Legal Counsel – Privacy & Regulatory

An exciting opportunity to join the Office of General Counsel at a top-tier full-service law firm with a global footprint. This role sits at the heart of the firm's response to the most dynamic legal issues of the day—privacy, data protection, artificial intelligence, and cyber security—and offers a unique blend of strategic advisory work and hands-on operational engagement.

Reporting to the Head of Legal, you will provide commercially focused legal advice to the firm, helping shape its privacy and data protection framework, and ensuring its practices and policies align with applicable laws, including the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Beyond advisory work, you will play a key role in incident response, supplier and client contract reviews, and firm-wide compliance initiatives.

This role is ideal for a lawyer with a passion for evolving technology regulation and the drive to influence stakeholders across the business. You will operate with autonomy while enjoying the support of a collaborative team, moving seamlessly between operational and strategic priorities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Advising on the development and implementation of privacy and data protection policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and client expectations.
• Auditing and reviewing existing privacy and data protection practices and identifying improvements.
• Providing advice on firm documentation, including privacy statements, websites, email disclaimers, and terms of engagement.
• Offering risk management advice on related areas such as artificial intelligence, anti-money laundering, and counter-terrorism financing, aligned with data protection and privacy obligations.
• Reviewing supplier and client agreements for key privacy, data protection, AI, AML, and other regulatory terms.
• Contributing to cyber security incident responses and managing data breaches, including those involving personal information.
• Supporting General Counsel reporting to the Executive Team on privacy matters across the firm's operations.
• Establishing a central repository for privacy and data protection knowledge and materials.
• Assisting with integration projects, including the design, testing, and implementation of new software and processes.
• Preparing education sessions and internal/external communications.

To succeed in this role, you will bring:

• At least 3 years' legal experience, or equivalent gained in a similar organisation.
• Demonstrated experience with privacy and data protection matters.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to proactively identify issues and provide business-focused solutions.
• Excellent relationship-building and influencing skills to engage key stakeholders.
• A flexible, proactive attitude and the capacity to manage multiple priorities.