Senior Legal Counsel

CMC Markets; Greater London; On-site; GBP 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

CMC Markets is seeking an experienced Director of Corporate and Commercial Law to join our EMEA Legal team in London. You’ll lead broad strategic advice across the Group, focusing on M&A, joint ventures, commercial contracts, intellectual property and data protection, while developing a team of senior and junior lawyers.

This senior, hands-on role requires broad technical expertise, commercial judgement and the flexibility to support the business as priorities evolve.

Qualifications

• A law degree or equivalent, and qualification as a solicitor in England and Wales or another common law jurisdiction.
• 10–15+ years’ relevant experience, ideally gained at a leading law firm, financial institution or established in‑house legal team.
• Strong expertise in corporate law, particularly M&A, joint ventures, corporate transactions and related documentation.
• Significant experience drafting, negotiating and advising on complex commercial contracts.
• Good working knowledge of intellectual property, especially trademarks, and UK data protection law.
• A sound understanding of UK financial services law and regulation.
• Proven experience managing, supervising and developing lawyers at different levels.
• Excellent legal drafting, negotiation, analytical and communication skills, with the judgement to advise senior stakeholders and manage competing priorities.
• A collaborative, proactive and adaptable approach, including a willingness to work beyond your core areas when needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead legal advice on acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, strategic investments, corporate reorganisations and other significant initiatives.
• Draft, review and negotiate transaction documents, including share purchase, shareholders’ and joint venture agreements.
• Advise on corporate governance, structures, transaction risks and the legal implications of strategic decisions.
• Lead negotiations on significant commercial contracts, including technology, licensing, outsourcing, procurement, distribution and services agreements.
• Advise on contractual risk, including liability, indemnities, warranties, termination and dispute resolution.
• Oversee the Group’s intellectual property matters, especially trademark protection and portfolio management, working with external advisers on registrations, disputes and enforcement.
• Advise on data protection and privacy, including UK GDPR, EU GDPR, data processing agreements and data sharing arrangements.
• Work with Compliance, Risk, Information Security and other teams on legal issues in a regulated financial services environment, including new products and emerging technologies.
• Manage, guide and develop a team of lawyers; oversee work quality, priorities and workloads.
• Support the Head of Legal, EMEA with the Legal function’s strategy, processes and operating practices.
• Manage external legal advisers and help improve contract management, knowledge sharing and legal operations.
• Provide clear, practical advice to senior stakeholders and support cross‑functional, cross‑border and other legal matters as business needs evolve.

Skills

Corporate law

M&A

Joint ventures

Commercial contracts

Legal drafting

Negotiation

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Education

Law degree

Solicitor qualification (England & Wales)

Job description

Senior Legal Counsel - Corporate and Commercial Law

Lead strategic legal advice and build a high-performing team at CMC Markets.

CMC Markets is seeking an experienced, commercially minded Director of Corporate and Commercial Law to join our EMEA Legal team in London.

You’ll lead legal advice across the Group, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial contracts, intellectual property and data protection. Working with senior management and teams across the business, you’ll help deliver strategic initiatives while leading and developing a team of senior and junior lawyers.

This is a senior, hands‑on role for a lawyer with broad technical expertise, sound commercial judgement and the flexibility to support the business as priorities evolve.

What you’ll do

• Lead legal advice on acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, strategic investments, corporate reorganisations and other significant initiatives.
• Draft, review and negotiate transaction documents, including share purchase, shareholders’ and joint venture agreements.
• Advise on corporate governance, structures, transaction risks and the legal implications of strategic decisions.
• Lead negotiations on significant commercial contracts, including technology, licensing, outsourcing, procurement, distribution and services agreements.
• Advise on contractual risk, including liability, indemnities, warranties, termination and dispute resolution.
• Oversee the Group’s intellectual property matters, especially trademark protection and portfolio management, working with external advisers on registrations, disputes and enforcement.
• Advise on data protection and privacy, including UK GDPR, EU GDPR, data processing agreements and data sharing arrangements.
• Work with Compliance, Risk, Information Security and other teams on legal issues in a regulated financial services environment, including new products and emerging technologies.
• Manage, guide and develop a team of lawyers; oversee work quality, priorities and workloads.
• Support the Head of Legal, EMEA with the Legal function’s strategy, processes and operating practices.
• Manage external legal advisers and help improve contract management, knowledge sharing and legal operations.
• Provide clear, practical advice to senior stakeholders and support cross‑functional, cross‑border and other legal matters as business needs evolve.

What you’ll bring

• A law degree or equivalent, and qualification as a solicitor in England and Wales or another common law jurisdiction.
• 10–15+ years’ relevant experience, ideally gained at a leading law firm, financial institution or established in‑house legal team.
• Strong expertise in corporate law, particularly M&A, joint ventures, corporate transactions and related documentation.
• Significant experience drafting, negotiating and advising on complex commercial contracts.
• Good working knowledge of intellectual property, especially trademarks, and UK data protection law.
• A sound understanding of UK financial services law and regulation.
• Proven experience managing, supervising and developing lawyers at different levels.
• Excellent legal drafting, negotiation, analytical and communication skills, with the judgement to advise senior stakeholders and manage competing priorities.
• A collaborative, proactive and adaptable approach, including a willingness to work beyond your core areas when needed.

Experience leading strategic transactions, working in an FCA-regulated or international financial services business, managing international trademark portfolios, advising on technology contracts or digital assets, or improving legal operations would be an advantage.

Join CMC Markets and help shape the legal advice, team and processes that support our business across EMEA.

CMC Markets - about us:

Founded in 1989 with a vision to make financial markets more accessible, CMC Markets has grown into a FTSE 250 global multi-asset financial services firm, serving retail, professional and institutional clients worldwide.

As our business has evolved, so have our capabilities. Alongside our direct‑to‑consumer offering, we provide technology and execution services to major banks and financial institutions, enabling our partners to access new markets and serve their clients through CMC's technology.

We continue to invest in the future of financial services, expanding our multi‑asset capabilities, scaling our global partnerships and developing new technologies that will shape how people access and interact with financial markets.

Our people are central to this continued growth. As CMC enters its next phase, we're investing in the talent and ideas that will help us innovate, scale and deliver for our clients and partners.

CMC Markets is powered by our people. We are an equal opportunities employer and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, where our people feel confident to be themselves, feel valued and can do their best work. We don’t just value differences and unique perspectives, we seek them out and we invite them in, because we know it will lead to better outcomes for everyone.