Corporate Counsel

Christie's; Bridgend; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading auction house is seeking a legal advisor specializing in art finance to provide comprehensive legal support on international lending transactions, particularly in APAC. The ideal candidate will have 4-6 years of experience as a solicitor in Hong Kong and be fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin. This role involves drafting legal documents, managing external counsel, and advising on various legal matters within the company.

Qualifications

• 4 to 6 years PQE in international law firm or as in-house counsel.
• Experience with cross-border lending transactions and familiarity with LMA/APLMA-style loan documents.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice on art finance and luxury asset-based lending.
• Draft and negotiate loan agreements and security documents.
• Advise on legal matters relating to the sale of property and conduct of auction.

Skills

Fluent Cantonese

Fluent Mandarin

Self-starter

Strong communication skills

Excellent legal skills

Attention to detail

Education

Qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong

Job description

Purpose of the position

• Working together with the Senior Counsel, Art Finance and the Counsel, Art Finance (EMEA and APAC) to provide legal advice for the Christie’s Art Finance (CAF) business on all areas of international art and luxury asset-based lending, including client due diligence, with a primary focus on borrowers in APAC
• Working together with the APAC legal team on all art law related commercial matters, disputes and corporate matters in APAC
• Able to provide user-friendly and timely advice and regular, proactive, legal/compliance training & “clinics” to help the business achieve its goals in a manner consistent with Christie’s global standards and best practices

Principal responsibilities

Christie’s Art Finance (CAF) specific

• Advise CAF business on all areas of international art and luxury asset-based lending, including client due diligence, with a primary focus on borrowers in APAC
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating loan agreements, security documents and other ancillary documents for, and assisting in closing, art and luxury asset-based loans
• Assisting, from a legal perspective, in the ongoing management of CAF’s loan portfolio, including in relation to amendments/supplements, extensions, refinancings, paydowns/releases, upsizes, collateral swaps, museum loans, collateral touring and bailment/storage arrangements
• Assisting in CAF’s expansion into new jurisdictions across APAC, including advising as to lending, marketing and other laws/regulations
• Monitoring national/international laws/regulations impacting a lending business, including licensing/registration requirements
• Manage external counsel, and its spend, regarding lending/regulatory matters
• Developing, maintaining, refining and updating templates, policies and processes for underwriting and servicing art and luxury asset-based loans
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating other related documentation, including NDAs and referral/partnership agreements

• Reviewing and drafting commercial agreements
• Advise business on full range of legal matters relating to the sale of property, the conduct of auction and any post sale issues and disputes
• Handling and managing legal disputes; working closely with and supervising external legal lawyers including the management of external legal fees
• Maintain best practices and contribute to the development of group wide legal services and risk management team that is leading edge in terms of the service it provides and the technological platform upon which the service is based
• Support and assist with key measurement criteria across legal services and risk management for the purpose of assessing the overall effectiveness of the legal services and risk management function in Asia
• Work closely with other members of Christie’s legal services and risk management team to nurture all global practice management groups and to deliver globally a seamless legal and risk management service to the Christie’s Group in APAC
• Provide legal advice in and assist with company-wide cross-department projects and initiatives

General

• Develop a strong ethos of financial management, working strictly to agreed budgets and carefully managing external law firms’ and other professional costs and build effective working relationships with external counsels
• Build relationships and liaise with various teams across Christie’s (including art departments, Finance, Treasury, Tax and Insurance)
• Educate and train business colleagues on various legal matters
• Providing Chinese language support to business

Required critical behaviours for this Position

• Partnership Building – Develops productive internal and external relationships & works collaboratively
• Influencing – Adopts and applies appropriate influencing styles
• Commercial-mindedness – Able to make decisions in a balanced way taking into account all relevant legal/regulatory risks and business realities

• Team Player – Able to work in a team and willing to share information
• Adaptability & affability

Required important behaviours for this Position

• Change Agent – Not afraid to stretch/push boundaries and continually searches for ways to improve

Required key functional & technical skills

• Fluent Cantonese and Mandarin speaker and native Chinese written skills
• Fluent oral and written English

• Self-starter and a strong “to-do” attitude
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Exhibits sound commercial judgement when balancing legal risks against the business benefits
• Organisation and project management skills
• Ability to manage external lawyers on legal projects while controlling external costs to achieve the best possible service
• Excellent legal and analytical skills including drafting, negotiation, presentation and a sound understanding of finance, commercial and corporate law principles
• Strong attention to detail
• Excellent information technology and web based skills
• Strong and effective time and priority management skills
• Multi-tasking
• Ability to work with multiple clients, advisors, stakeholders and colleagues with diverse background and expertise, spanning numerous time zones across the globe

Required qualifications/experience

• Qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong with 4 to 6 years PQE

• Experience gained from an international law firm, or as in-house counsel for an international organisation, as a transactional banking and finance lawyer advising on secured corporate and/or consumer lending transactions; experience with cross-border lending transactions and familiarity with LMA / APLMA-style loan documents preferred

Beneficial but not essential

• Financial regulatory experience
• Awareness of securitisation / other structured finance transactions