Legal Counsel - Banking

People First Bank; Adelaide; Hybrid; AUD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hybrid working

Mentoring and development

Work-life balance

Job summary

People First Bank in Adelaide seeks a lawyer with about 4 years' PQE to join our in-house legal team. You will develop industry expertise, advise on banking products, regulatory matters, and customer-facing initiatives, while building trusted relationships across the business.

Reporting to the Senior Leader, Legal (Banking), you’ll translate complex issues into practical guidance, support key projects, and help manage risk.

Qualifications

• Approximately 4 years' PQE from private practice or in-house legal team.
• Experience advising in banking, financial services, financial regulation or other highly regulated environments.
• Admitted to practise in an Australian jurisdiction and current Australian Practising Certificate.
• Ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, actionable advice for diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Advise on banking products, customer operations and regulatory obligations.
• Draft customer-facing contracts and terms and conditions.
• Handle complaints, disputes, litigation and regulatory engagement.
• Support business leaders with pragmatic, business-focused legal solutions and risk management.

Skills

4 years PQE

Stakeholder management

Regulatory advisory

Legal drafting

Education

LLB

Australian Practising Certificate

Job description

Ready to make the move in-house? Join a collaborative legal team where you'll gain direct exposure to senior stakeholders, work on complex legal matters and business-critical projects, and see firsthand how your advice shapes strategic decisions, project outcomes, and customer experiences.

About the Role

We are seeking a lawyer who is eager to build deep industry expertise, develop trusted stakeholder relationships, and contribute to meaningful business outcomes within a leading financial services organisation.

This is an excellent opportunity for a lawyer with approximately 4 years' PQE from either private practice or an in-house financial services environment who is looking to work closely with senior stakeholders, gain broader business exposure, and play a meaningful role in shaping key initiatives.

Reporting to the Senior Leader, Legal (Banking), you'll be exposed to a diverse range of legal, regulatory and business matters while working alongside an experienced team of legal professionals. You'll build trusted relationships across the organisation, providing practical, solutions-focused legal advice that supports business outcomes while effectively managing risk.

Key Responsibilities

You will advise on a broad range of legal and regulatory matters, including:

• Banking products, customer-facing operations and communications, and regulatory obligations
• Product development, strategic initiatives and business projects
• Drafting of customer-facing contracts, and terms and conditions
• Complaints, disputes, litigation and regulatory engagement
• Operational, risk and compliance matters across the banking business

You will partner with business leaders to deliver pragmatic, business-focused legal solutions, while also playing a key role in strategic and cross-functional projects. You'll support continuous improvement initiatives that enhance the effectiveness and profile of the legal team, ensuring legal advice is embedded in key business outcomes from inception to delivery.

About You

We're interested in lawyers who are curious, adaptable and enjoy working closely with stakeholders to solve complex problems.

You’ll bring:

• Approximately 4 years' PQE gained in a reputable law firm and/or in-house legal team
• Experience advising in banking, financial services, financial regulation or other highly regulated environments
• Strong technical legal skills combined with sound judgement and a practical approach to problem-solving
• The ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, actionable advice for a diverse range of stakeholders
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills
• A proactive, collaborative mindset and the ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic environment

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or equivalent
• Admitted to practise in an Australian jurisdiction
• Current Australian Practising Certificate

Why Join Us?

• Diverse and interesting work across banking, regulation, risk, product development and strategic initiatives
• Meaningful exposure to senior leaders and key decision-makers across the business
• The opportunity to build deep industry expertise within a leading financial services organisation
• A supportive, high-performing legal team that values mentoring, development and knowledge sharing
• Flexible hybrid working and a strong focus on work-life balance
• A role where your advice has a direct impact on business decisions and customer outcome.

This opportunity is ideal for a lawyer looking to make a move in-house from private practice, or an existing in-house lawyer seeking broader exposure, greater stakeholder engagement and the opportunity to contribute to strategic business outcomes.

Who are we?

People First Bank is powered by People's Choice and Heritage Bank. With over 720,000 members and 1,900 employees, we are committed to creating a better future for our members and the communities we serve. We have dual head offices in Toowoomba and Adelaide, and 95 branches across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory, trading under brands: People First Bank, Heritage Bank and People's Choice.

Putting ‘People First’ starts with our team members and we are committed to creating an outstanding working environment where you feel supported, can continue to develop and are proud advocates of our members and our business.

Our diversity makes us stronger. We are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and culturally safe workplace and welcome requests for reasonable adjustments to ensure all candidates can participate fairly and confidently in our selection process.

Through the merging of Heritage Bank and People's Choice Credit Union, a new larger mutual bank has arrived. With the collective might of more than 700,000 customers (and growing), here at People First Bank we're making banking brilliant and building a brighter world for all. By joining our team, you’ll have the unique opportunity to support the delivery of our new national brand and promise to become a true banking alternative for all Australians.

Our name says exactly what we’re all about: people. This means our customers, communities, and employees are at the centre of every decision we make.

Through the merging of Heritage Bank and People's Choice Credit Union, a new larger mutual bank has arrived. With the collective might of more than 700,000 customers (and growing), here at People First Bank we're making banking brilliant and building a brighter world for all. By joining our team, you’ll have the unique opportunity to support the delivery of our new national brand and promise to become a true banking alternative for all Australians.

Our name says exactly what we’re all about: people. This means our customers, communities, and employees are at the centre of every decision we make.