Legal Counsel – Commercial

JR United Kingdom; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in financial services is looking for a junior lawyer to join their commercial team. This role offers substantial autonomy in a fast-paced environment, handling responsibilities like drafting agreements, providing legal advice, and collaborating with stakeholders. Ideal candidates will be English or Commonwealth qualified lawyers with experience, around 3+ years PQE, and the ability to work under pressure while meeting deadlines.

Qualifications

• Approximately 3+ years PQE required.
• Experience in Financial Services is essential.
• Additional experience in compliance or intellectual property is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Drafting, negotiating, and reviewing a variety of agreements.
• Providing general commercial advice and assisting with M&A activities.
• Managing internal stakeholder interactions to ensure smooth legal documentation delivery.

Skills

Legal advice

Negotiation

Drafting agreements

Stakeholder management

Client focus

Education

English or Commonwealth qualified lawyer

Tools

Microsoft Office suite

Documentation management systems

Job description

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A junior lawyer within the commercial team. The team services the European, Middle East and APAC wholesale brokerage businesses of BGC, GFI, Aurel & Sunrise and the global FENICS technology businesses.

This role involves regular interaction with internal business stakeholders and management. There is a genuine global dimension to the remit as well as substantial autonomy, ownership and responsibility. The environment is fast paced with a demanding customer base therefore the role requires a person who is able to manage pressure and can commit and work to deadlines.

The contractual hours are 9 am to 6 pm but these are regarded as the minimum working hours.

For immediate start.

Key responsibilities:

A list of the main duties and expected outcomes of the role:

• Dealing with internal stakeholders/clients and external customers and/or service providers to ensure smooth delivery of legal documentation within an orderly time scale.
• Reviewing, drafting, negotiating a wide range of agreements and providing legal advice on associated business issues. Agreement types include: IB agreements, Terms of Business, brokerage rates agreements, commission sharing and netting agreements, confidentiality agreements, licenses, services agreements, technology contracts, intra-group agreements, bank guarantees, engagement letters, clearing, custody and collateral agreements, marketing agreements, and other agreements as required.
• Providing general commercial advice.
• Assisting periodically with M&A activities, including confidentiality, due diligence, and document reviews, in collaboration with the Corporate team.
• Participating in new corporate projects, such as opening new offices, internal reorganizations, joint ventures, and advising on regulatory changes.

Skills / experience required:

• English or Commonwealth qualified lawyer with approximately 3+ years PQE.
• Experience in Financial Services is essential.
• Additional experience in compliance, intellectual property, structured products, or derivatives would be advantageous but not essential.

Systems used:

Standard Microsoft Office suite and other relevant systems. Knowledge of documentation management systems is a plus.

Personal attributes:

The department is lively and busy; candidates should handle competing demands maturely and build good rapport with stakeholders and colleagues.

Working effectively:

• Self-motivated and capable of working independently with minimal supervision.
• Confident in addressing a wide range of issues.
• Ownership of tasks and ensuring resolution within set timeframes.
• Highly organized, disciplined, and responsive.

Client focus:

• Understanding clients' needs and commercial context.
• Collaborating effectively with other departments in both front and back office.

Communications:

• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with the business and other departments.
• Sharing knowledge and experience with the team.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

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