Litigation Director and Counsel

American Express; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services firm in London seeks a Litigation Director & Counsel to oversee consumer litigation strategies and manage complex legal issues. This role requires extensive experience in civil litigation, ideally within financial services. Candidates should possess strong knowledge of Consumer Duty and relevant regulations. The position offers a competitive salary, bonuses, hybrid working options, and comprehensive benefits including medical and wellness support.

Benefits

Competitive base salary and bonus incentives

Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance

Flexible hybrid working model

Generous paid parental leave policies

Free access to global wellness centres

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in civil litigation with a focus on consumer litigation.
• Strong knowledge of Consumer Duty and Credit Consumer Act.
• At least 5 years of in-house experience in financial services.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary point of reference for consumer litigation.
• Manage and advise on consumer litigation strategies.
• Lead projects centered on the consumer space.

Skills

Fluency in spoken and written English

Competency with office software (Outlook, PowerPoint, Word)

Commercial acumen

Resourcefulness and commercial awareness

Client focus

Education

England & Wales qualified Solicitor

Job description

Overview

At American Express our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation shared values and Leadership Behaviors and an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities and colleagues.

Role

Litigation Director & Counsel in the Litigation and Investigations Team, reporting to the EMEA Vice President & Senior Counsel. Based at Belgrave House, London.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary point of reference for consumer litigation within the GCO and across key control functions.
• Develop and implement a cross‑function approach to risk‑based advice, partnering with Compliance, Fraud, Regulatory, Credit, and other specialist functions.
• Manage the conduct of consumer litigation, advising stakeholders on strategy, merits, brand and litigation risks for a wide range of pre‑action and issued consumer claims, including Section 75 CCA, data privacy, equality, unfair relationship and fraud claims.
• Lead submissions to the Financial Ombudsman Service for escalated and complex complaints within the Consumer Duty context.
• Communicate concise advice to senior stakeholders in written, verbal and PowerPoint formats.
• Challenge the status quo while understanding stakeholders’ goals to achieve the best low‑risk solution.
• Manage challenging conversations and deliver uncomfortable messages to stakeholders.
• Promote team efficiency by preparing and using templates, flowcharts and established frameworks on our internal document management platform(s).
• Draft and support line‑of‑business lawyers with wide‑range contractual clauses in the litigation context.
• Lead or support projects centred on the consumer space, partnering with other legal and business teams for project success.
• Deliver in‑person and remote training sessions to upskill colleagues and raise awareness of consumer risk topics.
• Advising on court orders received in connection with consumers and business clients.
• Assisting in litigation reporting case management system and database for regulatory compliance, audits and litigation trend spotting.
• Support the VP of the team in managing internal financial accounting processes including litigation reserve setting and liaising with Controllership and internal auditors.

Qualifications

• England & Wales qualified Solicitor with extensive experience in civil litigation at all stages, with a main focus on consumer litigation in a financial services context.
• Strong knowledge of Consumer Duty, Credit Consumer Act and financial services litigation in a consumer credit context.
• At least 5 years of in‑house experience with another significant financial institution.
• Experience managing or working with foreign lawyers or cross‑border litigation where cases span several jurisdictions is an advantage.
• Experience managing junior lawyers or paralegals is desirable.
• Experience conducting substantial litigation (as a team leader or member) and running case‑load of smaller cases, managing the strategy of case portfolios such as Group Litigation Orders.

Competencies & Skills

• Fluency in spoken and written English is essential; familiarity with other European languages is an advantage.
• Competency with office software (Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, etc.) is essential.
• Commercial acumen, team spirit, initiative and proactiveness; ability to follow instructions.
• Ability to manage and adapt to different working and communication styles, maintaining open constructive communication channel with stakeholders.
• Resourcefulness and commercial awareness; ability to respond to business issues under critical time pressure.
• Communication skills – precise oral and written delivery in a concise manner.
• Independent work – ability to lead appropriate recommendations and to escalade to senior leaders without delay.
• Client focus – deliver excellent client service levels.
• Excellent team approach – promote collaboration within peer group and across the organisation; people leader at all times.
• People management skills – nurture talent and further development of junior members.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary and bonus incentives.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance and disability benefits (depending on location).
• Flexible hybrid working model with onsite or virtual arrangements.
• Generous paid parental leave policies (depending on location).
• Free access to global onsite wellness centres staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location).
• Free and confidential counselling support through our Healthy Minds program.

Employment Information

Employment type: Full‑Time.

Department: Legal.

Location: London, United Kingdom.

Note: This position does not sponsor visas; eligibility to work in the UK is required.