Legal Counsel

First Circle; Manila; Hybrid; PHP 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work: 2 days in BGC office

HMO from week one

catered lunches

monthly fitness allowance

transportation & accommodation Allow

Job summary

First Circle is seeking a Legal Counsel to support the General Counsel and manage day-to-day legal operations across the business. This role offers hands-on exposure to a broad range of matters, with mentorship from the GC.

You will handle general legal advice, assist corporate secretary duties, and support corporate compliance, SEC filings, and records management in a fast-paced fintech environment.

Qualifications

• Mid-level legal professional with 3–5 years of relevant experience.
• Experience in startup or fintech environments preferred.
• Strong drafting, negotiation and communication abilities.
• Admitted to the Philippine bar and in good standing.

Responsibilities

• Provide general legal advice for day-to-day operations.
• Assist corporate secretary duties and maintain corporate records.
• Support the GC on strategic, transactional, and compliance workstreams.

Skills

General legal experience

Drafting contracts

Negotiation

Communication skills

Contract review

Team collaboration

Education

Philippine Bar admission

Job description

First Circle is the leading and fastest growing, technology-led financial service business for SMEs in the Philippines. We've already transformed access to credit for thousands of businesses, and now we're building a full service digital-first small business bank offering multi-currency bank accounts, payments, FX, corporate credit cards, and payroll. As we enter this next phase of growth, we're hiring exceptional talent with a track record of excellence to join us in shaping the next chapter.

The Legal Counsel supports the General Counsel and handles the day-to-day legal operations of the business. This role is well suited to a mid-level lawyer who wants hands‑on exposure across a broad range of legal matters, with direct mentorship from the GC. The role covers three core areas of support: general legal advice for daily operations, assistant corporate secretary/housekeeping support, and general support to the GC as needed.

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Key Responsibilities:

1. General Legal Advice
Performance Objective: Legal is never the reason a transaction or project slips. Positions taken are commercial but defensible. Escalation is timely: material issues are escalated to the CEO/CIO.

• Provide general legal advice and support for all FCGFC daily operations
• Review, draft, and negotiate contracts and other legal documents in the ordinary course of business
• Provide legal support across departments on day-to-day operational questions and requests
• Escalate matters to the GC where legal or business risk requires senior input

2. Assistant Corporate Secretary & Housekeeping Support
Performance Objective: Zero late or deficient statutory filings. Full corporate record set maintained. Any corporate record producible same day as requested.

• Act as assistant to the GC in the Corporate Secretary function
• Support the preparation and safe-keeping of board and stockholders' meeting minutes and corporate records
• Assist in the preparation and filing of SEC certificates, GIS, and other corporate housekeeping submissions
• Help ensure ongoing SEC compliance, including tracking statutory deadlines

3. General Support to the GC

• Provide general support to the GC on strategic, transactional, compliance, and other workstreams as needed
• Assist on ad hoc/special projects assigned to Legal
• Help maintain corporate records, filings, and documentation in good order

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A successful candidate is:

• Able to balance commercial mindedness with legal best practice.
• Able to drive progress across multiple workstreams in a fast paced environment.
• Comfortable voicing their opinions to strong‑minded stakeholders.
• Able to balance urgency with thoroughness.
• Comfortable working in an expat‑led organization.

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Team construct

The Legal counsel is supported by a team of five: General Counsel, a paralegal, Head of Compliance, a Compliance Assistance and a general administrative assistant.

• 3–5 years of relevant legal experience.
• Experience in a startup or fintech environment.
• Admitted to the Philippine bar and in good standing.
• Experience supporting business operations legal needs (contracts, day-to-day legal questions).
• Exposure to corporate secretarial/housekeeping work (minutes, SEC filings) is an advantage.
• Strong drafting, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while knowing when to escape to the GC.

• Hybrid work set-up:2 days per week in our BGC office; remote the rest of the time.
• Additional perks & benefits:HMO coverage from week one, free catered lunches, monthly fitness allowance, transportation & accommodation allowance, and more.
• Join a team with a deeply collaborative culture!Learn more here:https://www.firstcircle.ph/careers