Legal Counsel

NatWest Group; Gogar; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK financial institution is seeking an experienced Legal Counsel to provide expert legal advice and manage legal risks, primarily in Asset & Invoice Finance. The successful candidate will have in-depth knowledge of banking laws, strong communication skills, and the ability to work closely with stakeholders. This position offers the opportunity to deliver effective legal strategies within the Business Banking and Commercial Mid-Market Legal team.

Qualifications

• Experience providing legal and commercial advice in-house or in a leading UK law firm.
• In-depth knowledge of general banking law and practice.
• Proven ability to establish and maintain strong relationships.

Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate the delivery of legal advice.
• Ensure timely delivery of legal issues, projects, and initiatives.
• Communicate internal and external legal advice effectively.

Skills

Experience in asset and invoice finance transactions

Knowledge of general banking law

Ability to communicate legal advice clearly

Education

Legally qualified

Job description

Overview

Join us as a Legal Counsel. This is an excellent opportunity to join us as a Legal Counsel, where you’ll deliver the legal strategy and provide expert, accurate and cost-effective legal advice. Your role will sit in the Business Banking and Commercial Mid-Market Legal team, within the Commercial & Institutional Banking business area, so we’ll need you to have an understanding of associated legal issues. You’ll be recognised as an expert in your field, and be exposed to stakeholders across the bank and externally.

• This is an excellent opportunity to join us as a Legal Counsel, where you’ll deliver the legal strategy and provide expert, accurate and cost-effective legal advice
• Your role will sit in the Business Banking and Commercial Mid-Market Legal team, within the Commercial & Institutional Banking business area, so we’ll need you to have an understanding of associated legal issues
• You’ll be recognised as an expert in your field, and be exposed to stakeholders across the bank and externally

What you\'ll do

We’re looking for an experienced Legal Counsel to manage and coordinate the delivery of legal advice, primarily supporting our Asset & Invoice Finance businesses and providing secondary support to the Business Banking and Regulatory, Commercial Mid-Market, Customer Lending Support (restructuring), and Balance Sheet Management business areas.

You’ll work closely with stakeholders and legal colleagues to ensure the timely, effective and efficient delivery of all issues, projects and initiatives, either directly or through a team.

Additionally, you’ll be:

• Making sure that legal advice is readily understandable to non-lawyers, delivered within relevant timescales, and manages and minimises legal risks
• Delivering continuous improvement in operating practices and processes, including identifying efficiencies, improvements and opportunities to reduce costs
• Providing the communication of internal and external legal advice and helping to deliver transactions and projects to stakeholders in a commercial, user friendly and efficient manner
• Managing legal costs through the use of e-billing, auctions and other cost tools and driving a culture of disciplined cost management and controls

The skills you\'ll need

To be successful in this role, you’ll need experience of providing legal and commercial advice in relation to transactions and projects in-house, or in a leading UK law firm, ideally including asset and invoice finance transactions and projects. We’ll expect you to have in depth knowledge of general banking law and practice, and the financial services industry, coupled with the ability to establish and maintain strong relationships across the bank. You’ll already be legally qualified, and experience in asset and invoice finance will be beneficial.

You’ll also need:

• Knowledge of the Commercial & Institutional Banking business activities, the commercial environment within which it operates and associated legal issues
• Experience of working with leading law firms and other professional advisers and consultants
• The ability to keep up to date with and share relevant legal and market developments
• A proactive attitude to develop skills in the business areas which our team supports