Employment Counsel, EMEA

About the job

As Corporate Counsel at Google, you work on the most exciting legal issues as disruptive technological innovations require creative and proactive legal guidance. You're part of a whip-smart group of in-house lawyers and the projects and cases you take on challenge you to think big and differently. You are collaborative -- ready to partner in initiatives that influence all aspects of the business and work with Googlers from all over the company. As an integrated part of the team, you proactively assess legal risks and advise on products that will not only move information into the 21st century, but move information law forward as well.

As Employment Counsel, EMEA, you will provide legal advice and support to regional and global People Operations teams on various employee-related matters. Your primary goal is to ensure compliance with local employment laws, regulations, and practices while fostering Google’s flexible and innovative culture. You will collaborate closely with HR, business, and Legal colleagues across global offices.

20th century laws don't always solve 21st century problems, and Google Legal crafts innovative approaches for working with some of the toughest legal challenges of the information age. Whether you're a patent attorney, an intellectual property expert or an engineer headed to law school, Google Legal lets you address unanswered legal quandaries and create new precedents. Our innovative services raise challenging questions that demand creative and practical answers. We provide those answers by working at the crossroads of the law and new technology, helping Google build innovative and important products for users around the world.

Responsibilities

• Advise stakeholders across Google People Operations, Legal, and management on employment topics, including hiring, compensation, discipline, reorganizations, terminations, leaves, performance, employee description, contingent workforce issues and litigation.
• Draft employment guidelines, agreements and policies, and conduct HR training.
• Advise on HR compliance projects, and participate in cross-functional HR projects of varying levels of complexity. Provide employment legal advice to project teams and program managers, including identifying risks and mitigation strategies and collaborating to drive projects to completion.
• Advise on employment legal aspects of commercial agreements and M&A, including integration planning and employee transition arrangements.
• Support global and regional employment legal team projects, including identifying opportunities to create efficiencies and process improvements using AI and general project management.

Minimum qualifications:

• JD, LL.B., equivalent degree, or equivalent practical experience.
• Admitted to the bar and in good standing or otherwise authorized to practice law (e.g., have registered in-house status) in the state in which the position is located.
• 7 years of attorney-level UK or Irish employment law experience in-house, or at a law firm.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience advising multinational corporations on employment law preferably in-house (including secondments) or at a law firm.
• Experience managing employment law issues in other jurisdictions in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
• Ability to identify legal issues and give sound and practical advice.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage numerous projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate difficult legal concepts concisely.
• Excellent people management skills with the ability to work as part of a team and collaborate with stakeholders.

• JD, LL.B., equivalent degree, or equivalent practical experience.
• Admitted to the bar and in good standing or otherwise authorized to practice law (e.g., have registered in-house status) in the state in which the position is located.
• 7 years of attorney-level UK or Irish employment law experience in-house, or at a law firm.