Temporary Associate General Counsel, Maternity Cover (Legal & Compliance)

Location: Paris, France. Temporary maternity-cover contract starting in February 2027 for 6 months.

Company

Sotheby’s is a global auction, private sales and retail business dealing in art, luxury objects and related financial services across 40 countries.

What you will do

• Lead the Paris Legal Department and provide commercial legal support across France, Belgium and Monaco.
• Draft and negotiate auction, private sales, marketing, vendor, procurement and operations agreements.
• Advise on corporate matters, licensing, digital activities, new initiatives, deal structures and legal or reputational risks.
• Handle local claims, disputes and restitution matters while supporting the global Litigation team.
• Draft and maintain contracts, business conditions, client documentation, compliance policies and procedures.
• Train employees, supervise external law firms, manage the external legal budget and improve legal processes through playbooks and scalable workflows.

Requirements

• French-qualified lawyer with approximately 8–10 years of post-qualification experience.
• Fluency in French and English is required; the ability to provide clear guidance in plain French and/or plain English is essential.
• Ability to work across multiple time zones and jurisdictions, independently and with external counsel.
• Commercially pragmatic approach, strong judgment and ability to assess legal and reputational risk.
• Strong work ethic, attention to detail and ability to multitask, prioritize and manage demanding deadlines.
• Exceptional drafting, communication, analytical and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively and independently with individuals at all organizational levels.
• Highest degree of integrity, ethical judgment and professionalism.

Nice to have

• Art industry experience.
• In-house legal experience.
• One or more European languages in addition to English and French.
• Curiosity about new areas of law and business opportunities, with willingness to learn.

Culture & Benefits

• Six-month temporary maternity-cover assignment in a dynamic, fast-paced global company.
• Work involves collaboration with global Legal, Litigation and Compliance teams.
• Opportunity to support a broad commercial business across three jurisdictions and multiple legal disciplines.
• Equal opportunity employment and consideration in accordance with applicable law.