Legal Counsel

Legal Counsel

Paris, France

We are looking for a French qualified lawyer and/or Claims expert with extensive experience of insurance coverage litigation and/or various lines of business claims handling to join our collaborative and international APAC & Europe Litigation team. The team plays a pivotal role in AXA XL’s in-house claims and legal capabilities.

As Legal Counsel, you will provide a broad range of insurance law advice to claims handlers in respect of both contentious and non-contentious matters in a wide variety of jurisdictions but with primary focus on France. You will work on both pre-litigation and litigated claims, as well as managing coverage litigation together with the claims handling team.

You will be retained on a permanent full-time basis to commence as soon as possible.

Location is in France. We encourage flexibility and the use of technology to enable you to work closely and collaboratively with both the internal clients and the team.

What will your essential responsibilities include?

1. Working with the other legal counsels
2. Developing comprehensive and high-quality coverage analyses, litigation, and settlement strategies, keeping in mind both the particulars of each case as well as its impact on the entire book of claims and the business generally. Thinking strategically about and managing claims-related litigation.
3. Outside of coverage and litigation advice, providing comprehensive general legal advice to the complex and multi-jurisdictional claims organization of AXA XL, including regulatory and claims vendor contracting matters.
4. Participating in the development of litigation management systems and processes in collaboration with other internal litigation units.
5. Overseeing the selection and management of qualified, cost-effective outside counsel and other litigation vendors; managing, directing, and actively partnering with outside counsel with respect to day-to-day file management, including the development and implementation of settlement, mediation, arbitration, or other dispute resolution strategies.
6. Serving as a subject matter expert and resource to other units across our global insurance platform by providing comprehensive and timely legal advice and training to internal stakeholders including Claims.
7. Reporting on significant case developments and litigation trends to senior management and other internal stakeholders; maintaining regular communication with internal clients and consulting on file strategy.
8. Focusing on individual and ‘book of business’ issues, including choice of law/venue and policy terms and conditions with a portfolio view of exposures and opportunities to improve the wordings.

You will report to the Head of Litigation APAC & Europe.

We’re looking for someone who has these abilities and skills:

1. Insurance coverage litigation expertise: demonstrated and longstanding track record of insurance coverage experience, including coverage litigation, arbitration and mediation gained at a top law firm. And/or Extensive claims handling expertise within insurance/reinsurance companies or broking companies.
2. Essential: qualified French lawyer with extensive first and third-party insurance coverage experience. Or In-house experience with a specialty (re)insurer and experience of managing litigation inside and outside France.
3. Essential: Proficiency in English and French.
4. Preferred but not essential: Proficiency in another European language, particularly German.
5. Research and Analysis: Possessing the knack for complete and comprehensive researching while being able to deliver crisp, targeted and on-point analysis in a fast pace environment.
6. Legal credentials: Law degree with high academic achievement and admitted to practice before the French courts.
7. Strategic thinking: Visualize what doesn’t exist and know how to get there. Can invent, design and build. Thought leader who can facilitate discussions and engage with subject matter experts.
8. Leadership skills: Demonstrate managerial courage. Coach, train, set expectations, evaluate and hold people accountable for delivering results in a highly matrixed environment.
9. Mental Agility: Innovative thinker, willing to turn ideas on their heads. Capable of handling highly complex financial data and situations.
10. Communication and negotiation: Excellent verbal and written communication, collaboration, negotiation and presentation skills. Able to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels of sophistication.
11. Passion for Results: Work tenaciously to achieve outstanding results. A bias for action. Set high standards for self and others. Act with a sense of urgency and prudence.

FIND your future

AXA XL, the P&C and specialty risk division of AXA, is known for solving complex risks. For mid-sized companies, multinationals and even some inspirational individuals we don’t just provide re/insurance, we reinvent it.

How? By combining a comprehensive and efficient capital platform, data-driven insights, leading technology, and the best talent in an agile and inclusive workspace, empowered to deliver top client service across all our lines of business property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty.

With an innovative and flexible approach to risk solutions, we partner with those who move the world forward.

Learn more at axaxl.com

Diversity & Inclusion

AXA XL is committed to equal employment opportunity and will consider applicants regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity and origins, marital status, religion, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

At AXA XL, we know that an inclusive culture and a diverse workforce enable business growth and are critical to our success. That’s why we have made a strategic commitment to attract, develop, advance and retain the most diverse workforce possible, and create an inclusive culture where everyone can bring their full selves to work and can reach their highest potential.

Learn more at axaxl.com/about-us/inclusion-and-diversity. AXA XL is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Sustainability

At AXA XL our approach to Sustainability is the same as our approach to business; constantly seeking to provide innovative solutions to the world’s most complex problems. From offering our expertise, products and services to help build more resilient communities, to advancing understanding and response to climate change, our strategy – Our Impact. Our Future. – aligns key issues that are pertinent to our business – climate, water and financial resilience - and contributes to AXA Group’s purpose to “Act for human progress by protecting what matters.”.

1. Climate: We’re reducing our carbon footprint, protecting ecosystems and exploring how our business can help build a better world.
2. Water: We’re developing water resilience where it is — and will be — needed most.
3. Financial resilience: We’re helping create opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed, so they can be better prepared for unexpected changes.
4. Hearts in Action: We have established volunteering and charitable giving programs to help colleagues support causes that matter most to them, known as our “Hearts in Action” programs.

For more information, please see the Sustainability section on our website.