- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Senior
- Compensation
- $154,000–264,750/year
- Department
- Legal & Compliance
- Posted
- Sep 22, 2026
About Estée Lauder Companies
The Estée Lauder Companies is a global leader in prestige beauty, founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder and built on an enduring belief in creativity, high-touch service, and entrepreneurial spirit. As an employer, the Group offers talent the scale of an international house with the energy of distinctive brands across skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care. Its culture values innovation, inclusion, learning, and responsible growth, inviting professionals to shape consumer experiences from laboratory to counter, digital platform to boardroom. Employees join a purpose-led organization where heritage, artistry, and scientific excellence meet to define the future of luxury beauty.
Estée Lauder Companies seeks a Counsel for its North America legal team to provide strategic legal advice and support across all brands in the region, with particular focus on retail, distribution, consumer, and salon matters. The role encompasses contract structuring and negotiation for retailer and distribution agreements, ecommerce arrangements, and franchising matters; litigation support for commercial activities; due diligence and integration support for acquisitions; and cross-functional collaboration on operational and legal improvements.
Role & Responsibilities
- Advise all levels of the North America team and Aveda business, including senior leadership, on critical legal issues and provide strategic analysis and legal solutions
- Structure, draft, negotiate, and review commercial contracts including retailer agreements, distribution agreements, amenities agreements, ecommerce agreements, and franchising arrangements
- Identify opportunities to enhance work efficiency and improve operational processes through legal solutions
- Collaborate with legal and business subject matter experts on cross-functional projects and initiatives
- Assist with due diligence for potential acquisitions and provide integration support for newly acquired brands
- Support litigation matters related to commercial activity
Qualifications
- Juris Doctor (JD) degree
- Licensed or eligible to practice law in New York
- 8 or more years of professional legal experience, including law firm and in-house counsel experience
- Fluent in written and conversational English
- Strong strategic and creative thinking with demonstrated ability to resolve complex matters effectively
- Excellent legal and business judgment with a high degree of discretion
- Outstanding organizational, verbal, and written communication skills
- Proven expertise in transactional drafting and commercial negotiation
- Ability to meet deadlines, prioritize competing workloads, and operate effectively in complex matrixed environments
- Experience in cosmetics, beauty, or consumer products industry (desirable but not required)
Skills
Experience
8+ years of professional legal experience, including at least some time in both law firm and in-house counsel roles; experience within the cosmetics, beauty, or consumer products industry is desirable but not required.
Education
Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school; must be licensed or eligible to practice law in New York.
Compensation
The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 154,000 to USD 264,750 per annum.
Benefits
Health insurance coverage (medical, dental, and vision); wellness and family support programs; life and disability insurance; retirement savings plans; paid leave programs; education-related programs; paid holidays and vacation time; highly competitive bonus program with performance-based overachievement opportunities; share incentive plan participation. Many benefits are subsidized or fully paid by the company.
Culture
The Estée Lauder Companies fosters a collaborative, inclusive workplace where creativity, entrepreneurial thinking, and a passion for prestige beauty are deeply valued. As a global house of distinctive brands, it offers employees an environment that encourages innovation, professional growth, and a shared commitment to excellence and consumer inspiration.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Estée Lauder Companies, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «General Counsel, North America», «Senior Legal Counsel», «In-House Counsel, Beauty & Luxury», «Legal Advisor, Commercial», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.