Associate Legal Counsel

Morningstar is seeking an Associate Legal Counsel based in Mumbai, India, to support legal operations across the Americas, EMEA, and India. Responsibilities include project coordination, contract documentation, legal advisory on HR matters, and data privacy issues. The role requires collaboration with various internal teams and external stakeholders. Candidates should have over 3 years of legal experience and strong negotiation skills. Morningstar offers a hybrid work environment with both remote and in-person work.
Summary

The Associate Legal Counsel will assist Morningstar's Legal operations across the Americas, EMEA, and India. Based in Mumbai, the role involves project coordination, contract documentation, fact-gathering, and research related to procurement, employment, and real estate. Responsibilities include providing legal advisory services on HR matters, drafting and negotiating contracts, conducting due diligence, and advising on data privacy issues. The role requires collaboration with internal teams and external stakeholders. It involves supporting investigations by coordinating with external counsel and providing legal input. Morningstar offers a hybrid work environment with a mix of remote and in-person work.

Must Have
• 3+ years of experience as a qualified lawyer.
• Demonstrated expertise in negotiation and drafting of commercial agreements.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Superior written and verbal communication abilities.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong business acumen and ability to offer pragmatic legal advice.

Job Description

The Area: Morningstar is a leading global provider of independent investment insights. Our core competencies are data, research, and design, and we employ each of these to create products that clearly convey complex investment information. Our mission is to empower investor success and everything we do at Morningstar is in the service of the investor.

The Role: Provide assistance and support to Morningstar’s Legal operations in the Americas, EMEA and India. This position will be based in Mumbai and will report into the Senior Legal Counsel, Corporate Services, for North America, located in the United States, with a matrix reporting line in to the Senior Legal Counsel, Corporate Services, for India. This role has a diverse set of responsibilities, including assistance with project coordination, contract documentation, fact gathering, and research, covering matters relating to procurement, employment, real estate. This position is a coordination and operational position and will not involve the provision of legal advice.

Responsibilities:
• Provide routine legal advisory services on HR matters, deliver legal opinions on a variety of legal issues and manage contract-related matters.
• Draft, review and negotiate procurement, HR, IT and finance contracts, including service agreements, intercompany agreements, maintenance contracts and other commercial documents incorporating necessary redlining and stakeholder feedback.
• Collaborate with the global legal team to ensure timely closure of contractual requirements in accordance with established deadlines.
• Conduct due diligence and provide comprehensive legal research support as required.
• Advise on data privacy issues for the APJ region, including performing gap analysis and coordinating with relevant stakeholders.
• Maintain and organize all contract documentation in a logical, systematic manner. Update draft of the contracts for the APJ region.
• Identify legal risks and propose practical, commercially viable solutions to mitigate potential issues.
• Work closely with internal teams (sales, finance, operations, regulatory and compliance) and serve as a proactive, solutions-oriented partner, fostering effective collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Support investigations by coordinating with external counsel and providing timely legal input.

Qualifications:
• At least 3 years of experience as a qualified lawyer, preferably with a reputable law firm or in-house legal department.
• Comprehensive knowledge of contract law, with demonstrated expertise in negotiation and drafting of commercial agreements.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and attention-to-detail skills.
• Superior written and verbal communication abilities.
• Proven capability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to offer pragmatic legal advice that aligns with organisational objectives.

Morningstar is an equal opportunity employer.

Morningstar’s hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to work remotely and collaborate in-person each week. We’ve found that we’re at our best when we’re purposely together on a regular basis, at least three days each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you’ll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.

I10_MstarIndiaPvtLtd Morningstar India Private Ltd. (Delhi) Legal Entity