Senior Legal Counsel (Corporate & M&A)

Freenow; Berlin; Hybrid; EUR 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Freenow in Berlin seeks a Senior Legal Counsel (Corporate & M&A) to lead cross-border deals and craft the legal framework for Europe’s leading mobility platform. The hybrid Berlin base supports a pan-European footprint with live deal sprints and close collaboration with Corp Dev and external counsel.

The role tests deal structuring, regulatory fluency, and strategic partnerships across markets, requiring sharp commercial instincts and the ability to translate board-level ambition into watertight

Qualifications

• Experienced in Corporate Law and M&A with cross-border transactions.
• Fluent in regulatory and antitrust considerations across Europe.
• Hybrid Berlin-based role with pan-European responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Structure cross-border M&A deals and draft term sheets.
• Advise on regulatory filings across EU markets.
• Collaborate with corporate development and external counsel.

Skills

Corporate Law

Mergers & Acquisitions

Job description

This opportunity was posted more than 30 days ago and no application deadline was provided. You can explore active listings below.

Senior Legal Counsel (Corporate & M&A)

F

Organising Institution / Firm

Freenow

Not Specified by Organiser

Berlin, Germany (Hybrid)

Not Specified

Experienced legal professional with expertise in Corporate Law and Mergers & Acquisitions; specific years of experience and qualifications not specified in source

Job

Full Opportunity Brief

Navigating the Senior Legal Counsel Track in Europe's Mobility Tech Hub

The legal landscape in Berlin is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by the convergence of deep tech, mobility innovation, and complex cross-border regulatory frameworks. When a platform like Freenow—Europe's leading multi-mobility app integrating taxis, ride-hailing, e-scooters, and public transport—posts for a Senior Legal Counsel (Corporate & M&A), it signals more than a vacancy. It marks a strategic inflection point for a company navigating the choppy waters of market consolidation, regulatory scrutiny, and aggressive growth targets. For the ambitious legal professional, this role represents a rare gateway to operate at the intersection of high-stakes corporate strategy and cutting-edge mobility technology.

"In-house roles at scale-ups like Freenow aren't just about drafting contracts; they are about architecting the legal skeleton that allows a business to move fast without breaking things—regulators, competitors, or internal culture."

Why the Mobility Sector Demands a New Breed of M&A Lawyer

Traditional M&A experience in manufacturing or static service industries rarely prepares counsel for the velocity of the mobility sector. Freenow operates in a space defined by regulatory fragmentation—every European city has distinct licensing regimes, labor classifications for drivers, data sovereignty rules, and environmental mandates. A Senior Counsel here doesn't merely execute a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA); they must anticipate how a tuck-in acquisition of an e-moped operator in Madrid triggers state aid rules in Germany or GDPR cross-border transfer mechanisms.

The role likely involves steering strategic partnerships and joint ventures with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), public transit authorities, and fleet operators. This requires a counsel who speaks fluent "commercial" and "tech" alongside legalese. You are effectively the General Counsel's right hand for inorganic growth, translating board-level ambition into watertight term sheets that survive the scrutiny of the Bundeskartellamt and the European Commission.

Deconstructing the Hybrid Mandate: Berlin as a Legal Basecamp

The hybrid model specified in the posting is not a perk; it is an operational necessity. Berlin serves as Freenow's headquarters, but the legal function services a pan-European footprint. Physical presence in the Berlin office (likely Mitte or Kreuzberg) facilitates the "war room" dynamics required for live deal sprints—negotiating earn-out mechanisms at 11 PM with counterparties in London or Paris. Remote days allow for the deep work: drafting complex side letters, coordinating multi-jurisdictional due diligence data rooms, and aligning with external counsel networks across 15+ markets.

For candidates relocating or already based in Germany, this role offers a front-row seat to German corporate governance (AktG, GmbHG) applied in a modern, agile context. You aren't advising a static Mittelstand client; you are building the legal playbook for a digital champion.

Building the Winning Profile: Beyond the Standard CV

With 75 applicants already clicking "Apply" within days, the bar is high. To transition from "clicked apply" to "offer letter," your narrative must demonstrate three distinct pillars:

• Deal Complexity over Volume: Don't list 50 deals. Highlight one cross-border carve-out involving earn-outs, warranty & indemnity insurance negotiation, and post-closing integration disputes. Detail your specific role: "Led the disclosure letter negotiation reducing seller liability exposure by 40%."
• Regulatory Fluency: Explicitly map your experience to mobility/tech pain points. Have you advised on Platform Work Directive implications? Handled FDI screening for a non-EU investor acquiring a critical infrastructure asset? Managed antitrust filings in a two-sided market definition dispute?
• Commercial Partnership Architecture: Showcase agreements that look like M&A but aren't—strategic alliance frameworks, IP licensing joint ventures, or API integration partnerships with revenue-sharing models. This proves you can paper the "ecosystem" deals Freenow lives on.

The Interview Gauntlet: What They Will Actually Test

Forget standard competency questions. Expect a case study simulation mirroring a live Freenow scenario. You might receive a 10-page term sheet for a hypothetical acquisition of a micromobility startup in Poland at 9 AM, with a 4 PM deadline to deliver a marked-up version and a risk memo for the CFO. They will assess:

• Commercial Instinct: Do you kill the deal over a minor indemnity cap, or propose a creative W&I insurance structure to bridge the gap?
• Stakeholder Management: How do you explain the "material adverse change" clause to a non-legal Country Manager who needs the deal closed before Q4 board meeting?
• Tech & Data Savvy: Can you spot the open-source license contamination risk in the target's tech stack during a 30-minute data room review?

"The best in-house M&A lawyers are part deal lawyer, part product manager, part diplomat. Freenow's interview process will hunt for that hybrid DNA."\

Career Trajectory: The 3-Year Horizon from This Seat

Accepting this role is a calculated career investment. In three years, a successful Senior Counsel at Freenow typically faces three divergent, high-value exit vectors:

• General Counsel Track: Promotion to Head of Legal / GC for a specific region (DACH, Southern Europe) or a business unit (B2B Fleet Solutions).
• Private Practice Partnership: Lateral move to a Magic Circle or top-tier US firm's Berlin/Frankfurt office as a Counsel/Partner in Tech M&A, leveraging the "in-house client" perspective.
• Venture / Operator Path: Transition to a VC fund (Legal/Operating Partner) or a portfolio company as VP Legal / GC, capitalizing on the deep network of founders and investors built during deal-making.

The equity package (standard for senior roles in German scale-ups) aligns incentives directly with an IPO or trade sale outcome—making every negotiated earn-out clause a personal wealth driver.

Final Verdict: A Defining Role for the Next Decade

The Senior Legal Counsel (Corporate & M&A) position at Freenow is not a stepping stone; it is a platform. It places you at the epicenter of Europe's urban mobility transformation, armed with a mandate to structure the deals that will define how millions move through cities. The hybrid Berlin base offers the lifestyle credibility of a European capital with the professional intensity of a Series C+ scale-up. For the lawyer who has mastered the SPA but craves the chaos of the term sheet, the ambiguity of the regulatory frontier, and the ownership of the outcome—this is the arena. Prepare the war stories, sharpen the commercial instinct, and engineer the introduction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What specific M&A experience is most valued for a Senior Counsel role at a mobility scale-up like Freenow?

Beyond standard SPA/APA drafting, Freenow prioritizes experience with cross-border carve-outs, earn-out structuring with operational KPIs (not just financial), W&I insurance negotiation, and multi-jurisdictional antitrust/FDI filings. Experience in tech, telecoms, automotive, or regulated platform businesses is a significant differentiator over pure private practice M&A in static sectors.

Is German qualified lawyer status (Volljurist) mandatory for this Berlin-based role?

While not explicitly stated in the snippet, for a Senior Counsel role handling German entity governance (GmbH/Aktiengesellschaft), local labor law works councils (Betriebsrat), and Bundeskartellamt filings, German qualification (Zweites Staatsexamen) or Registered European Lawyer status with deep German law expertise is typically a hard requirement. UK/US qualified lawyers usually need a German "Fachanwalt" equivalent or extensive local supervision arrangements.

How does the hybrid work model function practically for a high-intensity M&A role?

Expect 3 days/week in the Berlin office (typically Tue-Thu) for live negotiations, board prep, and cross-functional alignment with Corp Dev, Finance, and Tax. Remote days (Mon/Fri) are protected for deep-dive drafting, data room management, and coordinating external counsel across time zones. During active deal sprints (signing/closing), physical presence becomes 5 days/week.

What is the typical compensation benchmark for this level in Berlin's tech legal market?

For a Senior Counsel (6-10 PQE) at a Series C+ mobility unicorn in Berlin, the market package typically comprises: Base: €110k–€140k; Annual Bonus: 15–20% (target); Virtual Stock Options (VSOP): €50k–€150k+ grant value vesting over 4 years. Benefits include urban mobility budgets (naturally), learning budgets, and enhanced parental leave.