General Legal Counsel (m/f/d)

As our first General Legal Counsel, you will have the unique opportunity to build the legal function from the ground up. You will not just be an administrator of legal topics; you will be an architect of our internal processes, reducing our reliance on external firms and actively driving our M&A velocity as well as company building. You will work in a high-paced environment where you handle hands-on legal tasks while coordinating complex M&A transactions. We are looking for a "builder" mentality—someone who is eager to shape a department rather than just inhabit one.

Mission: Internalize legal know-how and set-up the platform for future growth.

1. M&A Transaction Management

• Drive the Deal Process: Lead the legal DD process, focusing the work of the legal DD provider on the topics that truly matter. 
• Negotiation Support: Drive SPA reviews and discussions, enforcing group standards and contributing to positive negotiation outcomes.
• Steer External Counsel: Coordinate and manage external M&A lawyers to ensure efficient and high quality execution.

2. Corporate, Commercial & Employment Law

• Corporate law – internalization: Set-up articles of association, execute legal mergers as well as other changes to the legal structure / ste-up.
• Other law - internalization: Bring the drafting and review of other key contracts (NDAs, credit agreements, HR contracts, service agreements) in-house. 
• Operational Partnership: Act as the business partner for HR, Commercial and Treasury, handling day-to-day inquiries including KYC reviews, ID checks, and corporate housekeeping (such as commercial register updates).
• Steer External Counsel: Coordinate and manage external lawyers as needed.

3. Standardization

• Build the Framework: Develop and maintain a comprehensive library of standard contracts and playbooks.
• Roll-Out Best Practices: Ensure these standards are implemented across the group.

4. Risk, Compliance & Governance

• Design the System: Build and implement Group-wide Risk Management Guidelines and Compliance concepts (e.g., sanction lists).
• Data Privacy Leadership: Drive the data protection strategy and implementation of TOMs across all partner companies.

5. Legal Operations & Controlling

• Cost Discipline: Establish strict cost controlling for external legal advisors in tandem with Finance to prevent cost overruns and optimize rates.
• Knowledge Management: Implement and manage a central contract database to ensure transparency and proper document retention across the group.

• Experience: 5–10 years of relevant experience in a top-tier law firm (M&A/Corporate) or as an in-house counsel in a fast-paced environment.
• Education: Fully qualified lawyer (Volljurist) or equivalent international law degree with excellent academic credentials. Next to German law degree, international law experience is a plus.
• M&A Exposure: Solid M&A experience. Preference for candidates with experience in buy & build environment. 
• Negotiation skills: You have gravitas and strong negotiation skills.
• Network: You have a strong international network to law professionals for relevant fields of law (esp. corporate and M&A).
• Mindset: You are pragmatic, flexible, and have a can-do attitude.
• Autonomy: You are comfortable working independently, setting up your own structures, and taking ownership without a large support staff.
• Languages: Business-fluent German and English are required. Spanish, Italian and French are a plus.

Success After 6 Months

• M&A: You viewed as a key pillar in negotiating SPA contracts and running legal DDs.
• Know-How Anchored: You have successfully pulled legal knowledge in-house, reducing the "piece-by-piece" reliance on external firms.
• Cost Impact: You have demonstrated a reduction in external legal spend for non-transactional work and established a cost-controlling mechanism.
• Standardization: An M&A Playbook and standard contract templates are in place, speeding up our deal cycle.
• Compliance Baseline: A basic Risk & Compliance framework is established across the group.

What We Offer

• Agility: Flat hierarchies enable quick decisions, and we strive for change and progress together.
• Impact: The chance to build a department from scratch and see the direct result of your work on the company's P&L and risk profile.
• Flexibility: Flexible working hours and home office options to support your work-life balance.
• Prime Location: Our office in the heart of Munich (Löwengrube) offers a great environment.
• Fun: Numerous team events and an open, dynamic team atmosphere.

Next Step
If this role resonates with you, your next step is to reflect on whether you are ready to trade the comfort of established structures for the excitement of building them.
Please send your application (CV and a short message) to Charline Wurzer (cwurzer@certania.com) describing:

1. Where you see the biggest lever to reduce external legal reliance in a Buy & Build context.
2. How you balance "business speed" with "legal risk" in a dynamic environment.

CERTANIA Beteiligungen GmbH Löwengrube 18, 80333 München www.certania.com