EMEA M&A Legal - Assistant General Counsel (all genders)

Job Description

The EMEA Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Legal Practice Group advises on strategic advisory and corporate finance matters for the Global Investment Bank (GIB), partnering closely with Debt Capital Markets (DCM) and Equity Capital Markets (ECM). The Frankfurt team supports J.P. Morgan SE on M&A advisory mandates and related corporate finance topics, coordinating closely with colleagues across EMEA and globally. This role sits within EMEA Corporate and Investment Bank Legal and reports to Global Investment Bank Legal, Frankfurt. In addition to M&A advisory coverage, it provides secondary support to a senior lawyer on general corporate lending (large and mid‑cap) and offers exposure to bilateral and syndicated lending, including investment‑grade, emerging markets, direct lending, leveraged and acquisition finance, structured lending, restructurings, and distressed debt – ensuring aligned documentation standards and risk controls across products.

As an Assistant general Counsel within the EMEA Legal team, you will be supporting the EMEA M&A business. You will have day‑to‑day interaction with M&A, Industry and Country Coverage bankers and Client Executives, and coordination with control partners and product‑aligned Legal teams.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide counsel to M&A, Industry and Country Coverage teams across EMEA (with a particular focus on Germany) on transaction structuring and advisory mandates.
• Review, advise on and negotiate key documentation (e.g., engagement letters, confidentiality agreements), including conflicts management and information‑barrier (MNPI) considerations.
• Attend valuation and fairness opinion committees on behalf of M&A Legal; review valuation and fairness opinions for process and disclosure, escalating issues as appropriate.
• Liaise with business teams, Risk, Compliance, and DCM/ECM/Lending Legal to set and maintain documentation standards and practice guidelines; monitor legal, regulatory and documentation developments affecting advisory and capital markets activities.
• Coordinate with external counsel on cross‑border matters; define scope, deliverables and efficiencies balancing client needs and firm priorities.
• Provide secondary support to Lending Legal on general corporate lending and acquisition finance interfaces related to M&A transactions; align with LMA‑based standards and control requirements where applicable.
• Contribute to knowledge management (templates, playbooks, FAQs) and share know‑how with colleagues locally and globally; deliver training to business partners, control functions and Legal colleagues on M&A advisory topics (e.g., conflicts, MNPI handling, committee processes).
• Participate in Legal and firm‑wide projects to improve processes, enhance operational excellence, and strengthen the control framework across advisory and corporate finance activities.

Required qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• Previous strong experience in M&A/corporate law at a leading international law firm or in‑house legal team at an investment bank; domestic and cross‑border deal execution experience; familiarity with corporate finance interfaces.
• Effective collaboration across product areas (M&A, DCM, ECM, Lending), control partners and external counsel.
• Familiar with European LMA lending documentation; experienced in drafting, reviewing, analyzing German‑law contracts and producing summaries/abstracts.
• Strong work ethic and organizational skills; ability to work independently and manage a high volume of matters in a fast‑paced environment.
• Sound legal judgment balancing enablement and risk; strong interpersonal, analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Clear, concise drafting and negotiation with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in German and English.
• Detail‑oriented and results‑driven; comfortable with ambiguity and able to apply existing skills to new subject areas.
• Licensed to practice German-law and in good standing in the jurisdiction of the role, or compliant with applicable in‑house counsel registration requirements.

Preferred qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• Familiarity with European advisory and capital markets considerations (e.g., conflicts management, MNPI handling, committee processes); experience with German law contract documentation.
• Experience with LMA‑based general corporate lending and acquisition finance documentation.

About Us

J.P. Morgan is a global leader in financial services, providing strategic advice and products to the world’s most prominent corporations, governments, wealthy individuals and institutional investors. Our first-class business in a first-class way approach to serving clients drives everything we do. We strive to build trusted, long-term partnerships to help our clients achieve their business objectives.

We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. We also make reasonable accommodations for applicants’ and employees’ religious practices and beliefs, as well as mental health or physical disability needs. Visit our FAQs for more information about requesting an accommodation.

About the Team

Our professionals in our Corporate Functions cover a diverse range of areas from finance and risk to human resources and marketing. Our corporate teams are an essential part of our company, ensuring that we’re setting our businesses, clients, customers and employees up for success.

With large, global operations, the Legal team tackles complex issues and helps shape the regulations that affect the businesses. The group is organized into practice groups that align with the lines of business and corporate staff areas, which encourages collaboration on legal, regulatory and business developments as they arise.