Counsel, Legal

Company Description

Visa is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating more than 215 billion payments transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive.

When you join Visa, you join a culture of purpose and belonging - where your growth is priority, your identity is embraced, and the work you do matters. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere. Your work will have a direct impact on billions of people around the world - helping unlock financial access to enable the future of money movement.

**Join Visa: A Network Working for Everyone.**

**Job Description**:
**Team Summary**

The Visa India & South Asia Legal team manages Visa's legal affairs in the India & South Asia region. Our team provides advice and services to ensure business goals are successfully met and that Visa's brand and reputation are protected while minimizing legal liability and regulatory risk. Our vision entails each legal professional living the guiding principles to be a proactive partner who never loses sight of his/her responsibility to protect the company.

**What a Counsel in Legal does at Visa**:
The position is for a seasoned business/commercial lawyer to join Visa's growing legal team that supports Visa's businesses responsible for our India & South Asia markets including in the areas of sales contracts, corporate matters, products, marketing agreements and routine legal business and contracts enquires. The position will report to the Senior Managing Counsel, India & South Asia. The applicant should ideally have experience in commercial business law and management and be able to draft robustly and to a high standard. The applicant must have solid technical legal skills with good commercial/legal risk judgment, and be able to juggle multiple priorities in a fast paced and challenging, but rewarding, environment.

We are looking for a strong legal advisor and commercial lawyer rolled into one with excellent communication and analytical skills, who is self-motivated and willing to work reasonably hard. Prior payments experience is not required, although the applicant must be willing to learn Visa's business model and the payments industry.

In this role, you are expected to:

- Work closely with cross-functional teams to properly balance potential legal, regulatory, and brand risks against competing business objectives while providing legal advice and guidance regarding strategic initiatives and growth strategies.
- Drafting and negotiating complex business transactions, including incentive, brand and strategic alliance agreements with traditional payment system participants like issuers, merchants, processors, and new payment system participants such as fintechs, neobanks and wallets
- Drafting of standard product terms and templates for use in support of Visa’s current and new business initiatives across the India and South Asia region.
- Provide advice and guidance to business and product teams regarding deal structures and key risks and on identifying and resolving legal issues
- Be an effective representative/ stakeholder for the India & South Asia Legal team in the global legal office and Country management, and liaise with/cooperate with other members of the global and regional Visa legal team
- Assist in regulatory and government engagements/consultations on payment regulations across the India & South Asia region and be an effective strategic advisor to the business and government engagement teams
- Some travel may be required

**Why this is important to Visa**

The Counsel provides legal advice, counsel and support to Visa’s business operations in the India & South Asia region and serves as a trusted and respected advisor to senior management and a variety of business units. The Counsel has responsibility for enabling Visa’s business and protecting Visa, through drafting agreements, assisting with negotiations, and advising on diverse areas of law for strategic partnerships, commercial transactions, technology and intellectual property-related matters as well as daily operations of the business.

**Qualifications**:

- 10+ years legal experience, some of which must be at a top tier law firm or MNC
- Strong academic credentials, including a degree from a well-recognized and reputable law school
- Must be able to work independently and interface with executive level stakeholders with little or no supervision, but also be a good team player
- Must be a practical and proactive problem-solver, must have a strong business acumen and be confident, mature and calm under fire
- Demonstrated ability to manage and drive complex commercial and technology transactions, including internationally driven deals
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