Senior Legal Counsel
- India - Mumbai
Job Description
A highly motivated mid-level lawyer with strong interpersonal skills who can be a solution-oriented strategic counsel to Pfizer India. 8-10 years PQE. Provide legal advice and support to relevant business units and divisions at Pfizer on the sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution of pharmaceutical products in India.
CORE COMPETENCIES:
♦Agreements and transactions♦ Corporate Laws ♦ Contract Negotiation & Management ♦ ♦ Litigation Strategy & Execution ♦ Merger & Acquisition/Joint Ventures ♦ FCPA & Bribery Laws ♦ Anti-Trust laws ♦ Intellectual Property Laws ♦ Drafting ♦ Cross-functional Liaison ♦ Multiple Jurisdictional Experience ♦ Independence & Decision Making ♦ Complexity & Problem Solving ♦ Analytical skills ♦
Role & Responsibilities in BRIEF:
Collaborate with senior management to develop effective legal strategies to support business goals
Implement risk management practices and provide proactive advice on legal matters
Offer prompt, practical, and business-focused legal solutions
Assist with joint ventures, strategic partnerships and mergers & acquisitions
Advise senior management on regulatory, corporate, and compliance matters
Deliver strategic legal guidance, including support for internal corporate reorganization
Support the business in initiating or defending litigation and help develop litigation strategies
Review and negotiate business transactions and ensure thorough evaluation of legal risks
Manage external counsel, including briefings and oversight of representations
Develop and enforce corporate legal policies, including employee training programs
Advise on intellectual property matters and monitor developments in the country.
Stay updated on legislative changes affecting the company and keep management updated about the implications for Pfizer
Devise solutions for complex legal challenges
Foster team capability and share best practices across the legal function
Role & Responsibilities in DETAIL:
Advisory: Advise Senior Leaders/ BUs within the Company and work alongside employees in Business Units (BUs), Strategy & Business Operation (SBO) , Corporate Affairs, Human Resource, Regulatory & other enabling functions, on wide range of legal and strategic matters including Drugs & Cosmetics Act, Corporate Laws, Labour Laws, Employment Laws, Trade Body Regulations, Anti-trust & Competition Law, Anti-bribery laws etc.
Litigation: Support business on framing the litigation strategy and where required initiating/ defending any criminal, civil, property or regulatory related litigation which includes, collating facts, developing litigation strategy & preparing grounds for defense, briefing the external counsels, filing of writ petitions, appeals, stay and follow ups. Managing and ensuring proper representation by outside counsel (while securing case reporting and strategic alignment).
Business Transaction: Structuring of business transaction, support in reviewing various transactions and evaluate all legal issues involved, so as to ensure to combat the crisis successfully, drafting & negotiation of Contracts & other documents, draft and solidify day-to-day agreements/ contracts and other legal documents to ensure the company’s full legal rights
Global Projects: Support global projects including cross-border transactions, product launches, privacy law or global policy implementation, need base projects, represent Pfizer India in trademark & patent cases, manage outside counsel, spend budget management, as per the funds allocated to India.
Independence & Decision Making: act with substantial discretion, balancing several goals at once with idea to minimize risks/costs & maximize benefits/ returns. Ability to make clear-eyed professional judgments and to timely and firmly raise issues with the appropriate decision-maker, for example, the proposed course of action raises issues of compliance with the law.
Complexity & Problem-Solving: challenge the status-quo and develop innovative solution for difficult, complex & systemic problem that may have precedent setting implications for the Company.
Legal tools and resources: Contribute to the Legal Department’s tools and resources for clients, to simplify processes and the provision of legal advice.
REPORTING STRUCTURE:
The position reports to the Legal Lead, India.
EDUCATION/ EXPERIENCE:
LL.B. degree from a reputed law college in India – Master’s law degree will be an added advantage;
8-10 years post qualification experience;
Experience of working in pharmaceutical MNC
OTHER SKILLS:
Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
Excellent interpersonal skills
Analytical, Decision-making and Problem-solving skills
Process and results oriented
Be a team player yet ability to lead independently
Pfizer is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable equal employment opportunity legislation in each jurisdiction in which it operates.
Legal AffairsBreakthroughs that change patients’ lives
Research confirms what intuition tells us: that purpose-driven companies perform better, are more innovative, attract and retain the best people, and know how to unleash the power of those people. Pfizer’s purpose—Breakthroughs that change patients' lives—fuels everything we do and reflects our passion for building on our legacy as one of the greatest contributors of good to the world.
Each word in our purpose has meaning and reflects the value we strive to bring to patients and society:
“Breakthroughs” - These are the innovations, scientific and commercial, that we seek to deliver every day. All colleagues, regardless of role, level or location, strive for breakthroughs every day.
“Change” - We want to do more than simply improve patients’ medical conditions; we want to dramatically change their lives for the better.
“Patients’ lives” - We consider not only patients, but everyone they touch—including their families, caregivers, and friends—and everything they love to do. It’s an intentionally holistic view.
Our purpose ensures that patients remain at the center of all we do. We live our purpose by sourcing the best science in the world; partnering with others in the healthcare system to improve access to our medicines; using digital technologies to enhance our drug discovery and development, as well as patient outcomes; and leading the conversation to advocate for pro-innovation/pro-patient policies.
Every decision we make and every action we take is done with the patient in mind—and to nurture an environment where breakthroughs can thrive.
Our Values
To fully realize Pfizer’s purpose, we have established a clear set of expectations regarding “what” we need to achieve for patients and “how” we will go about achieving those goals.
The “how” is represented by four simple, powerful values—courage, excellence, equity, and joy—that define our company and our culture.
Courage: Breakthroughs start by challenging convention, especially in the face of uncertainty or adversity. This happens when we think big, speak up, and are decisive.
Excellence: We can only change patients’ lives when we perform at our best together. This happens when we focus on what matters, agree who does what, and measure our outcomes.
Equity: We believe that every person deserves to be seen, heard, and cared for. This happens when we are inclusive, act with integrity, and reduce healthcare disparities.
Joy: We give ourselves to our work, but it also gives to us. We find joy when we take pride, recognize one another, and have fun.
Benefits at Pfizer
Pfizer offers competitive compensation and benefits programs designed to meet the diverse needs of our colleagues. Our Pay for Performance Philosophy and Practices reward colleagues based on the contributions they make to our business.
Our Competitive Benefits Programs help our colleagues by:
- Promoting Health and Wellness to help colleagues maintain and improve their physical and mental wellbeing. Pfizer offerings include health and disability insurance, preventative health programs, medical screenings, free or reduced-cost vaccinations, discounts on Pfizer products, mental health support, nutrition and fitness counseling and more.
- Strengthening Colleagues’ Financial Security by providing company contributions to retirement plans, life insurance and financial planning education to help colleagues achieve their financial goals.
- Providing Benefits and Time off for the Moments that Matter to ensure Pfizer colleagues have the time away from the office to recharge, recover and return to work as the best version of themselves. Vacation, Holiday time and Sick time are just the beginning, with a 12 week parental leave policy for both parents of a new born, 10 day of caregiver leave for those times when your family needs you whether it’s a child, spouse or parent, bereavement leave, and additional country-specific programs.
- And so much more, depending on your country and site, Pfizer offers childcare facilities or discount programs, on-site health and/or fitness centers, movement and mindfulness solutions, “Log in for your Day” work flexibility and so much more.
For U.S. based jobs, view an overview of Pfizer’s U.S. benefits program (opens in a new window)