Business Overview:
The North America Legal department is based in New York/New Jersey and Montreal. The Wholesale Americas General Counsel heads legal coverage for BNP Paribas CIB and Asset Management in North America.The team comprised of ~85 members of staff advises on a broad range of legal matters for the entities within its scope, including providing legal advice to management, business and the functions with respect to commercial and own account activities, and contributing to the Bank’s influence on applicable legislative or market wide regulatory initiatives. The team provides legal and regulatory watch and maintains a legal risk management framework, including associated procedures and controls.
The Digital & IP Americas Legal team which is comprised of 3 team members supports BNPP’s main business lines (Global Markets, Global Banking, Financial Institutions, BP2S, ALMT, CIB Functions and Group Functions, including the IT & Sourcing Americas Legal team). They are also part of the Digital & IP Legal Platform, a global team of attorneys which is responsible for providing legal advice on the matters within its scope across all functions and métiers and in all regions and countries where such functions and métiers operate. The Digital & IP Platform is managed by Global Co-Managers, who are supported by appointed “Heads of Zone” and other “Global Transversal Leaders”. In the Americas, the Digital & IP Platform is comprised of lawyers across regions including the US, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and other Hispanic LATAM countries, sitting in the CIB business line as well as other BNPP Group business lines. This “Americas Zone” is managed by the “Head of Zone, Americas”, reporting into the Digital & IP Global Managers. The Digital & IP Legal Americas team, as part of the Platform, advises on cybersecurity, data, privacy, IP and emerging technology among other topics, including transformation and digitalization initiatives at BNP Paribas. This role will provide legal support on a range of topics within the scope of the Digital & IP Platform. The role will require the provision of specialist legal advice on data, privacy, cybersecurity, existing and new technology including AI, blockchain, digital assets, crypto currency and metaverse, and IP and will assist management in advising on legal risks while also supporting digital growth and innovation. They also monitor changes to, and advise with respect to, all applicable laws (proposed and finalized).
Candidate Success Factors:
Candidates are measured on the following four performance drivers, which will dictate how individual impact is considered on the Americas platform:
- Results and Impact
- Able to influence peers and team.
- Demonstrates good judgement when making decisions of high complexity and impact.
- Exercise appropriate autonomy in the execution and delivery of work.
- Responsible for driving outcomes, which have meaningful effect on team or department.
- Leadership and Collaboration:
- Creates trust with colleagues.
- Acts in leadership capacity for projects, processes, or programs.
- Client, Customer and Stakeholder Focus:
- Able to build relationships with a mix of colleagues and clients.
- Interacts regularly with management and department leaders.
- Demonstrates the ability to influence stakeholders at the team level.
- Compliance Culture and Conduct:
- Takes full responsibility for personal actions and demonstrates courage in facing problems and conflicts.
- Perceived as a person of high moral character; upholds corporate values and displays high ethical standards.
Responsibilities:
The Counsel, Digital & IP, Americas Legal position reports to the Head of Digital & IP, IT & Sourcing Americas Legal and Head of Zone, Americas, Digital & IP Platform. This role covers all data, privacy, cybersecurity, IP, new and existing technology including AI, blockchain, digital assets, crypto currency and metaverse and other related legal matters in the Americas. This role also acts as a subject matter expert on such matters interfacing with the IT & Sourcing Americas Legal Team, which also reports to the Head of Digital & IP, IT & Sourcing Americas Legal.
The Counsel, Digital & IP, Americas Legal role involves the following key responsibilities:
- Providing high quality, efficient legal advice and support with respect to all data, privacy, digital, cybersecurity, IP, emerging technology such as AI, blockchain, digital assets, crypto currency and metaverse and other related legal matters to BNPP’s main business lines for the Americas
- Supporting the Head of Digital & IP, IT & Sourcing Americas Legal and Head of Zone, Americas, Digital & IP Platform on a day to day basis and representing the Platform in the Americas
- Providing regular reports to the Head of Zone on matters within the scope of the Platform, including but not limited to current and anticipated risks, regulatory updates, business and territory requirements and work in progress
- Acting as a proactive ambassador of the Digital & IP Platform
- Advising on the impact of laws, regulation and guidance within the expertise scope of the Digital & IP legal team
- Suggesting new initiatives and projects and contribute to regional and Platform strategy including ideas for efficiencies, process improvements or anything that could help improve daily work and legal risk management in particular
- Communicating with all clients regularly, maintaining strong relationships
- Instructing and interacting with external legal counsel where appropriate to promote high quality, costefficient external legal services;
- Advising on any Digital & IP specialist aspects of disputes, potential disputes, or investigations
- Keeping up to date with legal and regulatory developments relating to technology and data privacy
- Representing Legal in IT Architecture, Robotics and other Governance process by providing Legal review (including coordination with local Legal teams across the BNPP Group) and validation
- Some travel (
Minimum Required Qualifications:
- 5+ years of legal experience
- JD Degree required, along with admission to New York State Bar
- Ability to effectively manage several sensitive or urgent issues at one time, interact effectively, and deliver high-quality results under tight timelines
- Efficient problem solver with strong diplomacy skills, a global thinker and demonstrated collaborator who displays sound and pragmatic legal and business judgment in providing practical advice
Preferred Qualifications:
- Practical knowledge of applicable federal, state and local laws, including, but not limited to CCPA/CPRA, NYDFS Part 500 and basic understanding of some European or other relevant laws such as GDPR
- Prior experience in a law firm and/or an in-house legal department for a large global companystrongly preferred
- Skill in reviewing and analyzing complex information and data
- Demonstrated ability to act independently yet possess judgment to recognize when to escalate issues for review, guidance, and/or resolution
- Excellent oral/written advocacy and corporate communications skills
- Displays practical knowledge ofcybersecurity, data, privacy, IP, emerging technology and other relatedmatters
- A sense of urgency to ensure timely issue resolution
- Analytical and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to review and anticipate broader organizational impact(s), required
- Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to successfully work with internal stakeholders and colleagues to contribute ideas, identify opportunities, and contribute to correct outcomes across multiple regions, business lines and time zones
- Good time management and prioritization skills, self-sufficient and ability to operate comfortably in an environment with limited administrative support
- Ability to converse in French and/ or Spanish beneficial but not essential
FINRA Registrations Required:
- Not Applicable
CFTC Swap Dealer Associated Person (if yes, NFA Swaps Proficiency Program is required):
- Not Applicable
SEC Security-Based Swap Dealer Associated Person:
- Not Applicable
The expected starting salary range for this position in New York is between $182,000 to $243,000 annually. The actual salary may vary based upon several factors including, but not limited to, relevant skills/experience, time in role, base salary of internal peers, prior performance, business line, and geographic/office location.
About BNP Paribas:
BNP Paribas is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach across the US, EMEA and APAC. It has a presence in 65 countries, with nearly 190,000 employees.In the United States, BNP Paribas has built a strong and diversified presence to support its client base. We continue to grow and strengthen our commitment to the US market through our Corporate & Institutional Banking activities. We are one of a few non-US banks to offer a full value chain for our clients, from trading to financing, and clearing and custody in the US with the international footprint and capacity to deliver both globally and locally. Leveraging the strength of our European roots, our network can support clients in virtually every region of the world, enabling more connectivity and efficiency wherever our clients conduct business. We take pride in our expertise and our ability to adapt while constantly looking ahead to create a more sustainable world.
The bank employs nearly 6,000 people and has a presence in the country since the late 1800s in major cities including New York, Jersey City, Chesterbrook, PA, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Denver and Washington, DC.
As an international company with a global footprint, the unique cultures and viewpoints of our team members are an integral part of the fabric of BNP Paribas. We are a company with a purpose – to be a responsible and sustainable global leader. We aim to create an environment where our employees feel empowered to drive change, make an impact and be true to themselves. We employ talented individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, locally and globally, and are inspired by our employees who help us in cultivating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace through initiatives such as our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Leadership Forum and Employee Resource Group (ERG) communities. We strive to be a workplace where all team members can grow and thrive and offer robust training, development and mentoring opportunitiesto make that vision a reality. Our leaders are deeply committed to DEI and highly accessible to our employees, consistently soliciting feedback on how we can continue to support our employees to reach their highest potential.
BNP Paribas. The Bank for a Changing World – https://usa.bnpparibas/en/homepage/join-us/our-opportunities
BNP Paribas is committed to providing a work environment that fosters diversity, inclusion, and equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, gender, age, creed, sex, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), marital status, citizenship, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, or any other legally protected status.