Group Legal Counsel Expert - Litigation & Criminal Risk

Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group, a global leader in shipping and logistics, serves more than 420 ports around the world on five continents. With its subsidiary CEVA Logistics, a world leader in logistics, and its air freight division CMA CGM AIR CARGO, the CMA CGM Group is continually innovating to offer its customers a complete and increasingly efficient range of new shipping, land, air and logistics solutions. Committed to the energy transition in shipping, and a pioneer in the use of alternative fuels, the CMA CGM Group has set a target to become Net Zero Carbon by 2050.
Through the CMA CGM Foundation, the Group acts in humanitarian crises that require an emergency response by mobilizing the Group’s shipping and logistics expertise to bring humanitarian supplies around the world.

Present in 160 countries through its network of more than 400 offices and 750 warehouses, the Group employs more than 155,000 people worldwide, including 4,000 in Marseilles where its head office is located.

YOUR ROLE

Within the Group's Legal Department, the Litigation & Criminal Risk Control Counsel handles significant litigation affecting the Group's activities, in France and internationally. He/she contributes to the identification, prevention and control of litigation risks, with particular expertise in business criminal law.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? 

1. Litigation

• Steer the monitoring of criminal, civil, administrative and commercial proceedings involving the Group, its subsidiaries or its executives.
• Manage the portfolio of pre-litigation and litigation cases, and produce regular reports for the Legal Department and Executive Management.
• Define litigation strategy based on financial, legal and reputational stakes.
• Coordinate the Group's response to judicial requisitions, summonses, interviews, searches, preliminary investigations and judicial inquiries, in close liaison with external counsel.
• Contribute to crisis management when a sensitive case attracts media coverage, in coordination with the Communications Department.

2. Criminal risk control and securing of public partnerships

• Support the Group in its relations with public entities connected with the development of its activities.
• Protect the Group and its executives from criminal risk.
• Design and lead criminal risk awareness sessions for the sales, editorial, events and public affairs teams.
• Review, secure and negotiate partnership agreements between the Group's media and public or quasi-public entities: ministries, local and regional authorities, public establishments, administrative authorities, public operators or para-public institutions.
• Provide the legal qualification of contemplated transactions and check the consistency of the selected contractual structure (corporate philanthropy, sponsorship, grants, objective-based agreements, service contracts, public procurement).
• Issue a criminal risk opinion prior to the commitment of any partnership presenting a sensitive profile.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

• Master 2 in law, ideally in business criminal law, business litigation or public business law.
• Qualified lawyer (French bar admission / CAPA) with significant experience in a criminal law firm or in business litigation.
• Minimum 5 to 10 years' professional experience, gained in a law firm specializing in business criminal law, a litigation legal department, a prosecution or regulatory authority, or a company highly exposed to inspections and investigations.
• Proven command of French criminal procedure and proceedings.
• Experience in the media, audiovisual or communications sector is a plus.
• In-depth expertise in business criminal law, public criminal law and criminal procedure.
• Sound knowledge of anti-corruption frameworks and the associated compliance mechanisms.
• Ability to steer complex litigation in coordination with external counsel.
• Strong contract law skills, enabling the review of sensitive partnership agreements.
• Fluent professional French and English.

Come along on CMA CGM’s adventure !