Legal Counsel - Commercial

Freshworks is looking for a proactive, sharp, and experienced Commercial Counsel to join our legal team. The ideal candidate will provide clear, practical legal advice across a broad spectrum of commercial transactions and regulatory matters, including developing innovative programs, frameworks, and agreements. This role involves close collaboration with internal stakeholders, particularly within Sales, Finance, Deals Desk, and Professional Services. We seek a thoughtful, creative, and team-oriented professional who thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic, and intellectually stimulating environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead drafting, review, and negotiation of a wide range of commercial agreements, including cloud (SaaS), channel, reseller, managed services, marketplace, data protection, and professional services contracts.

• Manage complex negotiations with clients, vendors, and partners, ensuring compliance with global data privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA.

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve contract templates, standardized clauses, and legal playbooks to streamline contracting processes across multiple jurisdictions.

• Collaborate closely with global legal and business teams to enhance legal operations and ensure alignment with company policies and compliance requirements.

• Partner with Sales, Finance, Deals Desk, and Professional Services teams to expedite transactions, support efficient vendor onboarding, and facilitate seamless contract review processes.

• Work with technical and product teams to address specialized legal considerations including cybersecurity, open source licensing, and AI/ML regulatory compliance.

• Provide strategic legal counsel to senior management on compliance, risk mitigation, corporate governance, and business strategy.Qualifications

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor s degree in law with excellent academic performance.

• 6+ years of experience as a commercial transactions attorney at a leading law firm or in-house legal department, preferably with multinational company exposure.

• Proven expertise in drafting, negotiating, and managing complex commercial contracts including SaaS, partner/channel, vendor, and data processing agreements.

• Strong ability to apply sound, practical business judgment and creatively address complex legal matters with sensible, business-oriented solutions.

• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across functions and cultures.

• Experience working across multiple time zones and with remote, global teams.

• Solid understanding of business processes related to commercial contracts, intellectual property, international data privacy (GDPR, CCPA), and data protection laws.

• Familiarity with legal technology tools such as contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems, e-signature platforms, or legal automation tools is a plus.

• Demonstrated success in working alongside technical, product, and compliance teams to address specialized legal considerations including cybersecurity, open source licensing, and AI regulations.

• Highly responsive and service-oriented with a strong work ethic, accountability, and professionalism.

• Ability to work under tight deadlines with close attention to detail.

• Proven ability to build strong, collaborative relationships with non-legal business partners and work effectively within team settings.