Senior Legal Counsel

LGPS Central Limited; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading asset management firm based in Birmingham is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to provide legal advice across various asset classes. The role involves significant legal oversight, coaching junior staff, and engaging with regulators. Candidates should have at least 5 years of PQE and a strong background in financial services or pensions. This position offers a competitive salary and various employee benefits.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Enhanced and generous Pension Scheme

30 days' paid holiday plus bank holidays

2 days paid volunteering days

Excellent Learning & Development Opportunities

Welfare and Family-friendly policies

Hybrid Working

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in financial services, pensions, or institutional investment.
• Experience negotiating agreements essential.
• Professional membership of the regulatory body for practicing business law in England and Wales.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice to business teams on asset management services.
• Support Head of Legal in policy setting and risk management.
• Coach and mentor Legal Counsel(s) and paralegals.

Skills

Negotiating agreements

Good judgement and analytical skills

Strong interpersonal and communication skills

High degree of professional ethics and integrity

Anticipating legal issues

Education

Qualified solicitor with a minimum of 5 years PQE

Educated to Degree level, LPC or equivalent

Job description

Overview

Shape the future of pensions investment as Senior Legal Counsel at LGPS Central. Working for a major provider of asset management services to local government pension schemes, this role has accountability for leading on legal advice for significant business initiatives, overseeing a portfolio of transactional and other critical legal work and advising the business at a senior level. As the Pool grows in line with Government ambition, this role will be central to ensuring strong legal oversight, supporting new fund launches, and safeguarding Partner Fund interests. If you are a senior lawyer with experience in financial services, pensions, or institutional investment, this is a unique opportunity to make an impact.

What you'll be doing

• Providing legal advice to the business teams in respect of all asset classes managed by LGPS Central and the corporate structure.
• Assist the Head of Legal in setting policies and procedures that manage the legal impact of external factors.
• Provision of pragmatic, business focused legal advice to seek to mitigate/optimise risk in respect of all matters within remit illustrating a clear understanding of legal, financial, regulatory, conduct and reputational risks.
• Ensuring relevant internal policies and standards are complied with, manage and provide oversight of legal impact of external factors or disputes relating to asset management services and operations.
• Assisting the Head of Legal in inputs to risk management forums including inputs from stakeholders and sharing outputs, engagement in industry bodies, engaging with regulators and government and supporting responses to consultations and proposed legislative change.
• Supporting the Head of Legal in all aspects of work with a high degree of independence and autonomy.
• Coaching/mentoring of the Legal Counsel(s) and/or any paralegals within the team through knowledge sharing and guidance.
• Delegating and supervising legal matters across the team, as appropriate.
• Managing the quality control of legal advice from the Legal Counsel, any Trainee or Paralegal (internally) and external legal advisors.
• Anticipating issues and estimating legal risks strategically.
• Base decisionmaking process on ethics and integrity.
• Lead by example and create associations of trust and respect with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Negotiate with external parties (regulators, external counsel, clients) as appropriate.
• Identify need for external advice; specify and coordinate the delivery of such advice.
• Handling ad hoc queries from the business, supporting the deal teams, litigation and managing contentious issues.
• Overall broad legal knowledge (corporate, commercial, financial, etc).
• Transactional experience across the investment and investment funds sector advantageous.
• Indepth understanding of how legal issues affect organisations.
• Experience of negotiating agreements.
• High degree of professional ethics and integrity.
• Good judgement and analytical skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to anticipate legal issues or risks. Must be a qualified solicitor with a minimum of 5 years PQE.
• Educated to Degree level. LPC or equivalent.

About Us

LGPS Central (LGPSC) Ltd is the FCA-regulated asset manager for eight local authority pension funds across the Midlands. LGPSC is jointly owned on an equal shares basis by those Partner Funds, and it is responsible for managing £45bn+ of their assets. It is one of eight Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) asset pools in the UK. LGPS Central's Partner Funds are:

• Cheshire Pension Fund
• Derbyshire Pension Fund
• Leicestershire Pension Fund
• Nottinghamshire Pension Fund
• Shropshire Pension Fund
• Staffordshire Pension Fund
• West Midlands Pension Fund
• Worcestershire Pension Fund

The Company is committed to responsible investment and has made responsible investment a core part of the investment process in every asset class. LGPS Central offers a friendly and diverse, hybrid-working environment with a range of employee benefits. The Company moved to new premises at i9, Wolverhampton Interchange in January 2022, close to local transport links.

Our objective is to be a leading investment management company working with and for our Partner Funds. With a focus on value for money and performance we want to aspire to be one of the best because this is how we will deliver the superior investment returns and low costs for our Partner Funds.

Professional membership of the regulatory body for practicing business law in England and Wales.

What we offer

• Competitive salary
• An enhanced and generous Pension Scheme
• 30 days' paid holiday plus bank holidays
• 2 days paid volunteering days
• An extra paid Company Day in addition to paid holidays
• Excellent Learning & Development Opportunities
• Welfare and Family-friendly policies
• Enhanced pay for new parents
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme 24/7 Health & Wellbeing Support
• Vitality Private Medical Insurance
• Hybrid Working
• Company Service Awards
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Company Electric Vehicle Scheme
• Nominees of the Family Friendly Employer of the Year 2022 Personnel Today Awards 2022
• Winner of the Cultural Awareness Initiative of the Year FT Advisors Diversity in Finance Awards 2023
• Winner of Diversity and Inclusion Award LAPF In Investments Award 2023