Senior Legal Counsel/Legal Head - CS/LLB/LLM

ROLE SUMMARY

Company: Gorilla Technology India Private Limited

Role: Senior Legal Counsel / Head - Legal (India)

Location: Chennai / NCR, India

Experience: Minimum 15-20 Years of relevant post-qualification experience

Employment Type: Full-Time

Function: Legal / Corporate Legal / Compliance

Industry Preference: Technology / SaaS / Telecom / AI / Digital Infrastructure / Data Centres / Smart City / Multinational Environment

JOB DESCRIPTION

About the Company

Gorilla Technology is a global provider of security intelligence, network intelligence, business intelligence, IoT, smart city and AI-led technology solutions. The organisation is also expanding its capabilities across AI infrastructure, high-performance computing and data-centre solutions, supporting scalable, secure and mission-critical digital infrastructure.

Role Overview

The Senior Legal Counsel / Head - Legal will serve as the senior-most India-based legal advisor and take ownership of the legal agenda for India operations while supporting cross-border business activities. The role requires a senior legal professional capable of advising executive leadership, independently handling high-value and complex commercial negotiations, managing corporate governance and compliance, supporting strategic transactions and overseeing disputes, technology-related legal matters and infrastructure projects. This is a hands-on leadership position requiring strong commercial judgement, technical legal depth and the ability to drive complex matters to closure.

Key Responsibilities

Legal Leadership & Executive Advisory

- Act as the principal legal adviser for India operations and senior legal partner to executive leadership and functional heads.

- Own the end-to-end India legal agenda, including prioritisation, escalation, legal risk reporting and decision support.

- Provide commercially grounded recommendations on complex legal and regulatory matters.

- Advise leadership during major negotiations, regulatory matters, disputes and business expansion.

Commercial Contracts & Major Projects

- Lead drafting, review, negotiation and closure of complex and high-value commercial agreements.

- Handle MSAs, SOWs, procurement agreements, NDAs, SaaS and technology contracts, software/IP licences, professional services agreements, reseller/channel agreements, partnerships and project documentation.

- Support contracting for AI infrastructure, HPC, telecommunications, network infrastructure, smart cities and data-centre projects.

- Advise on SLAs, warranties, indemnities, liability, insurance, IP, confidentiality, data use, termination and dispute-resolution provisions.

- Personally lead critical commercial negotiations with customers, vendors, infrastructure partners and other stakeholders.

Corporate Governance, Secretarial Oversight & Compliance

- Oversee corporate governance and statutory compliance for Indian operations.

- Manage board/shareholder matters, corporate records, approvals, delegated authorities, related-party matters and intercompany arrangements.

- Coordinate with company secretarial resources and external advisers.

- Establish legal/compliance policies, approval matrices, contract-signing protocols and statutory calendars.

- Provide legal and compliance guidance to Finance, HR, Procurement, Operations and business teams.

Strategic Transactions & Cross-Border Matters

- Lead/support M&A, investments, joint ventures, strategic alliances, restructuring and financing initiatives.

- Handle legal due diligence, structuring, transaction documentation and post-closing actions.

- Advise on cross-border corporate and commercial matters involving multiple jurisdictions.

- Identify legal and regulatory issues involving foreign investment, trade, export controls, sanctions, licensing and competition law.

Disputes, Investigations & Risk Management

- Own strategy for material litigation, arbitration, regulatory enquiries, legal notices, claims and settlements.

- Advise on employment-related legal matters, senior employee issues, investigations and separations.

- Maintain legal risk registers and mitigation/escalation mechanisms.

- Support ethics and compliance initiatives including anti-bribery, whistleblowing, conflicts of interest and third-party risk.

Technology, Data, Cybersecurity & Intellectual Property

- Advise on intellectual property ownership/licensing, software development, open-source use, AI-related contractual issues and technology commercialisation.

- Provide guidance on data protection, cybersecurity, information security and technology-risk requirements.

- Partner with Product, Technology, Security and Compliance teams to embed legal requirements into products and contracts.

- Support protection and enforcement of intellectual property and confidential information.

Legal Operations & External Counsel Management

- Establish contract templates, clause libraries, negotiation playbooks and approval workflows.

- Manage external law firms, specialist advisers and company secretarial support.

- Build and mentor internal legal capability while remaining hands-on with complex legal work.

- Improve legal reporting, documentation standards, turnaround times and governance processes.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

- LL.B. from a recognised university with eligibility to practise law in India.

- Minimum 15 years of relevant post-qualification experience in corporate and commercial law.

- Significant experience as a senior in-house legal adviser / Legal Head / senior legal counsel.

- Proven experience independently drafting and negotiating sophisticated, high-value commercial, technology and/or infrastructure agreements.

- Strong knowledge of corporate governance, statutory compliance, regulatory advisory, disputes, legal risk management and cross-border transactions.

- Ability to personally review and negotiate documents rather than operating only as a coordinator of external counsel.

- Strong written and verbal English communication skills.

- LL.M. or Company Secretary qualification would be an added advantage.

Preferred Experience

- Technology, SaaS, telecommunications, AI, HPC, digital infrastructure, data centres or smart-city sectors.

- Government/public-sector, critical infrastructure or large-scale project contracts.

- Listed-company governance and internal controls.

- M&A, JVs, financing, investments, restructuring and strategic partnerships.

- Multinational and cross-border legal exposure.

KEY SKILLS

Corporate & Commercial Law | Legal Leadership | Commercial Contract Negotiation | Technology Contracts | SaaS Agreements | Corporate Governance | Regulatory Compliance | M&A | Joint Ventures | Cross-Border Transactions | Litigation & Arbitration | Legal Risk Management | Data Privacy | Cybersecurity Law | Intellectual Property | AI & Technology Law | Infrastructure Contracts | External Counsel Management | Executive Advisory