Corporate Counsel I - Employment Lawyer

About the role

SBS is looking for a Corporate Counsel I (Employment Lawyer) based in Courbevoie, working full time. The role provides day-to-day employment law support mainly for the French organisation, under the supervision of the Global Employment Lawyer. It covers individual and collective employment law matters in France, such as employee relations, disciplinary issues, complex terminations, collective bargaining and employment litigation. The postholder will gradually gain autonomy on routine matters while supporting the Global Employment Lawyer on complex, sensitive and strategic cases, and will also help with selected international employment law work.

Key responsibilities

• Individual employment law: advise on contracts, mobility, working time, pay and employee relations; support complex disciplinary and performance procedures and complex individual terminations; prepare legal analyses and escalate high-risk matters.
• Employee relations: support local employee representatives (Représentants de Proximité) and escalate matters of collective, reputational or litigation risk.
• CSE, CSSCT and collective relations: support projects on employee representative elections and social governance, and assist on collective bargaining preparation, research and benchmarking.
• Employment litigation: manage French employment litigation and pre-litigation, prepare case files and coordinate documents for external counsel.
• Monitoring and knowledge management: track French legislation, case law and collective bargaining, prepare legal updates, maintain templates and guidance, and contribute to training.
• International support: research and compare employment law developments in selected jurisdictions, without advising international HR teams directly.

Required profile

• Master's degree in Employment/Labour Law and/or qualified lawyer, with up to about three years of relevant experience.
• 2-4 years of experience in a law firm, in-house legal department or employment law setting is an advantage.
• Strong knowledge of French employment law.
• Interest in international and comparative employment law.

Required skills

• Professional proficiency in French and English.
• Legal research, analytical and drafting skills, and strong organisational skills.
• Ability to translate legal requirements into clear, practical advice and to handle several matters at once.
• Discretion with confidential matters and strong interpersonal communication.