Group Legal Counsel Expert - Litigation & Criminal Risk

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.