Assistant General Counsel

McKinsey & Company; Zürich; On-site; CHF 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

McKinsey & Company in Zurich, Switzerland, seeks an experienced lawyer to support the European Legal team on engagement-related matters and risk management across the client lifecycle.

Based in Zurich, you will review contractual arrangements, advise on risk and compliance, and collaborate with colleagues across Europe and local authorities to protect the firm.

The ideal candidate has a Swiss law degree, Bar qualification, 5+ years in law firms, and fluency in German and English.

Qualifications

• Top academic credentials, law degree and Bar qualification in Switzerland required.
• 5+ years of professional experience, including law firm practice.
• Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills, with exposure to Swiss employment law a plus.

Responsibilities

• Advise on engagement-related legal matters and risk across the client lifecycle.
• Review and negotiate contractual arrangements with clients and third parties.
• Provide counsel to internal stakeholders on risk, compliance, and related procedures.
• Collaborate with colleagues across Swiss offices and Europe.

Skills

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Bilingual German-English

Communication

Education

Law degree

Bar qualification in Switzerland

Job description

Who You’ll Work With

You are someone who thrives in a high-performance environment, bringing a growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle meaningful challenges that have a real impact.

Who You’ll Work With

You are someone who thrives in a high-performance environment, bringing a growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle meaningful challenges that have a real impact.

In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we’ll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities to help you quickly broaden your expertise, grow into a well-rounded professional, and contribute to work that truly makes a difference.

When you join us, you will have:

• Continuous learning: Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast-paced learning experience, owning your journey.
• A voice that matters: From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You’ll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes.
• Global community: With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm’s diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• Exceptional benefits: On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well-being for you and your family.

Your Impact

You will work closely with senior leaders and consultants in Switzerland on a variety of engagement-related legal matters on a daily basis and provide counsel to them on legal issues as well as issues of professional or reputation risk through the whole engagement life cycle (from initial discussions with client up to collection and dealing with potential disputes).

You will be based in Zurich as part of our European Legal team. You will report to the Managing Counsel for the German office and Switzerland.

You will review and negotiate contractual arrangements with our clients and third parties. You will be advising internal stakeholders on applicable risk, compliance and syndication procedures and helping to navigate through them - you will work together and liaise with other lawyers, contracts counsels and paralegals covering the two Swiss offices and across Europe in diverse jurisdictions; and will collaborate with colleagues (Europe and worldwide) outside the legal department (e.g., risk and compliance teams, external relations/communications, office and practice leadership, local administrative leaders).

Your work will help clients reach their goals and create lasting improvements in their industries and help protect our firm.

Your Qualifications and Skills

• Top academic credentials, law degree and Bar qualification in Switzerland required
• 5+ years of professional experience acquired which must include law firm experience
• Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills; experience in Swiss employment law is a plus
• Impeccable business judgment/ethics
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and say no when necessary
• Ability to liaise effectively with Swiss law firms and relevant Swiss authorities and ability to develop further relationships and network in Switzerland
• Enjoy working in a challenging and fast-paced environment and as a team player with the desire to positively influence and develop others
• Excellent organizational capabilities, including the ability to initiate tasks independently and see them through to completion
• Proficient in rational decision making based on data, facts, and logical reasoning
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written with the ability to adjust your style to suit different perspectives and seniority levels internally and externally
• Fluent level language skills in German and English as the working languages, with the ability to draft and negotiate contracts in both languages. Proficiency in French is a plus