We're seeking someone to join our team as an Attorney in Commodities Sales & Trading providing legal and regulatory coverage for physical and financial commodities trading activities. The role supports trading businesses across energy, metals, power and environmental products, with a strong focus on transaction structure, regulatory analysis and risk identification.
In the Legal & Compliance division, we assist the Firm in achieving its business objectives by facilitating and overseeing the Firm's management of legal, regulatory and franchise risk. This is a Vice President level position within Legal Commodities Sales & Trading.
What You'll Do:
-Provide day-to-day legal coverage for physical and financial commodities trading. Draft, review, and negotiate commodities trading documentation, including master agreements, confirmations, and bespoke agreements.
-Advise on U.S. commodities regulatory matters, including the Commodity Exchange Act, FERC, CFTC and state regulations, exemptions, and interpretive guidance
-Assess regulatory risk associated with new products, trading strategies, and counterparties.
- Support responses to regulatory inquiries and examinations, in coordination with Compliance and other stakeholders
- Provide legal support for trading activity conducted under RTO and ISO tariffs and market rules.
- Advise on participation requirements, tariff-based trading structures, and settlement mechanics in organized wholesale electricity markets
- Analyze interaction between FERC-regulated markets and the Commodity Exchange Act, including applicable exemptions and regulatory relief
- Act as a key legal advisor to commodities trading businesses while maintaining appropriate independence
- Coordinate closely with traders, originators, structurers, Compliance, and Risk on legal and regulatory issues
- Management of external counsel
Since 1935, Morgan Stanley is known as a global leader in financial services, always evolving and innovating to better serve our clients and our communities in more than 40 countries around the world.
Required
- J.D. from an accredited law school; bar admission in good standing.
- 6+ years of relevant experience in commodities, energy, and derivatives
- Strong working knowledge of U.S. commodities regulatory frameworks (FERC, CFTC and state regulation).
- Ability to operate efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced, deal-driven environment
- Excellent communication, drafting and negotiation skills
- Demonstrated record of sound legal judgment
Preferred
- Familiarity with RTO/ISO market rules and organized power markets.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:
At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.
To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices into your browser.
Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $165,000 and $275,000 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs.
Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background. Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents.
Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences.
For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo.
Skills Required
- J.D. from an accredited law school; bar admission in good standing
- 6+ years of relevant experience in commodities, energy, and derivatives
- Strong working knowledge of U.S. commodities regulatory frameworks
- Excellent communication, drafting and negotiation skills
Morgan Stanley Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Morgan Stanley and has not been reviewed or approved by Morgan Stanley.
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Parental & Family Support — Family support is extensive, with paid parental leave for all parents, adoption and fertility assistance, backup childcare, and eldercare resources. Feedback suggests these programs meaningfully enhance the overall package and help with retention.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage spans medical, dental, vision, mental‑health access, care navigation, and expert second opinions. Convenient primary care access and condition‑specific support reinforce the depth of healthcare coverage.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity compensation and stock ownership are positioned as core motivators that encourage commitment and retention. Feedback suggests education and support are provided to help participants manage equity and related financial benefits.
Morgan Stanley Insights
What We Do
Morgan Stanley mobilizes capital to help governments, corporations, institutions and individuals around the world achieve their financial goals. For over 85 years, the firm’s reputation for using innovative thinking to solve complex problems has been well earned and rarely matched. A consistent industry leader throughout decades of dramatic change in modern finance, Morgan Stanley will continue to break new ground in advising, serving and providing new opportunities for its clients. Morgan Stanley is committed to maintaining the first-class service and high standard of excellence that have always defined the firm. At its foundation are five core values — putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back — that guide its more than 60,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 41 countries.
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