Legal Counsel

About Us
Visa is a world leader in payments technology, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories, dedicated to uplifting everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

At Visa, you'll have the opportunity to create impact at scale — tackling meaningful challenges, growing your skills and seeing your contributions impact lives around the world.

Join Visa and do work that matters – to you, to your community, and to the world. Progress starts with you.

Job Description

Overview:

The Visa Asia Pacific Legal team manages Visa's legal affairs in the Asia Pacific region. Our team provides advice and services to ensure business goals are successfully met and that Visa's brand and reputation are protected while minimizing legal liability and regulatory risk. Our vision entails each legal professional living the guiding principles to be a proactive partner who never loses sight of his/her responsibility to protect the company.

What a Counsel does at Visa: 

The position is for a high-caliber business/commercial lawyer to join Visa's AP legal team that supports Visa's businesses responsible for mainland China and the other designated market(s) in Greater China. The position will be based in Shanghai or Beijing and will report to the head of Visa Greater China Legal team.

We are looking for a strong commercial lawyer with excellent communication and analytical skills, who is self-motivated, able to work proactively and independently, and who has the skillset and ownership mindset to effectively interact with business units and other support functions across Visa, influence business directions and bring about positive outcomes.

The applicant should have solid experience in commercial business law and be able to draft robustly and to a high standard.  The applicant must have solid technical legal skills with good commercial/legal risk judgment and be able to juggle multiple priorities in a fast paced and challenging, but rewarding, environment. Prior payments experience is not required, although the applicant must be willing to learn Visa's business model and the payments industry.

In this role, you are expected to:

• Provide practical counseling and advice to business teams regarding deal structures and approaches to addressing legal issues.
• Work closely with business teams to review and advise using exceptional risk-based judgement on commercial and contractual enhancements and/or new business initiatives, as well as day to day commercial related matters.
• Draft, negotiate and drive to completion commercial, technology, and strategic partnership agreements, including complex transactions, that achieve business objectives.
• Collaborate effectively with the global legal office and with other members of the Greater China and regional Visa legal teams, representing Greater China perspectives on cross-border and regional matters.
• Support regulatory and government engagements/consultations on payment regulations across mainland China and the other designated market(s), and act as a trusted advisor to the business and government engagement teams.
• Advise on data privacy, cybersecurity and cross-border data transfer requirements in mainland China, as well as emerging legal issues relating to AI and new business models such as agentic commerce.
• Advise on labor laws and regulations in mainland China and support the local People team in resolving employment-related issues, including complex matters.
• Perform such other responsibilities as may be assigned by the Greater China Legal Head or Chief Counsel for Asia Pacific.

Why this is important to Visa: 

The Counsel plays an important role in influencing business directions and bringing about positive outcomes. He/she helps ensure that Visa's business operations are compliant with local laws and regulations. His/her expertise helps protect Visa's interests and paves the way for growth and expansion.

Visa requires at least 4 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.

Qualifications

What you will need: 

We are looking for a high-potential lawyer who brings solid breadth of experience and is eager to deepen knowledge of the industry and our business. As a candidate, you should have:

• 6+ years (ideally 8+ years) of post-qualification legal experience, with commercial legal experience gained at a top-tier law firm and/or in-house with multinationals (a combination of both is strongly preferred); qualified to practice law in China.
• Strong academic credentials, with excellent analytical skills and good commercial sense.
• The ability to work independently with minimal supervision and to interface confidently with senior stakeholders, including executives, while also being a good team player.
• A practical and proactive problem-solver; must have a strong business acumen and be confident, mature and calm under stress.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and drive commercial and technology transactions, including complex and internationally driven deals.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English and Chinese required; strong understanding of legal issues in China.

What will also help: 

• Experience in the payment, fintech or banking industry.
• Familiarity with legal practice in Greater China and the Asia Pacific region.
• International experience preferred, but a desire to expand knowledge of regional laws and legal systems can substitute.
• Good knowledge of data privacy and cybersecurity laws, AI regulation (including its application to agentic commerce), antitrust law and anti-bribery laws preferred.

Visa is an EEO Employer

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.