About the Role:

Grade Level (for internal use):

S&P Dow Jones Indices

The Role: Legal Counsel

The Team: the team provides legal support to the S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) business, including legal advice and support to internal clients; draft, review and negotiation of contracts and other legal documents; legal research; management and coordination of external legal resources; and training to employees on legal issues and contracting procedures.

The Impact:

• You will respond to internal client inquiries, provide valuable support in handling legal matters.
• Have a specific focus on commercial contracting, including, review, negotiate and draft data and intellectual property license agreements.
• Provide training to the commercial organization on legal and contracting procedures, draft, and update template agreements; and assist with special projects outside of routine client facing contracting as needed.

What’s in it For You:

• You will work in a dynamic, global, client-facing (both internal and external) environment and will have the opportunity to work independently and be part of a legal team that provides crucial support to the organization.
• Excellent opportunities for growth and to work on a broad range of legal matters.
• Involvement in various commercial transactions, ad-hoc business projects, as well as assisting with research, process review and innovation, and information review and analysis. 

Responsibilities:

• Review, negotiate and draft a wide variety of commercial agreements on matters such as index data subscription and distribution, financial products, inbound data, custom calculation services, web-based services, marketing, consulting, and confidentiality.

• Support sales and other business teams including shared services groups based in the U.S. and other regions globally, advise them on legal risk, and provide business-oriented legal solutions.
• Collaborate with S&P DJI Legal Team to provide strategic and legal input on matters across different business areas.
• Draft and maintain template agreements.
• Encourage compliance by S&P DJI colleagues with applicable policies and procedures (e.g., confidentiality, insider trading, and compliance).
• Assist the business on response to requests for proposal, customer due diligence/risk questionnaires.
• Special projects as assigned by manager.

What We’re Looking For:

Basic Skills:

• Admitted to practice law in any of the states listed within the Location.
• 5 years’ legal counsel or contract specialist experience in an in-house legal environment, with a focus on commercial contract negotiation and drafting.
• Experience with data licensing, business technology, and a general understanding of intellectual property issues.
• Excellent drafting, negotiating, and communication (both written and spoken) skills.
• Ability to anticipate and respond to problems.
• Ability to recognize and accommodate internal and external client needs while adequately protecting S&P DJI’s interests and mitigating liability risk.
• Strong organizational skills.

Preferred Skills:

• Knowledge of the laws of the State of NY is an advantage.
• Familiarity with financial services and investment products would be beneficial.

The Location: Charlottesville, VA; Houston, TX; Chicago, IL

Compensation/Benefits Information: (This section is only applicable to US candidates)

S&P Global states that the anticipated base salary range for this position is $88,000.00-$156,000.00. Final base salary for this role will be based on the individual’s geographic location, as well as experience level, skill set, training, licenses, and certifications. In addition to base compensation, this role is eligible for an annual incentive plan. This role is not eligible for additional compensation such as an annual incentive bonus or sales commission plan.

What’s In It For You?

Our Purpose:

Progress is not a self-starter. It requires a catalyst to be set in motion. Information, imagination, people, technology–the right combination can unlock possibility and change the world.
Our world is in transition and getting more complex by the day. We push past expected observations and seek out new levels of understanding so that we can help companies, governments and individuals make an impact on tomorrow. At S&P Global we transform data into Essential Intelligence®, pinpointing risks and opening possibilities. We Accelerate Progress.

Our People:

We're more than 35,000 strong worldwide—so we're able to understand nuances while having a broad perspective. Our team is driven by curiosity and a shared belief that Essential Intelligence can help build a more prosperous future for us all.
From finding new ways to measure sustainability to analyzing energy transition across the supply chain to building workflow solutions that make it easy to tap into insight and apply it. We are changing the way people see things and empowering them to make an impact on the world we live in. We’re committed to a more equitable future and to helping our customers find new, sustainable ways of doing business. We’re constantly seeking new solutions that have progress in mind. Join us and help create the critical insights that truly make a difference.

Our Values:

Integrity, Discovery, Partnership

At S&P Global, we focus on Powering Global Markets. Throughout our history, the world's leading organizations have relied on us for the Essential Intelligence they need to make confident decisions about the road ahead. We start with a foundation of integrity in all we do, bring a spirit of discovery to our work, and collaborate in close partnership with each other and our customers to achieve shared goals.
Benefits:

We take care of you, so you can take care of business. We care about our people. That’s why we provide everything you—and your career—need to thrive at S&P Global.
Our benefits include: 

• Health & Wellness: Health care coverage designed for the mind and body.

• Flexible Downtime: Generous time off helps keep you energized for your time on.

• Continuous Learning: Access a wealth of resources to grow your career and learn valuable new skills.

• Invest in Your Future: Secure your financial future through competitive pay, retirement planning, a continuing education program with a company-matched student loan contribution, and financial wellness programs.

• Family Friendly Perks: It’s not just about you. S&P Global has perks for your partners and little ones, too, with some best-in class benefits for families.

• Beyond the Basics: From retail discounts to referral incentive awards—small perks can make a big difference.

For more information on benefits by country visit: https://spgbenefits.com/benefit-summaries

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at S&P Global:
At S&P Global, we believe diversity fuels creative insights, equity unlocks opportunity, and inclusion drives growth and innovation – Powering Global Markets. Our commitment centers on our global workforce, ensuring that our people are empowered to bring their whole selves to work. It doesn’t stop there, we strive to better reflect and serve the communities in which we live and work, and advocate for greater opportunity for all.