At American Express, our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation, shared values and Leadership Behaviors, and an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities, and colleagues. As part of Team Amex, you'll experience this powerful backing with comprehensive support for your holistic well-being and many opportunities to learn new skills, develop as a leader, and grow your career.

Do you want to be Amex’s first Litigator in the APAC Region? We are looking for an experienced litigation lawyer for the role of Litigation and Investigations Director and Counsel to join our team, based in Sydney.

You will be responsible for managing your own portfolio of matters varying from litigation to advisory matters, as well as managing a junior lawyer in the team. Playing a key role as trusted advisor in the General Counsel’s Organization (GCO) and business teams, you will provide legal advice and support across the full range of Amex businesses and management in Australia, but you will also be the lead point of contact for your GCO colleagues in the APAC Region in connection with a broad range of advisory Pre and Contentious issues. The matters advised upon will be of varying significance, complexity and sophistication and will include civil/commercial litigation as well as contentious financial regulatory issues. Ideally, you have also experience in conducting Internal Investigations.

In this role you will be based in the Sydney GCO Office, and report to the Vice President and Senior Counsel, Head of International Litigation and Investigations, based in London.

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

The work involved and related responsibilities will typically include the following:

Advising on disputes/potential disputes across all business units within the company such as consumer, merchants, B2B and network. Managing the conduct of legal proceedings, to include managing litigation in-house, as well as the selection and instruction of local external counsel and the ongoing management of related legal costs and budget. Leading or supporting your direct leader in conducting internal investigations. Leading or participating in projects across legal and/or business team. Advising upon the nature and effect of Court Orders received in connection with customers and clients (e.g. freezing orders; third party debt orders; insolvency-related court procedure etc). Advising on financial recovery issues, including those arising out of domestic and cross-border insolvencies in both the consumer and merchant context. Working with Market Lawyers and /or their outside counsel instructed in the APAC Region on pre or contentious matters Assisting in maintaining litigation reporting database for the preparation of reports and in order to comply with regulatory requirements Assisting in building processes which enable more efficient and accurate tracking and better management of litigation and outside counsel budgets in Australia and throughout APAC region Managing internal financial accounting processes including litigation reserve setting and liaising with Controllership and internal auditors. Deploying a proactive approach in identifying arising issues enabling the business or GCO colleague to mitigate litigation risks Acting as trusted advisor, managing stakeholders’ expectations and partnering with the business and colleagues understanding legal and commercial goals Delivering trainings to upskill colleagues/ rise awareness on specific topics

 

Qualifications and experience:

Candidates must be at least 7-8 PEQ in Australia with experience in Civil law, finance and litigation. Experience in Internal investigations is required and experience in Insolvency is ideal. Experience of the Australian legal system and civil litigation process essential. Experience of drafting pleadings, witness statements, and instructing outside counsels. Relevant experience should have been obtained either in private practice or in-house with another significant financial institution. Experience of managing foreign lawyers, where cases span a number of jurisdictions, would be an advantage. Experience of managing junior lawyers or paralegals desirable. Experience of managing/conducting substantial litigation (as a team leader or member) and experience of running case-load of smaller cases, and managing the strategy of specific case portfolios.

Exceptional candidates who do not meet these criteria may be considered for the role provided they have the necessary skills and experience.

Skills:

Fluency in spoken and written English is essential. Familiarity with other languages an advantage, but not a pre-requisite. Basic IT / computer skills a requirement (Word, Outlook etc) Commercial Acumen, Team Spirit, Initiative and Proactiveness  and independence but at the same time  ability to follow instructions are key to this role

Competencies:

Flexibility - there is a broad range of work. The successful candidate will be involved in work at all levels and should be prepared to ‘roll up his/her sleeves’ Resourcefulness and commercial awareness – ability to respond to business issues often under critical time pressure. Communication skills – ability to relay precise information orally and in writing in a concise manner. Ability to work autonomously -to include preparedness to take the lead in making appropriate recommendations- but equally to escalate when important and necessary Client Focus – ability to deliver high levels of client service, including to non-litigation lawyers. Team approach ability to promote collaboration within own peer group and throughout the organisation Excellent people management skills – ability to nurture talent and further development of more junior members of the team. Intellectual strength and sound judgment – ability to distil information rapidly in order to identify and advise upon key legal and business issues; ability to identify when to escalate issues to line manager.

 

We back you with benefits that support your holistic well-being so you can be and deliver your best. This means caring for you and your loved ones' physical, financial, and mental health, as well as providing the flexibility you need to thrive personally and professionally:

Competitive base salaries  Bonus incentives  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.