Conflicts Advisor

TLT LLP; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a skilled conflicts advisor to join their dynamic Can I Act team. This role is crucial for ensuring compliance and managing conflicts of interest during client onboarding. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in risk and compliance, particularly in navigating the complexities of conflict rules in England and Wales. You will work closely with legal teams, providing essential advice and support, while also engaging in training and documentation efforts. Join a forward-thinking firm that values collaboration and innovation, and be part of a team dedicated to protecting clients and maintaining high standards of compliance.

Benefits

25 days holiday (increasing to 30)

Private medical insurance

Flexible working hours

Annual pay review

Qualifications

• 3+ years in risk and compliance, focusing on conflicts of interest.
• Extensive knowledge of professional conflicts rules in England and Wales.

Responsibilities

• Investigate and decide on new mandates regarding conflicts of interest.
• Provide reliable conflict advice and support to legal teams.

Skills

Risk and compliance

Conflict of interest management

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Teamwork

Education

Graduate degree

Tools

Intapp

Job description

We are seeking a skilled and experienced conflicts advisor to join the Can I Act team, supporting the firm on client and matter take-on.

The Can I Act team supports the business on client and matter inception, as well as a range of other business protection processes, including lateral hire onboarding, screening and advising on a range of conflict of interest queries.

Your Role

Your primary responsibility will be to investigate and make decisions on whether new mandates to be undertaken by the Firm can be accepted in the context of current conflicts and other compliance issues, taking into account legal/regulatory requirements, internal policies as well as reputational and commercial conflict implications.

In addition, this role will involve:

• Being the first port of call for any conflict queries from the legal teams.
• Providing valuable and reliable conflict advice and support to legal teams, assisting in reviewing conflict search results and responding to queries in connection with conflict searching and analysis of conflicts risk.
• Reviewing and analysing conflict reports, determining any actual or potential legal or commercial conflicts of interest or confidentiality issues.
• Checking new instructions to establish if they can be accepted in the context of conflicts and other conduct rules and the firm’s own risk appetite and policies.
• Investigating changes to existing instructions to determine if they present any conflict issues for the firm.
• Liaising with both partners and fee earners to resolve any conflicts of interest issues arising on matters whose scope has changed since original conflicts clearance.
• Identifying any applicable conditions upon which mandates can be accepted or continued.
• Investigating information contained in the Firm's conflict management systems.
• Establishing information barriers and dealing with ad hoc questions/queries from Partners and lawyers relating to conflicts of interest and other engagement risk issues.
• Escalating complex conflicts queries to the senior members of the Risk team as appropriate and in line with the firm’s escalations procedures.
• Providing practical support to the business when obtaining informed consent where applicable and managing information barriers.
• Managing and advising on insider lists.
• Maintenance of blackbook within Intapp.
• Supporting CIA manager with improvements and development.
• Assisting with the preparation of training materials and delivering training for team members and legal teams.
• Assisting with drafting, updating and maintaining conflicts-related documentation, including policies, procedures and templates, as well as other internal communications.

Your Skills and Experience

• Graduate with 3 years’ experience in a risk and compliance function with a focus on conflicts of interest.
• Extensive knowledge of professional conflicts rules in England and Wales required; additional knowledge of Scotland and Northern Ireland conflict rules preferred.
• Experience using Intapp or a similar onboarding tool is preferred.
• Practical knowledge and experience of preventing, identifying and managing conflicts of interest.
• Good attention to detail.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Ability to manage workload, including prioritising tasks and requests, and managing stakeholder expectations.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills and an ability to build and maintain relationships with all members of the Firm.
• Commercially minded with strong analytical, organisational, and interpersonal skills.

Your Team

The Can I Act team (CIA) sits within the Risk and Compliance function for the Firm, and supports with business acceptance (both compliance and conflicts clearance) and ongoing monitoring of the Firm's business relationships, together with advising the Firm on general compliance queries, undertaking sanctions and compliance monitoring, and supporting on source of funds/third party payments queries and issues. The CIA team also supports the wider Risk and Compliance function on a number of strategic and critical business protection activities. The team undertakes a variety of tasks associated with client and matter onboarding, and also provides regular training and guidance across the Firm. The team consists of 20 compliance professionals. A compliance team manager is responsible for day-to-day management of the team, supported by 3 team leaders. The team reports into the Firm’s Head of AML and FC.

About TLT

Fast paced, fast growing and forward thinking, TLT is the law firm that helps clients stay one step ahead, and we do the same for our people.

We work with high profile clients in innovative sectors. With local, national and international reach, we have over 1,800 people in offices across the UK and a network of partner firms across Europe, India and the US. TLT was named Law Firm of the Year at the Legal Business Awards 2023. This marks the third year in a row the firm has taken away this accolade in industry awards - having previously been named Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards in 2021 and the British Legal Awards in 2022.

Our purpose is to protect, prepare and progress our clients for what comes next and it’s essential that we do the same for our people, our planet and our communities too. In our open and collaborative culture, we encourage everyone to be their whole self, to have a voice and to contribute.

Our Benefits

We value our employees highly and we want you to feel valued. You’ll receive a competitive salary with an annual pay review. You will also have access to an extensive range of benefits via our flexible benefits scheme including 25 days holiday (which will increase to 30 days based upon length of service) and private medical insurance.

At TLT we have a progressive fully flexible working approach. We empower our people to work in a place and at a time that meets their needs, those of their clients and of the wider team and firm. Part of this agile approach is a focus on hybrid working and supporting the work/life balance of our people. We’re happy to talk about how flexible working can work for you and this role.

TLT is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive working environment and encourages applications from all suitably qualified people, regardless of disability, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected by the laws in the locations in which we operate.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities and are committed to providing reasonable adjustments, where necessary, to make interviews and jobs more accessible. Should you have any difficulty during the recruitment process, require any reasonable adjustments or an application to Access to work please contact the recruitment team on [e-mail]