What’s it all about?

This role is a position within a fun, supportive and hard-working Commercial Law Team, who manage a wide range of commercial, technology, and product legal matters. This Team is part of a larger Legal, Ethics and Compliance Department which also includes specialists advising on competition, regulatory, corporate, sourcing and data privacy matters. We pride ourselves on a creative, can-do approach.   

The Counsel role will sit within the Europe Product, IP & Services part of the Commercial Legal Team.  It will be responsible for providing efficient, effective and high quality legal support for the Product and Value Added Services (VAS) functions, including complex project-based initiatives.  The role works closely with the wider EPIPS team, and with legal colleagues based in cluster offices across Europe, in affiliates, and in Global Legal.

What we expect of you day to day:

• Lead strategic support on a wide range of complex product lifecycle matters, including the launch of new products, bespoke agreements for key clients, development of template contracts, and process improvement.
• Draft, review, negotiate and advise on a wide range of contracts and legal issues relating to the matters above.
• Identify the need for external legal advice and engage and manage appropriate external counsel on a range of legal issues across Visa’s Europe Region.
• Identify competition/anti-trust, data protection and financial regulatory issues, and when necessary contact and consult with internal members of the Legal and Compliance Department and/or external counsel on these issues.
• Strong collaboration and relationship building with legal and business partners, working closely with them to ensure advice and contracts accurately reflect business needs and policies as they develop.
• Build a thorough understanding of the payments industry and Visa’s products and services while seamlessly incorporating them into decisions and advice.  
• Responsible for management of day-to-day legal queries.
• Provide training to identified business areas on law, processes and policies.
• Proactively contribute to the Legal, Ethics and Compliance Division’s planning, cohesion, consistency in advice, and the general efficiency and effectiveness of the division as a whole.

This is a hybrid position, with the expectation being 3 days per week in our London, Paddington office.

Basic Qualifications:

• Qualified lawyer in England 6-8 years PQE.
• Strong academics and training.
• Substantial commercial legal experience in an in-house environment, ideally within a technology business.
• Extensive experience advising on consumer laws, negotiating complex technology contracts and managing internal and external client relationships.
• Previous experience of cross-border and multi-jurisdictional contracts, and previous experience instructing and managing external counsel regarding the same.
• Strong ability to partner, communicate, and navigate through multiple disciplines and organizational groups.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team context to facilitate achievement of shared goals in an inclusive and open manner.
• Ability to prioritise and manage a varied and busy workload in a dynamic and deadline-oriented environment.
• Positive attitude, high level of integrity and intellectual curiosity.
• Intrinsically motivated and navigates challenges and failure with growth mindset
• Willingness to approach thorny issues to identify resolutions.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of the payments industry (and applicable regulation) or financial services environment.
• Experience using AI tools in a legal environment.

Visa is an EEO Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.