches on proposed product, index and service names, providing a preliminary risk assessment, and recommending when a full search or outside counsel review is needed.
- Rapidly come up to speed on MSCI's AI capabilities, contracts, product offerings, risk tolerances, policies, and practices.
- Work collaboratively and creatively to design and implement new contract templates and provisions for new product offerings.
- Use and contribute to the development of MSCI's AI systems as an integral part of your work. No programming experience is necessary, but candidates should show self-directed adoption of new technology, i.e. tools they have taught themselves, processes they have changed or workarounds they have built, and ideally use of AI tools on live legal work.
- Work on any other legal projects, teams and assignments as they arise.
- A total of 9+ years of experience and a minimum of 4 years experience in-house or at a premier law firm.
- Ability to carefully yet swiftly negotiate a high volume of complex agreements.
- Strong project management skills with the organizational capability to manage multiple deals and projects in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience negotiating complex tech and IP transactions.
- Experience with intellectual property matters, particularly trademarks, including conducting trademark clearance knockout searches and assessing likelihood-of-confusion risk. Familiarity with trademark search tools and registers (e.g., USPTO, TMView) is a plus.
- Entrepreneurial \"can do\" spirit and proactive desire to quickly learn the business and rapidly come up to speed in new areas.
- Positive, execution-oriented outlook, with superior listening skills, drafting ability and attention to detail.
- Strong communication skills and ability to build and maintain strong relationships with clients and colleagues.
- Law degree and license to practice.
- Experience in the financial services industry and/or working on M&A deals is helpful.