Legal Counsel

Morningstar DBRS is a dynamic, global organization that operates within a highly regulated industry.

We are seeking a Legal Counsel ("LC") who will be based in either Frankfurt, Madrid or London. The LC will report directly to Morningstar DBRS's Canadian Senior Vice President, Legal and will also work with the Morningstar Global Head of Regulatory Strategy and Advisory, Legal. The LC will work closely with Morningstar DBRS's business leaders in the UK and EU and will be responsible for the leadership, development and management of legal affairs for commercial activity across Europe, the UK, India and in other areas around the globe.

As a critical member of the Morningstar DBRS team, the LC will be expected to operate at a strategic level in a fast-paced, dynamic environment; to advise senior executives, and assist in making informed and balanced decisions to help shape and move the business forward.

Responsibilities

Given the amount and variety of activity, coupled with the evolving culture of Morningstar DBRS as a result of continuous growth, as well as the evolving landscape in the UK and Europe, the LC will need to be very hands-on and have the ability to deal with a broad range of legal matters.

While not an exhaustive list, here are some examples of day-to-day activities the LC will be involved in:

• Providing legal support to commercial business initiatives and supporting the Morningstar DBRS business development team in carrying out their activities. This will include negotiating and advising on letters of engagement, confidentiality agreements, requests for proposals and due diligence inquiries with/from companies seeking to engage Morningstar DBRS to assign credit ratings
• Negotiating and advising on rating feed agreements and website subscriptions; and supporting the Morningstar DBRS data products team in carrying out their activities
• Reviewing, negotiating and advising on non-reliance and hold harmless letters from accounting firms and others providing reports in the credit analytical function and supporting the Morningstar DBRS credit analytics teams in relation to this
• Negotiation, drafting, and reviewing of Morningstar DBRS commercial contracts related to data service providers, sponsorship agreements, procurement contracts and other agreements
• Working closely with the Morningstar DBRS Compliance team, the Morningstar Regulatory team, the Morningstar DBRS Marketing and Communications team and the Morningstar DBRS People and Culture team to ensure that Morningstar DBRS is properly managing legal compliance and regulatory responsibilities as well as ensuring commercial practicality and protecting the organization's reputation
• Supporting the commercial legal needs of the Morningstar Credit Analytics ("MCA") team, including, in particular, negotiating agreements with potential clients of MCA platforms and data feeds
• Ensuring that Morningstar DBRS and MCA commercial activities are conducted in accordance with applicable laws and the commercial requirements of those with whom it does business, with a particular emphasis on the EU, UK and India
• Keeping abreast of legal developments, particularly those affecting the credit rating agency industry
• Other matters as assigned and/or determined from time to time

Qualifications

• Law degree
• Must be admitted to practise as a solicitor in Germany, Spain or England; other jurisdictions are an advantage
• At least 5 years of corporate, transactional or financial services experience; credit rating, capital markets, or regulatory/compliance experience is an advantage

Attributes:

• Strong English language skills; other languages are an advantage
• Strong business acumen
• Leadership skills, gravitas and the ability to influence
• Integrity and a high degree of professional ethics

• Excellent judgement and analytical skills
• First class interpersonal and communication skills

About Us

Morningstar DBRS is a leading provider of independent rating services and opinions for corporate and sovereign entities, financial institutions, and project and structured finance instruments globally. Rating more than 4,000 issuers and 60,000 securities, it is one of the top four credit rating agencies in the world.

Morningstar DBRS empowers investor success by bringing more transparency and a much-needed diversity of opinion in the credit rating industry. Our approach and size allow us to be nimble enough to respond to customers' needs in their local markets, but large enough to provide the necessary expertise and resources they require. Market innovators choose to work with us because of our agility, tech-forward approach, and exceptional customer service.

Morningstar DBRS is the next generation of credit ratings.

If you received and accept an offer from us, we require that personal and any related investments be disclosed confidentiality to our Compliance team (days vary by region). These investments will be reviewed to ensure they meet Code of Ethics requirements. If any conflicts of interest are identified, then you will be required to liquidate those holdings immediately. In addition, dependent on your department and location of work certain employee accounts must be held with an approved broker (for example all, U.S. employee accounts). If this applies and your account(s) are not with an approved broker, you will be required to move your holdings to an approved broker.

Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to work remotely and collaborate in-person each week. While some positions are available as fully remote, we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis, typically 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.

Job ID AP-8793010