Legal Counsel - Pacific

Relx Plc; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

LexisNexis is seeking an experienced Legal Counsel – Pacific for Australia and New Zealand. You will negotiate contracts, advise on commercial risk and work with AI-enabled products in a fast-paced environment.

You’ll collaborate with stakeholders across the region, manage end-to-end matters, and contribute to technology-driven legal delivery while supporting key business projects and product initiatives.

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ PQE and admission to practice in Australia or New Zealand, with current practicing certificate or eligibility
• Strong commercial contracting experience: drafting, reviewing and negotiating agreements
• Experience in top-tier or multinational in-house/corporate or big law firm environments
• Ability to manage matters independently and exercise sound judgement
• Experience using generative AI tools in legal work to improve workflows

Responsibilities

• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements
• Negotiate directly with customers, suppliers and counterparties
• Provide practical, commercially focused legal advice balancing risk and business objectives
• Build relationships with senior stakeholders across ANZ
• Support AI-enabled products and technology initiatives; develop templates and guidance
• Deliver legal training and manage disputes with external counsel as needed

Skills

PQE 5+ years

Commercial contracting

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Generative AI in legal work

Tools

Generative AI tools

Job description

Australia or New Zealand | Permanent, Full-time | Flexible Working or Fully Remote

About the role

This is an opportunity for an experienced commercial lawyer to join LexisNexis and work at the intersection of law, technology and AI. As Legal Counsel – Pacific, you’ll provide practical, commercially focused legal advice across the Australian and New Zealand businesses, managing a broad range of matters from end to end with a high degree of autonomy. You’ll work closely with business stakeholders and be trusted to negotiate contracts, assess commercial risk and help the business move forward with confidence. It’s a varied, fast-paced role where no two days will necessarily look the same. You’ll have exposure to everything from customer and supplier agreements to content licensing, technology and new product initiatives, including AI-enabled products.

What you’ll be doing

• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including B2B customer agreements, content licences, supplier and technology agreements.
• Negotiate directly with customers, suppliers and other counterparties.
• Provide clear, practical and commercially focused legal advice while balancing legal risk with business objectives.
• Build strong relationships with senior business stakeholders across Australia and New Zealand.
• Support key business projects, new products and technology initiatives, including AI-enabled solutions.
• Use generative AI and legal technology to improve the efficiency and quality of legal service delivery.
• Develop templates, playbooks and practical guidance to support the wider business.
• Deliver legal training and participate in legal clinics.
• Support disputes and pre-litigation matters and manage external counsel where required.
• Collaborate with legal colleagues across the Pacific and internationally.

About you

You’re a commercially minded lawyer who enjoys being close to the business and is comfortable taking ownership of matters rather than simply identifying legal issues. Ideally, you’ll bring:

• 5+ years’ PQE and admission to practice in Australia or New Zealand, with a current practicing certificate or eligibility to obtain one.
• Strong commercial contracting experience, particularly drafting, reviewing and negotiating agreements.
• Experience gained within a top-tier, national or international law firm and/or a large corporate or multinational in-house legal team.
• The confidence to manage matters independently and sound judgement around when to elevate.
• Strong stakeholder management, drafting and negotiation skills.
• Practical experience using generative AI tools in legal work, whether for research, drafting, review or improving workflows.
• A commercially pragmatic mindset and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-moving environment.
• Curiosity, adaptability and an appetite to work with a business experiencing ongoing technology and product transformation.

Experience in technology, intellectual property, competition and consumer law, content licensing, SaaS, AI or legal technology would be advantageous, but you don’t need to tick every box.

Why join us?

This role offers a chance to move beyond traditional legal advisory work and become a genuine commercial partner to the business. You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Work with an international legal technology and AI business where technology is changing both the products we build and the way legal work is delivered.
• Build broad commercial experience across a diverse Australian and New Zealand business.
• Take genuine ownership of matters and develop the stakeholder management skills needed for your next career step.
• Work alongside specialist legal colleagues across areas including employment, privacy and IP, as well as regional and global teams.
• Use and develop your skills with AI and legal technology in your day-to-day legal practice.
• Connect with the broader APAC legal team, including an annual team get-together involving international travel.

The role offers flexible working and can be based across Australia or New Zealand, excluding Perth due to the time-zone requirements of the team.

About LexisNexis

LexisNexis is a global leader in legal technology and AI, helping legal professionals make better decisions, work more efficiently and deliver better outcomes for their clients and organisations. We combine trusted legal content and expertise with innovative technologies, including generative AI, to transform how legal work gets done. Our products and solutions support customers across law firms, corporations, government and other organisations around the world. As part of a global business, you’ll join an environment that brings together law, technology, data and AI, with opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across Australia, New Zealand and internationally.

We are committed to providing a fair and accessible hiring process. If you have a disability or other need that requires accommodation or adjustment, please let us know by completing our Applicant Request Support Form or please contact 1-855-833-5120.

We are an equal opportunity employer: qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, disability status, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. USA Job Seekers: EEO Know Your Rights.