Legal Counsel

Legal Counsel

The role

The EMEA legal team of Cognizant is looking to add an IT technology and outsourcing lawyer to its Budapest team. You will play an integral role in the continued expansion of Cognizant’s EMEA business, both in terms of existing service lines and new growth areas.

Responsibilities

You will after initial training support the review and mark-up of a broad variety of customer contracts and other client facing documents for transactions across a range of jurisdictions and industries. You will collaborate with local counsel as required on issues of local law. Your main focus will be the review of services and outsourcing agreements, statements of work, subcontractor agreements and other contracts under various applicable laws. You will be part of the growing legal team of the EMEA region, which consists of 46 lawyers located in 10 countries.

The role will encompass a wide variety of legal and commercial issues and transactions, varying greatly in nature, complexity and value. It will involve work on all phases of deals, ranging from the proposal/bid review stages to conducting internal and external negotiations. You will work closely with internal business teams and other stakeholders on contract reviews and risk assessments and quickly gain an understanding of Cognizant’s business. Topics relating to intellectual property, warranty, liability, indemnity, data privacy and project risks in the context of IT and BPO services will be particularly relevant.

Qualifications and Profile

The ideal candidate is a civil law trained and qualified lawyer and has a minimum of five years practice in contract negotiation and management (in a law firm and/or in-house). Experience in commercial contracting accompanied by the ability to balance legal risks with commercial and operational needs of the business is essential, experience working on IT services and outsourcing contracts is a clear plus.

Skills necessary to fulfill the job successfully include:

·       Ability to review and draft contracts in English and in one additional language: German, French or Spanish

·       Confident and impactful communication with people at all levels and backgrounds in the above-mentioned languages (verbally and in writing)

·       Precision in legal drafting and business communication

·       Knowledge of contract law and practice from a civil law perspective

·       Ability to assess legal risks in the context of the deal and the wider business, and balance these with commercial needs

·       Confidence to act as the conscience of the company and escalate where required

·       Able to multitask with rapidly changing priorities and to manage multiple tasks in a dynamic environment

·       Self-starter and able to work independently and remotely, flexible, strong and self-assured personality

·       Comfortable operating within an international environment with a diversity of cultures

·       Analytical problem solving and project management skills

·       A strong “client first” mentality

·       Experience working in another European jurisdiction is a plus 

What is in it for you?

·       Autonomy to do your work as part of a collaborative team

·       Genuine flexible home-office working policy

·       A supportive, friendly, fun and hardworking legal team

·       360 degree learning and development opportunities to further your career

·       Unique culture: our people are diverse in all senses and passionate at what they do

·   A generous benefits package which includes annual bonus scheme based on individual and company performance, risk and accident insurance, free or discounted services at a private clinic

·       Relocation package available

About Cognizant: 

 
Cognizant (Nasdaq-100: CTSH) engineers modern businesses. We help our clients modernize technology, reimagine processes and transform experiences so they can stay ahead in our fast-changing world. Together, we’re improving everyday life. See how at www.cognizant.com or @cognizant.