Legal Counsel (Commercial)

Summary

We are looking for a commercially-minded attorney with 3+ years of post-qualification experience (PQE) to join our APAC legal team, supporting Guidewire's business in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and other regions in APAC. In this role, you will focus on critical SaaS insurance and financial services contracting, acting as a strategic partner who balances legal rigor with business agility.

Location: Tokyo-based is preferred. The position may be remote, but the candidate should preferably be based in Japan to facilitate frequent on-location negotiations across Japan and Australia. Qualified candidates based in Australia will also be considered.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Contract Management: Draft and negotiate complex IT/SaaS agreements, as well as licensing and professional services agreements, and partner and subcontracting arrangements.
• RFPs and Tenders: Support RFPs, tenders and other procurement activities run by regulated and government customers. 
• Regulatory Compliance: Maintain a strong understanding of data privacy regulations, specifically Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) and the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020. Familiarity with financial industry-specific requirements, such as APRA Prudential Standards CPS 230 (Operational Risk Management) and CPS 234 (Information Security), and Japan Financial Services Agency (FSA) guidelines, is a plus.
• Advisory: Provide actionable legal advice to internal stakeholders regarding SaaS commercial contracts within the insurance and financial sectors.
• Cross-Border Support: Assist with cross-border transactions by bridging legal requirements between Japan, Australia, New Zealand and other APAC jurisdictions and North American jurisdictions.

Required Background

• Education: Must be a qualified attorney (e.g., admitted as a bengoshi in Japan or as a lawyer/solicitor in an Australian jurisdiction) with at least 3+ years of PQE. 
• Languages: Native-level or equivalent fluency in Japanese and fluent English are mandatory requirements, or business-level Japanese is acceptable for Australian candidates, with proficiency in other Asian languages is considered a plus.
• Expertise: A background in SaaS and data privacy is required, and some knowledge of financial regulations is highly preferred.

Mindset & Adaptability

• Outlook is key: We are seeking a true team player with a commercial “can-do” attitude who is capable of simplifying complex legal risks.
• The ideal candidate must be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with evolving regulatory landscapes.

About Guidewire

Guidewire is the platform P&C insurers trust to engage, innovate, and grow efficiently. We combine digital, core, analytics, and AI to deliver our platform as a cloud service. More than 540+ insurers in 40 countries, from new ventures to the largest and most complex in the world, run on Guidewire.

As a partner to our customers, we continually evolve to enable their success. We are proud of our unparalleled implementation track record with 1600+ successful projects, supported by the largest R&D team and partner ecosystem in the industry. Our Marketplace provides hundreds of applications that accelerate integration, localization, and innovation.

For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com and follow us on Twitter: @Guidewire_PandC.

Guidewire Software, Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to an inclusive workplace, and believe that a diversity of perspectives, abilities, and cultures is a key to our success. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability. All offers are contingent upon passing a criminal history and other background checks where it's applicable to the position.

Guidewire is proud to be a disability inclusive employer. We are committed to providing individualized accommodations and support to candidates for any part of our hiring process. If you think you may need disability-related accommodations, please email EmployAbility at accommodations-gw@employ-ability.org.uk, our disability partner, or schedule a call with an EmployAbility expert (calendar booking slot) for a confidential conversation.