Associate Counsel

Passfort; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Moody’s seeks an Associate Counsel in Hong Kong to join our Commercial Legal team. You will support APAC Commercial matters, draft and negotiate customer arrangements, and review regulatory risk across Moody’s Ratings products and services.

The role requires strong English/Chinese communication and the ability to work with external counsel and cross-functional teams. You will contribute to standard forms and training materials, assist with budgeting for legal spend, and help ensure compliance

Qualifications

• Experience in a leading international private practice law firm or relevant in-house role with general commercial and/or corporate law exposure.
• Experience working in an international environment.
• Experience working with diverse seniorities.
• Experience in drafting and negotiation.
• Experience handling regulatory matters or compliance-related issues in regulated industries (financial services, banking, etc.).
• Familiarity with using AI tools and technology-enabled solutions to improve efficiency and support legal analysis.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Strong administration, project management, and document management skills.
• Able to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Independent, self-directed, business-minded with regulatory risk awareness.
• Fluency in English and Chinese (Mandarin); additional Asian languages a plus.

Responsibilities

• Assist Senior Counsel – APAC Commercial and other Commercial Legal team members on diverse Commercial matters for Moody's Ratings.
• Draft and negotiate Moody's Ratings customer arrangements, including contracts and tenders.
• Review confidentiality, hold harmless, non-reliance and engagement letters.
• Review global Commercial sales enablement materials.
• Review new products from legal/regulatory risk perspective.
• Liaise with external counsel; assist with budgeting and legal spend.
• Develop standard forms, precedents, guidance notes, and training materials.
• Prepare and deliver presentations on legal developments to Commercial staff.
• Support other Commercial/Legal matters as needed.

Skills

International experience

General commercial law

Corporate law

Drafting and negotiation

Regulatory matters

AI tools familiarity

Interpersonal communication

Attention to detail

Project management

Independent work

Bilingual English/Chinese

Education

Law degree (LLB/JD)

Qualified to practice in Hong Kong (solicitor)

Tools

AI tools

Job description

Associate Counsel

Hong Kong

At Moody's, we unite the brightest minds to turn today’s risks into tomorrow’s opportunities. We do this by striving to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome to be who they are—with the freedom to exchange ideas, think innovatively, and listen to each other and customers in meaningful ways. Moody’s is transforming how the world sees risk. As a global leader in ratings and integrated risk assessment, we’re advancing AI to move from insight to action—enabling intelligence that not only understands complexity but responds to it. We decode risk to unlock opportunity, helping our clients navigate uncertainty with clarity, speed, and confidence.

If you are excited about this opportunity but do not meet every single requirement, please apply! You still may be a great fit for this role or other open roles. We are seeking candidates who model our values: invest in every relationship, lead with curiosity, champion diverse perspectives, turn inputs into actions, and uphold trust through integrity.

Skills and Competencies

• Experience working in a leading international private practice law firm or relevant in-house role with demonstrable experience in general commercial and/or corporate law
• Experience working in an international environment
• Experience working with a diverse range of individuals of varying seniorities
• Experience in drafting and negotiation
• Experience handling regulatory matters, advising on compliance-related issues, or working for an organization operating within a regulated industry. Candidates with exposure to financial services, credit ratings, banking, or other regulated sectors will be viewed favorably
• Experience utilizing AI tools and technology-enabled solutions to improve efficiency, support legal analysis, enhance workflows, and manage day-to-day responsibilities is also preferred
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Excellent administration, project management and document management skills
• Able to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Able to operate independently with minimal supervision
• Flexible approach: business-minded but understands fully Moody's legal and regulatory risks
• Able to quickly grasp diverse and complex issues
• Fluency in the English and Chinese (Mandarin) language. Additional Asian language skills desirable.

Education

• Strong academic record
• Law degree (LLB, JD or equivalent) and qualified to practice law in Hong Kong (solicitor), or another relevant jurisdiction

Responsibilities

This role will assist Senior Counsel – APAC Commercial and other members of the Commercial Legal team on diverse Commercial legal matters for Moody's Ratings.

• Draft and negotiate Moody's Ratings customer arrangements, including contracts, rating applications, side letters and responses to government tenders
• Review and negotiate confidentiality, hold harmless, non-reliance and engagement letters
• Review global Commercial sales enablement materials
• Review new products and services from a legal, regulatory, and risk management perspective
• Liaise with and manage external counsel on specific matters; assist with budgeting, billing and accounting for legal spend
• Develop standard forms, precedents, guidance notes, best practices and training materials
• Prepare and deliver presentations to Commercial staff on legal developments relevant to Commercial matters
• Any other Commercial/Legal matters or projects which may arise from time to time

About the Team

The Commercial Legal team at Moody's Ratings provides essential legal support across a broad range of commercial matters, partnering closely with business teams across the APAC region and beyond. We welcome applicants based in Hong Kong (other APAC locations considered).

Moody’s is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.

Candidates for Moody's Corporation may be asked to disclose securities holdings pursuant to Moody’s Policy for Securities Trading and the requirements of the position. Employment is contingent upon compliance with the Policy, including remediation of positions in those holdings as necessary.