In-House Legal Counsel - Risk & Compliance

JR United Kingdom; Bolton; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm seeks a Senior Risk Lawyer to enhance their compliance and risk management strategy. This senior role encompasses overseeing regulatory compliance, advising on day-to-day issues, and maintaining risk policies, ensuring excellence across all functions.

Qualifications

• Experience in risk and compliance within a law firm.
• Knowledge of SRA Code of Conduct and Money Laundering Regulations.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide effective risk management and compliance function.
• Ensure compliance with SRA Code of Conduct and Money Laundering Regulations.
• Handle complaints or claims against the firm.

Skills

Risk Management

Compliance

Effective Communication

Problem Solving

Organizational Skills

Attention to Detail

Interpersonal Skills

Job description

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Client:

Location:

bolton, greater manchester, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Views:

3

Posted:

31.05.2025

Expiry Date:

15.07.2025

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Job Description:

Job Title: Senior Risk Lawyer

Location: Manchester City Centre (hybrid working)

Reports to: Compliance Director

About the Company

gunnercooke is a Top 75 law firm recognised by over 80 industry awards. Launched in 2010, the firm has rapidly grown to over 500 lawyers across 14 global offices in the UK, US, Germany and Austria. Our breadth of expertise covers some of the most interesting and important emerging disciplines, from ESG and charity law, to blockchain and competition.

Collaboration is at the forefront of our award-winning culture and is what sets our firm apart from the rest. gunnercooke operates as a fee share model meaning our professionals join as self-employed advisors, free to design and develop the practice they’ve always wanted. Our firm brings together the most ambitious and commercially-minded people, who build and work in dynamic

teams of their choosing, to best suit their clients’ needs.

Our purpose is simple; to deliver a positive impact for our clients, provide a better life for our people and to leave a better world than we found. Our charitable arm, the gunnercooke foundation, enables us to directly engage with communities on social issues and to help charitable organisations grow.

The Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a senior role within the Compliance team, working closely with and supporting the Head of Compliance in the planning, design and implementation of the firm’s overall risk management strategy. You will help to shape the firm’s processes and policies as well as identifying, managing and mitigating the firm’s risks, and you will lead on the delivery of the firm’s drive for quality and excellence, with a focus on training and development.

The firm’s approach to risk, compliance and quality is critical to our continued success and growth. You will help to ensure that the firm continues to meet all its regulatory and legislative requirements and that first-class firmwide risk management processes and compliance is embedded into the firm’s culture.

The role encompasses all aspects of regulatory compliance including professional conduct, anti-money laundering, data protection, liaison with the regulators and places excellence at the heart of the risk management strategy.

Main Responsibilities

• Helping to ensure that the Compliance team provides an effective and supportive risk management and compliance function to the gunnercooke Group’s partners at all times.
• Helping to embed a proactive culture of risk management across the gunnercooke Group, helping our lawyers to deliver excellence.
• Helping to ensure compliance at all times across the firm with the SRA Code of Conduct, POCA and Money Laundering Regulations 2017 and related legislation.
• Advising the firm’s partners and support lawyers in relation to day-to-day compliance questions or queries and helping to resolve issues.
• Preparing key risk MI data as required.
• Maintaining and updating the firm’s risk and compliance policies, procedures, risk assessments and guidance documents.
• Ensuring the firms various risk registers are kept up-to-date and actively monitored on a regular basis.
• Handling complaints or claims against the firm as required from time to time.
• Adhering to and always promoting the firm’s values.

The Person

Skills and Abilities

The successful candidate will have:

• Proven experience of working within the risk and compliance team of a commercial law firm, and have detailed knowledge and understanding of the SRA Code of Conduct, Money Laundering Regulations, POCA, the Legal Sector Affinity Group guidance and related legislation.
• Proven experience of resolving commercial conflicts and handling complaints from clients and third parties.
• Excellent people skills, written and spoken communication skills, as well as the ability to influence people and deliver excellent results in conjunction with the senior management of the firm.
• A proactive, problem-solving approach and a keen attention to detail.
• Outstanding organisational and interpersonal skills, the ability to meet exacting deadlines and delivering exceptional service to internal clients.
• A calm, professional, welcoming approach, with the ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to plan and control activities to meet objectives.
• Be able to maintain a positive and cheerful approach to building strong working relationships with a wide variety of colleagues and partners.
• The willingness to travel to London on occasions and occasionally work unsocial hours if business need dictates.
• Be a good team player demonstrating loyalty and commitment to the firm and your team.
• Have good general IT competency—able to use basic MS Office to intermediate/advanced level.

For more information about gunnercooke please visit www.gunnercooke.com