Vice President, Legal Counsel (Derivatives Lawyer) - 12 month FTC

MUFG Americas; City Of London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global financial services firm is seeking a Legal Counsel to support key strategic projects within their EMEA Legal Department. The chosen candidate will manage legal risks, provide legal advice on transactions, and work across the bank's securities business. They will need extensive legal experience and the ability to communicate complex legal concepts effectively to various stakeholders. A proactive and results-driven attitude is essential for this role.

Qualifications

• At least five years post qualified experience.
• Experience in private practice or in-house with a financial institution.
• Language skills in French, German, or Spanish are helpful.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice and support for strategic projects.
• Review, draft, and negotiate documentation.
• Manage legal risks and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Strong technical understanding of finance linked hedging transactions

Ability to build effective client relationships

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Demonstrate commercial awareness of market issues

Education

Qualified lawyer in the UK or equivalent jurisdiction

Job description

Overview of the Department/Section

The Legal department provides legal services to and manages the legal risk for MUFG Bank and MUFG Securities (EMEA) and the MUSHD international business (collectively the “Firm”).

Members of Legal are dual-hatted across MUFG Bank and MUFG Securities. Dual-hat employees will be expected to be entity neutral across all responsibilities to ensure that services are provided to both entities effective and without favour or detriment to the other entity.

The Legal department’s principal functions are to:

• Provide legal services and legal advice to each international securities business and banking businesses
• Draft, review and negotiate contractual documentation, whether transactional or non-transactional
• Draft notes and other product documentation and arrange for issuance of such notes and products
• Draft, review and negotiate ISDA documentation and related trading agreements and lending (syndicated or bilateral, ECA financings, LMA based or bespoke contractual arrangements)
• Draft, review and negotiate trade finance credit lines and products, as well as trade finance instruments
• Provide legal and execution advice in relation to transactions and new business
• Provide transaction management support for securities issues and financing transactions arranged or underwritten by an international securities business
• Provide support for internal projects (internal restructurings and/or regulatory driven)
• Evaluate legal risk to ensure business is conducted in a lawful and professional manner
• Identify and advise on the implementation of new laws and regulations
• Provide legal oversight of regulatory matters and government affairs
• Manage all disputes, litigation, regulatory proceedings and other contentious matters
• Manage and approve all use of law firms

Number of Direct Reports

None.

Main Purpose of the Role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Legal Counsel to join the MUFG EMEA Legal Department as a fixed term contractor, based in London. The role will be primarily focused on supporting a key strategic project for the EMEA region but will also support other activities across the Global Markets and Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) Legal teams.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, the successful candidate will be providing services which cover MUFG’s banking arm and securities business under a dual-hat arrangement. Under this arrangement, the employee will act and make decisions on behalf of both the bank and the securities business, subject to the same remit and level of authority, and irrespective of the entity which employs them. Advise on, participate in and implement Firm and International Business transactions, proceedings, actions, projects and initiatives. This includes activity / projects to improve the delivery of legal services to the business and Firm’s clients. Advise on the legal, regulatory and reputational issues and market developments arising in transactions and in the non-transactional aspects of the operation and business activities of the Firm and the International Business. Provide legal advice on strategic business initiatives and projects, regulatory programs, inter-affiliate activity and agency arrangements, new and complex products, and MUFG’s operational risk management and controls framework including advising the business on best practice and solutions for the operational management of legal risk (including required governance structures, frameworks, risk mitigation strategies). Provide legal advice, review, draft and negotiate documentation and provide all related transaction management and project management for:

• complex finance linked hedging transactions for project finance, acquisition finance, leverage finance and mid-market business areas, securitisation linked hedging, any other structured hedging agreements, governed by ISDA. FBF or CMOF agreements, structured repos, TRS, equity and credit derivatives;
• review of loan agreements, CTA, STID/ICA and any other related and ancillary finance documents;
• flow derivatives, repo and securities lending transactions including GMRA, GMSLA, ISDA, CSA, IM documentation and guarantees; and
• inter-affiliate agreements.

Implement document templates, know-how and procedures. Participate in industry forums and working groups. Participate in working groups and committees of the Firm and the International Business. Manage the engagement of law firms and legal spend efficiently. Provide mentoring and support to junior members of the Legal team.

Skills and Experience

Functional / Technical Competencies:

• Qualified lawyer in the UK or equivalent jurisdiction of at least five years post qualified experience, with relevant experience obtained either in private practice with a major law firm or in-house with another significant financial institution.
• Strong technical understanding of finance linked hedging transactions.
• Demonstrate commercial awareness of the latest market issues and regulatory changes.
• Demonstrable experience managing senior stakeholders across multiple locations.
• Ability to build effective and positive client relationships (internal and external) quickly and fully embrace the importance of client service.
• Ability to explain complex legal concepts to a non-technical audience.
• French, German or Spanish language skills would be helpful but not essential.

Personal Requirements

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written & verbal
• Effective operating in a team and matrix-oriented environment, and ability to work with colleagues at all levels of seniority
• Proactive and enthusiastic, with a can do attitude and with an inclination to drive change
• Results driven, with a strong sense of accountability
• Team player with an international outlook
• Pragmatic, curious and commercially minded
• Efficient working style, reliable with a good sense of independency, urgency and commercial acumen

We are open to considering flexible working requests in line with organisational requirements.

MUFG is committed to embracing diversity and building an inclusive culture where all employees are valued, respected and their opinions count. We support the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion in recruitment and employment, and oppose all forms of discrimination on the grounds of age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and maternity, race, gender reassignment, religion or belief and marriage or civil partnership.

We make our recruitment decisions in a non-discriminatory manner in accordance with our commitment to identifying the right skills for the right role and our obligations under the law.