Legal Counsel

POSITION SUMMARY

Purpose

Collaborate with the Senior Counsel in Taiwan to manage the Company's legal risks, deliver compliance training and legal guidance, oversee corporate governance matters, and effectively handle litigation and debt collection processes.

Nature and Scope

Air Products Asia market represents a significant investment area, with Taiwan operations expanding rapidly and expected to experience substantial growth over the next five years. This position plays a critical role in supporting that growth by providing timely, practical, and strategic legal advice to various business functions and joint ventures in Taiwan.

The job holder will serve as Legal Counsel for Air Products San Fu Co., Ltd. (Company) and will report directly to the Senior Counsel in Taiwan. This role is responsible for providing timely and comprehensive legal support, as well as practical and strategic guidance, to various functions of the Company and its joint ventures in Taiwan.

A primary responsibility of the job holder is to manage risks associated with contracts and related transaction documents across different product lines, governmental authorities, vendors, and business partners. The job holder will communicate with stakeholders to understand their needs, ensure that key issues are addressed in transaction documents, explain contract language, and advise on potential risks. Additionally, the job holder will continuously assist teams in developing and refining standard templates based on real business challenges. This requires frequent dialogue with stakeholders and strong persuasive skills, both internally and externally. The Legal Counsel will actively participate in negotiations with customers, suppliers, and authorities, supporting business objectives and guiding discussions where legal input is necessary. The role also demands the ability to reality check proposals and positions to prevent unrealistic assumptions, while maintaining effective relationships. Furthermore, the job holder is expected to contribute to building a systematic and accessible repository of legal knowledge and precedents for Taiwan and the Asian market as part of the global law group's knowledge management archive.

Another key responsibility is to handle corporate governance matters for the Company and its joint ventures in accordance with Taiwanese laws and the Group's policies and procedures. This includes reviewing corporate formation documents executed with partners, advising on appropriate corporate actions and procedures, organizing periodic and ad-hoc shareholders and board meetings, preparing meeting materials with assistance from corporate agents and/or accounting firms, and liaising with corporate agents and internal functions to prepare and collect corporate registration documents.

The job holder will also provide training and legal guidance to employees on compliance topics such as competition law, code of conduct (including conflicts of interest), and protection of confidential information. This involves close collaboration with other support functions (e.g., HR, EHS, Global Asset Protection Team) to ensure compliance with local laws and Group policies.

In addition, the job holder will collect and review documents and evidence from the Commercial team, gather relevant information, and coordinate with external counsel to develop strategies for handling potential disputes and ongoing litigation. The goal is to minimize the Company's liability and losses while securing the best possible position. The job holder will also work with the debt collection team and commercial teams for certain product lines to manage the debt collection process, prepare materials for legal proceedings, and engage external counsel for litigation when necessary.

This role requires strong teamwork and communication skills, while maintaining legal professionalism in a dynamic and challenging environment. The job holder must have proven experience and the ability to operate independently under the guidance of the Senior Counsel in Taiwan, with minimal supervision and support from global and regional headquarters.

Responsibilities

1. Review and/or draft contracts and relevant documents to be executed with clients, vendors, governmental authorities and/or business partners; identify and assess legal issues involved therein, and provide stakeholders with strategic solutions and/or risk mitigation plans.
2. Conduct comprehensive legal research and deliver in-depth legal analysis on legal or compliance-related matters.
3. Provide periodical or non-periodical trainings to employees for compliance subjects (such as competition law, code of conduct including conflicts of interest, protection of confidential information, etc.) and strengthen the foundational legal knowledge of departments that are heavily involved in contract negotiations.
4. Advise the Board and the senior leadership team on corporate actions for the Company and its joint venture; plan and execute detailed procedures to ensure compliance with local legislation, the incorporation documents of the Company and its joint ventures and the Group's corporate governance policies; prepare meeting materials and corporate registration materials together with the external corporate agent and other internal functions.
5. Collaborate closely with various departments to deliver practical, actionable legal solutions and plans for ongoing projects.
6. Collect and review information provided by the Commercial team to prepare litigation materials; manage the debt collection process for certain product lines in coordination with the debt collection team and commercial team.

Qualifications

1. Willingness to travel in Taiwan. Bachelor's or Master's degree in Law; admission to the Taiwan Bar or U.S. Bar is required.
2. 710 years of experience as an in-house counsel, in courts, or at top-tier law firms in Taiwan, or a combination thereof; preference for candidates with both transactional and litigation expertise.
3. Extensive knowledge of Taiwanese legal framework, legislation, and practice; familiarity with the Company Act and related rulings.
4. Experience in handling corporate governance matters for non-listed companies with joint venture structures is preferred.
5. Strong legal expertise with proven ability to negotiate and draft contracts and communicate legal and business advice effectively and promptly.
6. Ability to integrate into a multinational corporate culture.
7. Excellent command of spoken and written English.
8. Self-motivated, with the ability to engage with senior management and work closely with the Senior Counsel in Taiwan.
9. Willingness to travel within Taiwan.