Legal Counsel (f/m/d)

About the role

What if your work could drive change in a globally established industry, shaping processes that touch every corner of the world? At Forto, we are at the forefront of change, harnessing the power of AI to revolutionise logistics. We want to reinvent digital supply chains to be transparent, frictionless and sustainable. From day one, our mission has been to simplify global trade - creating a seamless and efficient logistics process. As one of our Legal Counsel, you will be the primary legal architect ensuring our digital freight forwarding operations remain robust, compliant, and risk resilient. This isn't just a "paperwork" role; you will be deeply embedded in the business, managing the friction points of international logistics; from chasing down outstanding debt to steering high-stakes litigation with external advisors. You'll balance a "get it done" operational mindset with the strategic foresight needed to build scalable processes that protect our bottom line without slowing down our growth.

Responsibilities

• Operational Legal Support: Provide daily guidance on freight forwarding issues (Incoterms, Bills of Lading, Liens, and carrier liability) to our operations and sales teams.
• Process Engineering & Risk Mitigation: Collaborate with a variety of internal stakeholders to design and implement automated risk-management workflows. You will proactively identify "leakage" points and create processes to mitigate them.
• Debt Collection & Recovery: Take the lead on managing overdue accounts, coordinating with finance teams, and executing legal strategies to recover outstanding payments across multiple jurisdictions.
• Litigation Management: Act as the primary point of contact for external law firms. You will oversee cargo claims, carrier disputes, and commercial litigation, ensuring external spend is optimized and cases are resolved efficiently.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Work cross-functionally with Finance, Tech, Operations, and Sales to ensure legal protocols are understood and followed, driving a culture of cost-efficiency and risk awareness.
• Contract Review: Review, draft and negotiate complex logistics service agreements, agency agreements, and vendor contracts.
• Required Skills and Experience
• Legally Qualified: You hold a law degree ( Zweites Staatsexamen ) and are admitted to practice in Germany.
• Experienced: You have 3-4 years PQE, preferably within the logistics, maritime, or freight forwarding industry.
• Digitally Savvy: You are comfortable working in a fast-paced tech environment and understand how legal processes can be enhanced through automation.
• A Master Communicator: You can translate "legalese" into actionable advice for non-legal colleagues.
• Commercially Minded: You don't just say "no"; you find the "how" while ensuring the company is protected.
• Why work with us?

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