Legal Counsel – Commercial Law

Company description

Publicis Re:Sources is at the core of Publicis Groupe, the world's largest communications company. We are the only full-service, end-to-end shared service organization in the industry, enabling Groupe agencies to do what they do best: innovate and transform for their clients.

Formed in 1998 as a small team to service a few Publicis Groupe firms, Publicis Re:Sources has grown to 6,000+ employees in over 55 countries. We provide technology solutions and business services, including finance, accounting, legal, benefits, procurement, tax, real estate, treasury and risk management, information security, and global mobility — supporting 110,000+ employees across the Publicis Groupe network. Our people are at the center of everything we do, bringing curiosity, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence to their work every day. 

Learn more about Publicis Re:Sources and the Publicis Groupe agencies we support at publicisresources.com.

Overview

We are looking for a Legal Counsel – Commercial Law to join our team in Düsseldorf and support Publicis Re:Sources business areas and agencies across the DACH region. In this role, you will act as a trusted legal business partner, providing pragmatic, business-focused advice in German and English within a dynamic, creative, and international environment.

Responsibilities

• You will support the legal management of the individual business areas of Publicis Groupe and the agencies in the DACH region, increasingly taking responsibility independently for selected topics in German and English.
• You will review and draft contracts with clients and suppliers from the advertising and media industry and support or lead negotiations, depending on complexity, taking into account the areas of law listed below.
• You will support the provision of legal advice in connection with participation in public tenders for marketing services.
• You will review advertising campaigns, advertising ideas and marketing concepts for legal risks and develop practical solutions together with the team.
• You will provide legal support for the development of new business models within the agencies and familiarise yourself with new legal and commercial issues.
• You will support the handling of legal disputes with third parties.
• You will take on organisational tasks, e.g. preparing reports, memos and presentations for the Legal Director and/or the Group Legal Department.
• You will develop pragmatic proposed solutions for legal issues while complying with Group policies and the applicable local legal framework.
• You will support other legal departments with international framework agreements and projects, particularly through research, legal assessments and coordination.
• You will coordinate cooperation with external lawyers in Germany and abroad, in consultation with the Legal Director and/or the team.
• You will report directly to the Head of Legal.

Qualifications

• First and second German state law examinations / fully qualified lawyer
• Approx. 3 years of professional experience in a legal department or law firm
• Solid basic knowledge of general and special civil law, in particular service and work contract law, commercial, competition, general terms and conditions and copyright law, as well as an interest in intellectual property law
• Knowledge of media law and public tenders is an advantage or must be acquired.
• Further knowledge and/or experience in other areas of law, such as employment or corporate law, is an advantage.
• Interest in digital topics, especially AI governance and legally compliant implementation
• Entrepreneurial and pragmatic thinking and action
• Strong oral and written communication skills / precise expression
• Confident manner and the ability to represent legal positions clearly, pragmatically and with a service-oriented approach
• Initial practical experience in reviewing and negotiating national and ideally also international contracts
• Proactive, structured and careful working style, with the ambition to take on topics increasingly independently after appropriate onboarding
• Team spirit
• Fluent German and English language skills are required.

Your profile

You are open-minded, approachable, collaborative, and pragmatic. You enjoy working closely with creative and entrepreneurial stakeholders and know how to balance legal compliance with commercial objectives. You communicate legal topics clearly and practically, build strong stakeholder relationships, and are confident in challenging decisions constructively when needed.

What will make you stand out

• Previous experience supporting advertising campaigns and marketing activities.
• Exposure to intellectual property licensing and copyright matters.
• Experience with AI governance, digital compliance, or technology regulation.
• A proven track record as an in-house legal business partner.
• Experience working in multinational or matrix organizations, advertising agencies, media companies, marketing services, digital businesses, technology or SaaS organizations.

If you are looking for a role where you can combine legal expertise with business partnership, creativity, and international collaboration, we would be happy to hear from you.

Additional information

As a member of our Re:Sources team, you can expect

• a strong team spirit that will put a smile on your face even on a bad day
• inspiring collaboration and exchange with colleagues from different disciplines, countries, and across the entire network
• Mobile office up to 12 days per month
• a centrally located, modern working environment
• of course, beverages (water, coffee, soft drinks, etc.) and fresh fruit
• great events and celebrations that bring together the entire Re:Sources team from all over Germany
• access to around 30k web-based trainings and courses
• additional benefits such as free yoga within the agency network, mental health offerings, etc.

We want our team to be as diverse as our tasks. Our goal is a corporate culture in which all employees are respected in their individuality and are appreciated.

You can find out more about us on our homepage at www.resources-de.com

Publicis Re:Sources

a division of Publicis Lion GmbH