ED, Commodities Attorney

474 MS Services Group, Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 165,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan Stanley is seeking an Attorney in Commodities Sales & Trading to provide legal and regulatory coverage for physical and financial commodities trading across energy, metals, power and environmental products. The Vice President level position supports trading businesses with a focus on transaction structure, regulatory analysis and risk management.

You will draft and negotiate trading documentation, advise on U.S.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school with bar admission in good standing.
• 6+ years of experience in commodities, energy, and derivatives.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day legal coverage for physical and financial commodities trading.
• Draft, review, and negotiate commodities trading documentation, including master agreements and confirmations.
• Advise on U.S. commodities regulatory matters (FERC, CFTC, CEA) and state regulations.
• Assess regulatory risk for new products, trading strategies, and counterparties.
• Support responses to regulatory inquiries and examinations with Compliance and Risk.
• Provide legal support for trading activity under RTO and ISO market rules.
• Advise on participation requirements and settlement mechanics in organized wholesale electricity markets.
• Coordinate with traders, originators, structurers, Compliance, and Risk on legal issues; manage external counsel.

Skills

Regulatory analysis

Negotiation skills

Legal drafting

Communication

Education

J.D. from accredited law school

Job description

We're seeking someone to join our team as an Attorney in Commodities Sales & Trading providing legal and regulatory coverage for physical and financial commodities trading activities. The role supports trading businesses across energy, metals, power and environmental products, with a strong focus on transaction structure, regulatory analysis and risk identification. In the Legal & Compliance division, we assist the Firm in achieving its business objectives by facilitating and overseeing the Firm's management of legal, regulatory and franchise risk. This is a Vice President level position within Legal Commodities Sales & Trading.

What You’ll Do:

• Provide day-to-day legal coverage for physical and financial commodities trading.
• Draft, review, and negotiate commodities trading documentation, including master agreements, confirmations, and bespoke agreements.
• Advise on U.S. commodities regulatory matters, including the Commodity Exchange Act, FERC, CFTC and state regulations, exemptions, and interpretive guidance
• Assess regulatory risk associated with new products, trading strategies, and counterparties.
• Support responses to regulatory inquiries and examinations, in coordination with Compliance and other stakeholders
• Provide legal support for trading activity conducted under RTO and ISO tariffs and market rules.
• Advise on participation requirements, tariff-based trading structures, and settlement mechanics in organized wholesale electricity markets
• Analyze interaction between FERC-regulated markets and the Commodity Exchange Act, including applicable exemptions and regulatory relief
• Act as a key legal advisor to commodities trading businesses while maintaining appropriate independence
• Coordinate closely with traders, originators, structurers, Compliance, and Risk on legal and regulatory issues
• Management of external counsel

Required

• J.D. from an accredited law school; bar admission in good standing.
• 6+ years of relevant experience in commodities, energy, and derivatives
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. commodities regulatory frameworks (FERC, CFTC and state regulation).
• Ability to operate efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced, deal-driven environment
• Excellent communication, drafting and negotiation skills
• Demonstrated record of sound legal judgment

Preferred

• Familiarity with RTO/ISO market rules and organized power markets.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what’s best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work. To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices into your browser.

Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $165,000 and $275,000 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background. Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents. Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences.

For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo.

At Morgan Stanley, we advise, originate, trade, manage and distribute capital for people, governments and institutions, always with a standard of excellence and guided by our core values. Morgan Stanley is dedicated to providing first-class service to our clients, in a way that reflects our commitment to creating a more sustainable future and fostering stronger communities around the world. In each line of business, we strive to demonstrate our belief in the power of transformative thinking, innovative strategies and leading-edge solutions—and in the ability of capital to work for the benefit of all society.