Senior Legal Counsel

Thomson Reuters is seeking an experienced, commercially minded Senior Legal Counsel to join the General Counsel s Office team supporting the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region (Asia and Emerging Markets, AEM). This role will provide strategic and practical legal support to sales, product, partnerships, compliance and leadership teams across a broad range of commercial, technology and regulatory matters. The successful candidate will be responsible for negotiating complex customer and partner agreements, advising on legal and regulatory risk, and supporting business growth initiatives across multiple jurisdictions. The role will work closely with colleagues across legal, compliance, privacy, product and business teams globally. About the Role In this role as Senior Legal Counsel, you will: Key Responsibilities Commercial Contracting Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including: SaaS and software licence agreements, Data and content licensing agreements, Professional services agreements, NDAs, Partnership agreements (reseller, channel, alliances, technology integrations) and AI-related commercial arrangements. Provide practical, solution-oriented legal advice that balances commercial objectives with legal and regulatory risk. Support strategic and high-value customer opportunities, including in the public sector and regulated-industry. Advise on intellectual property rights, licence structures, indemnities, liability allocation and commercial risk. Advise on procurement requirements, localisation obligations and contracting practices relevant to, in particular, Middle Eastern jurisdictions. Assist business stakeholders in evaluating and structuring new routes to market. Partner with internal stakeholders to facilitate efficient deal closure and business execution within the region. AI, Data and Technology Be comfortable advising on legal, contractual and regulatory issues relating to AI-enabled products and services. Review and negotiate terms relating to: AI functionality, Data governance, Data use rights, Intellectual property ownership and risk allocation and liability. Work closely with product, privacy and compliance teams on emerging legal and regulatory developments affecting AI technologies. Regulatory, Compliance and Risk Management Help to identify, assess and mitigate legal and regulatory risks associated with business initiatives. Together with SMEs, provide advice on: Privacy and data protection, Anti-corruption and compliance issues, governance obligations and consumer and commercial law matters Develop and deliver legal training and guidance materials for business stakeholders. Maintain awareness of evolving legal and regulatory developments across the region. Cross-Functional Collaboration The role will have a primary focus on the Middle East and Africa, but must be comfortable to flex and support colleagues across the AEM region during team absences and critical business windows. Build trusted relationships with stakeholders across Sales, Professional Services, Product, Finance, Revenue Operations, Compliance, GCO and Leadership teams. Collaborate with lawyers and subject matter experts across Thomson Reuters globally. Contribute to process improvements, template development, playbooks and legal operations initiatives designed to improve efficiency and consistency. About You re a fit for the role of Senior Legal Counsel if you have the following required

Qualifications

• Required Law degree and admission to practice in a relevant jurisdiction
• Approximately 5-10 years' post-qualification legal experience
• Significant experience negotiating and drafting complex commercial agreements
• Strong understanding of technology, SaaS, software licensing and commercial contracting
• Experience supporting multinational organisations across multiple jurisdictions
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong commercial judgement and ability to deliver practical legal advice
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities independently in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills
• Business fluency in English
• Preferred In-house legal experience within a technology, information services or software business
• Experience supporting Middle East markets
• Experience advising on AI-enabled products and services
• Experience advising on privacy, cybersecurity and data governance matters
• Familiarity with public sector, government or regulated-industry contracting
• Business fluency in Arabic
• The successful candidate will: Be a commercially pragmatic lawyer who enables business growth while appropriately managing risk
• Exercise sound judgement in complex and fast-moving situations
• Build credibility quickly with senior business stakeholders
• Operate effectively across multiple jurisdictions, cultures and business functions
• Demonstrate curiosity regarding emerging technologies, including AI, and their impact on customers, products and contracting practices

Desired Candidate Profile

Law degree and admission to practice in a relevant jurisdiction. Approximately 5-10 years' post-qualification legal experience. Significant experience negotiating and drafting complex commercial agreements. Strong understanding of technology, SaaS, software licensing and commercial contracting. Experience supporting multinational organisations across multiple jurisdictions. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong commercial judgement and ability to deliver practical legal advice. Proven ability to manage multiple priorities independently in a fast-paced environment. Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills. Business fluency in English. In-house legal experience within a technology, information services or software business. Experience supporting Middle East markets. Experience advising on AI-enabled products and services. Experience advising on privacy, cybersecurity and data governance matters. Familiarity with public sector, government or regulated-industry contracting. Business fluency in Arabic.