EMEA M&A Legal - Assistant General Counsel (all genders)

The EMEA Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Legal Practice Group advises on strategic advisory and corporate finance matters for the Global Investment Bank (GIB), partnering closely with Debt Capital Markets (DCM) and Equity Capital Markets (ECM). The Frankfurt team supports . Morgan SE on M&A advisory mandates and related corporate finance topics, coordinating closely with colleagues across EMEA and globally. This role sits within EMEA Corporate and Investment Bank Legal and reports to Global Investment Bank Legal, Frankfurt. In addition to M&A advisory coverage, it provides secondary support to a senior lawyer on general corporate lending (large and mid‑cap) and offers exposure to bilateral and syndicated lending, including investment‑grade, emerging markets, direct lending, leveraged and acquisition finance, structured lending, restructurings, and distressed debt – ensuring aligned documentation standards and risk controls across products.

As an Assistant general Counsel within the EMEA Legal team, you will be supporting the EMEA M&A business. You will have day‑to‑day interaction with M&A, Industry and Country Coverage bankers and Client Executives, and coordination with control partners and product‑aligned Legal teams.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide counsel to M&A, Industry and Country Coverage teams across EMEA (with a particular focus on Germany) on transaction structuring and advisory mandates.
• Review, advise on and negotiate key documentation (., engagement letters, confidentiality agreements), including conflicts management and information‑barrier (MNPI) considerations.
• Attend valuation and fairness opinion committees on behalf of M&A Legal; review valuation and fairness opinions for process and disclosure, escalating issues as appropriate.
• Liaise with business teams, Risk, Compliance, and DCM/ECM/Lending Legal to set and maintain documentation standards and practice guidelines; monitor legal, regulatory and documentation developments affecting advisory and capital markets activities.
• Coordinate with external counsel on cross‑border matters; define scope, deliverables and efficiencies balancing client needs and firm priorities.
• Provide secondary support to Lending Legal on general corporate lending and acquisition finance interfaces related to M&A transactions; align with LMA‑based standards and control requirements where applicable.
• Contribute to knowledge management (templates, playbooks, FAQs) and share know‑how with colleagues locally and globally; deliver training to business partners, control functions and Legal colleagues on M&A advisory topics (., conflicts, MNPI handling, committee processes).
• Participate in Legal and firm‑wide projects to improve processes, enhance operational excellence, and strengthen the control framework across advisory and corporate finance activities.

Required qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• Previous strong experience in M&A/corporate law at a leading international law firm or in‑house legal team at an investment bank; domestic and cross‑border deal execution experience; familiarity with corporate finance interfaces.
• Effective collaboration across product areas (M&A, DCM, ECM, Lending), control partners and external counsel.
• Familiar with European LMA lending documentation; experienced in drafting, reviewing, analyzing German‑law contracts and producing summaries/abstracts.
• Strong work ethic and organizational skills; ability to work independently and manage a high volume of matters in a fast‑paced environment.
• Sound legal judgment balancing enablement and risk; strong interpersonal, analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Clear, concise drafting and negotiation with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in German and English.
• Detail‑oriented and results‑driven; comfortable with ambiguity and able to apply existing skills to new subject areas.
• Licensed to practice German-law and in good standing in the jurisdiction of the role, or compliant with applicable in‑house counsel registration requirements.

Preferred qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• Familiarity with European advisory and capital markets considerations (., conflicts management, MNPI handling, committee processes); experience with German law contract documentation.
• Experience with LMA‑based general corporate lending and acquisition finance documentation.