Legal Counsel

Aztec Group; Southampton; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading legal services firm in Southampton is seeking an experienced Legal Counsel to support its operations. The role involves offering legal advice in corporate law, financial services regulation, and alternative investment funds. The ideal candidate will have over 6 years of experience and strong negotiation and project management skills. This position offers a dynamic work environment and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

In-house training for professional qualifications

Qualifications

• Significant post-qualification experience in corporate law or alternative investment funds (at least 6+ PQE).
• Ability to provide clear, commercially focused advice.
• Strong attention to detail and effective project management skills.
• Excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal expertise in financial services regulation and commercial contracts.
• Negotiate terms of business and bespoke arrangements with clients.
• Review and negotiate NDAs and supplier contracts.
• Coordinate work allocation within the Legal Team.

Skills

Corporate law

Regulation

Alternative investment funds

Financial services regulation

Negotiation

Project management

Drafting

Attention to detail

Job description

Legal Counsel

Reporting to: Group Head of Legal

We are seeking an experienced, talented, and highly motivated lawyer to support our rapidly growing and evolving businesses. This role offers exposure to a wide range of legal work across the Group and the jurisdictions Aztec operates within, with an emphasis on the UK and Channel Islands.

The ideal candidate should be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with a broad range of responsibilities, focusing on delivering specialist legal advice and support in corporate / commercial, alternative investment funds, and financial services regulation.

You will be responsible for counselling the business by providing proactive, professional, and competent legal support. Strong organization, negotiation, and drafting skills, along with a commercial mindset, are essential. You will work independently and manage parts of the Aztec Group's Legal Team, taking on various projects alongside your daily responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide legal expertise in financial services regulation, alternative investment funds, data protection, and commercial contracts.
• Represent the Aztec Group in negotiations with clients regarding terms of business and advise on bespoke arrangements.
• Review and negotiate NDAs, supplier contracts, license agreements, and commercial contracts.
• Assist with regulatory matters, including outsourcing.
• Coordinate work allocation within the Legal Team.
• Collaborate with internal teams such as Finance, Compliance, and Risk.
• Contribute to policies, procedures, and internal guidance documents.
• Monitor and evaluate the impact of legislative, regulatory, and industry changes affecting the alternative investment funds sector.

Qualifications and Skills

• Significant post-qualification experience in corporate law, regulation, or alternative investment funds, ideally gained in a commercial law firm or in-house (at least 6+ PQE).
• Ability to provide clear, commercially focused advice.
• Strong attention to detail and effective project management skills.
• Highly organized, deadline-oriented, and capable of managing complex projects.
• Self-starter with the ability to manage and take ownership of workload.
• Calm, confident, approachable, with excellent communication skills.
• Comfortable prioritizing multiple demands in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong IT skills.

We will provide training both in-house for relevant technical knowledge and professional qualifications to support your development. You should be quick to learn new systems and excel in building strong relationships with colleagues and clients, which are central to our work.