Head of Legal, Associate General Counsel

About this role:

Wells Fargo is seeking an Associate General Counsel to lead the India and Philippines legal department. The successful candidate will be a strategic partner of the regional senior leadership team and be responsible for managing a cross-discipline team of attorneys and legal professionals. Partnering with members of the global legal department, the successful candidate will drive integration of the team into the broader legal department to provide expert legal advice and counsel to regional leaders in a way that furthers business objectives and is grounded in a firm understanding of the risk and control environment of the broader company.

In this role, you will:

• Manage a large or critical team with responsibilities which typically include one or more Assistant General Counsels supporting a complex or key client organization
• Provide substantive legal advice on a variety of laws and regulations relative to Wells Fargo
• Serve as a senior legal advisor to senior executives of a line of business or other function within Wells Fargo
• Lead team by making strategic decisions to resolve highly complex issues to meet higher risk deliverables
• Interpret and develop a range of policies and procedures for functions with moderate to higher complexity and risk
• Identify opportunities and strategies for process improvement and risk control development
• Manage and develop a specialized teams of managers and professional individual contributors with focus on delivering moderate to high complexity and risk product for stakeholders, internal partners associated with the function or affected by its outcomes
• Allocate the work and training of one or more Assistant General Counsels
• Collaborate with and influence all levels of professionals, including senior leadership
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with relevant regulatory authorities or other internal or external stakeholders
• Manage allocation of people and financial resources to ensure commitments are met and align with strategic objectives in Counsel
• Develop and guide a culture of talent development to meet business objectives and strategy

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of Law experience, or equivalent experience demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education
• 4+ years of management experience
• Active State Bar membership or the equivalent in a country outside the United States
• Experience in Law, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

Desired Qualifications:

• Law degree (LLB/LLM) from a recognized university.
• Experience in Law, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education
• Management experience.
• The Legal Head is responsible for overseeing all legal matters, ensuring compliance with local and international laws, mitigating risks, and providing strategic legal guidance to the management team.
• Provide expert legal advice to the board, executives, and business units.
• Ensure compliance with Indian/Philippine laws (e.g., Companies Act, SEC regulations, labor laws, tax laws, data privacy (Indias PDPB/DPDPA or Philippines Data Privacy Act), FEMA/RBI regulations (India), Bangko Sentral rules (Philippines), etc.).
• Monitor changes in legislation and update internal policies accordingly.
• Manage corporate secretarial functions (filings, board meetings, AGMs).
• Liaise with regulatory bodies of the region.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts (vendor agreements, NDAs, joint ventures, M&A, employment contracts).
• Handle intellectual property (trademarks, patents, copyrights).
• Represent the company in legal proceedings (courts, tribunals, arbitration).
• Manage external law firms and litigation costs.
• Identify legal risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Implement anti-corruption policies (FCPA, UKBA, Indias Prevention of Corruption Act Philippines Anti-Graft laws).
• Oversee internal investigations and whistleblower mechanisms.
• Lead due diligence, structuring, and documentation for M&A, investments, and restructuring.
• Ensure compliance with FDI rules (Indias FDI policy Philippines Foreign Investments Act).
• Advise on labor disputes, disciplinary actions, and compliance with employment laws (Indias Labor Codes Philippines Labor Code).
• Draft privacy policies and handle data breach responses.
• Strong knowledge of Indian/Philippine corporate, commercial, and regulatory laws.
• Excellent negotiation, drafting, and communication skills.
• Leadership & team management abilities.
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Familiarity with international laws (if dealing with cross-border transactions).

Job Expectations:

The Legal Head is responsible for overseeing all legal matters, ensuring compliance with local and international laws, mitigating risks, and providing strategic legal guidance to the management team.