Commercial Contracts Paralegal - Hybrid & Growth Focus

With the right backing, people and businesses have the power to progress in incredible ways. When you join Team Amex, you become part of a global and diverse community of colleagues with an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities and each other. Here, you’ll learn and grow as we help you create a career journey that’s unique and meaningful to you with benefits, programs, and flexibility that support you personally and professionally.

At American Express, you’ll be recognized for your contributions, leadership, and impact—every colleague has the opportunity to share in the company’s success. Together, we’ll win as a team, striving to uphold our company values and powerful backing promise to provide the world’s best customer experience every day. And we’ll do it with the utmost integrity, and in an environment where everyone is seen, heard and feels like they belong.

The Legal Services Team (LST) is part of American Express General Counsel’s Organisation (GCO). We deliver legal support to colleagues and to clients, globally, across all business lines. We are looking to add a team member in the UK, who will report to a senior lawyer also based in the EMEA region.

Role Purpose:

The LST’s mission is to provide efficient, consistent, innovative, and high-quality legal support across business units, staff groups and jurisdictions. We are looking for a motivated, proactive paralegal, experienced in commercial contracts, who will be part of this lively team.

Interested candidates will have commercial awareness and experience of working in a commercial contract space. Candidates must be able to use their legal skills to work closely with key business clients around the globe, the LST leadership team and colleagues within the LST team on a day to day basis. In addition, candidates should possess a strong ability to lead partners and be able to demonstrate a track record of client care.

Primary responsibilities:

• Contribute as an independent, trusted paralegal to GCO and to the wider Amex business by:
• Identifying and effectively handling legal risk
• Taking instructions from and supporting your team leader, other lawyers, or legal teams in GCO, primarily across the EMEA region, and beyond as required
• Providing legal support across all business units, including drafting, reviewing, analysing and negotiating commercial agreements and legal documents such as procurement, marketing and sponsorship agreements
• Carrying out legal research on behalf of GCO colleagues
• Assisting on projects including regulatory horizon scanning and contract reviews
• Supporting internal governance and approval processes, including coordinating internal partners as appropriate and corporate governance/company secretarial matters as required
• Working with other LST team members, including ensuring LST’s adherence to any company-wide and GCO-specific processes and procedures

Qualifications:

• Experienced paralegal in commercial contracts
• Fluency in French/German/Italian/Spanish would be beneficial but not required
• In-house experience in financial services is preferred
• Ability to effectively multi-task, prioritise and work as part of a team or autonomously under time pressure to meet deadlines and manage clients’ expectations
• Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, reliably, and persuasively with clients, business stakeholders, legal management and external regulators, both orally and in writing
• Commitment to integrity and American Express values

We back our colleagues and their loved ones with benefits and programs that support their holistic well-being. That means we prioritize their physical, financial, and mental health through each stage of life. Benefits include:

• Support for financial well-being and retirement
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits (depending on location)
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
• Generous paid parental leave policies (depending on your location)
• Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
• Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program
• Career development and training opportunities

Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.