Legal Counsel

First Circle; Pateros; Hybrid; PHP 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work setup

HMO coverage

Free catered lunches

Monthly fitness allowance

Transportation allowance

Accommodation allowance

Collaborative culture

Job summary

First Circle, the leading technology-led financial services firm for SMEs in the Philippines, is hiring a Legal Counsel to support the General Counsel and manage day-to-day legal operations. This mid-level role offers hands-on exposure across a broad range of matters with mentoring from the GC.

The role covers general legal advice, corporate secretary duties, and broader GC support in a fast-paced, expat-led team of five.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of relevant legal experience.
• Experience in a startup or fintech environment.
• Admitted to the Philippine bar and in good standing.
• Exposure to corporate secretarial/housekeeping work is advantageous.
• Strong drafting, negotiation, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide general legal advice for daily operations and escalations as needed.
• Assist corporate secretary activities, including minutes and SEC filings.
• Support the GC on strategic, transactional, and compliance workstreams.

Skills

Legal experience

Startup/fintech exposure

Philippine bar

Corporate secretary exposure

Drafting & negotiation

Independent work

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.

Requirements

• 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.

Benefits

• 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