Associate Counsel - Advanced Planning

Manulife Financial; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 129,000 - 223,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife Financial, operating as John Hancock in the U.S., seeks an Associate Counsel for its Advanced Markets team. The attorney will guide high-end estate and wealth planning, advise on complex planning strategies, and support growth while aligning with enterprise legal and risk frameworks. This is a remote role based in the U.S.

with collaboration across sales, compliance, and product teams. The candidate should have a JD with bar admission, 4+ years in relevant practice, and assets such as

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor is required and admission to a US state bar.
• Minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience in high-end estate planning or related fields.
• LLM, CPA, and CFP designations are assets.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely written and verbal consultation on complex life insurance opportunities involving wealth transfer, estate planning, business succession, charitable planning, executive benefits, and related tax matters.
• Analyze sophisticated client fact patterns and develop practical planning approaches that are technically sound and commercially relevant.
• Partner with sales professionals and distributors to clarify objectives, identify planning considerations, and communicate recommendations clearly.
• Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, Underwriting, Product, Operations, Marketing, and Sales leadership to enable growth and risk management.

Skills

Estate planning

Legal research

Written communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Advisory/consulting

Education

Juris Doctor

Bar admission in at least one US state

LLM/CPA/ CFP assets

Job description

John Hancock seeks a seeks an attorney to join its Advanced Markets team as Associate Counsel. This dynamic role partners with sales personnel, distributors, and internal business partners to deliver sophisticated planning strategies for clients. The attorney will provide technical and legal guidance on advanced planning matters, translate complex concepts into practical business solutions, and help expand sales and marketing opportunities while supporting responsible growth and alignment with enterprise legal, compliance and risk frameworks.

John Hancock has earned an industry-leading reputation for delivering advanced sales strategies, innovative educational resources, and expert case consultation to distributors and financial professionals. The Advanced Markets team plays a dual role: serving as a strategic sales partner while providing appropriate oversight and risk management for complex planning concepts and sales strategies.

The successful candidate will bring a strong technical foundation in high-end estate and business planning, a can-do attitude, and the ability to work independently from issue identification through resolution. With knowledge and practical experience in the areas of wealth transfer planning, business succession planning, charitable planning and related tax issues, the associate counsel will work as a trusted partner who can effectively engage across a wide customer network to help navigate and implement sophisticated planning opportunities. This position also partners closely with advanced markets consultants, product, marketing, compliance, sales leadership, and operations to enable growth, manage regulatory risk, and advance strategic initiatives.

This opportunity is a remote role and can be based anywhere in the US.

Key Accountabilities:

Strategic Case Consultation

• Provide timely written and verbal consultation on complex life insurance opportunities involving wealth transfer, estate planning, business succession, charitable planning, executive benefits, and related tax matters.
• Analyze sophisticated client fact patterns and develop practical planning approaches that are technically sound, commercially relevant, and consistent with company guidelines and risk principles.
• Partner with sales professionals and distributors to clarify objectives, identify planning considerations, and communicate recommendations in clear, actionable terms.
• Exercise sound judgment and appropriate independence in managing inquiries, research, follow-up, and stakeholder communication.

Advanced Planning, Legal Research, and Risk Management

• Serve as a technical resource on federal estate, gift, generation-skipping transfer, income, and related tax issues affecting advanced life insurance planning.
• Research emerging planning strategies, legislative and regulatory developments, and industry trends; assess their implications for clients, distribution partners, and the business.
• Assist with complex legal, regulatory, and compliance matters and review planning concepts within the company’s legal, compliance, and enterprise risk framework.
• Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, Underwriting, Product, Operations, Marketing, and Sales leadership to facilitate well-reasoned and appropriate outcomes.

Content Development, Innovation, Education, and Thought Leadership

• Draft and review advanced markets educational, promotional, and technical materials, including concept pieces, case studies, presentations, articles, guides, and field-facing resources.
• Conduct legal and technical review of materials created by attorneys and non-attorneys for accuracy, clarity, and alignment with applicable standards.
• Develop and deliver education on advanced planning concepts and relevant legislative, regulatory, tax, and industry developments for internal and external audiences.
• Present at conferences, study groups, webinars, producer meetings, and internal forums, adapting highly technical content for audiences with varying levels of expertise.
• Contribute ideas for new content and market-facing resources that make complex planning concepts easier to understand and use.

Cross-Functional Partnership and Strategic Initiatives

• Participate as an Advanced Markets subject matter expert on initiatives spanning product development, underwriting, marketing, distribution, new markets, and other business priorities.
• Build trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders through responsiveness, practical problem solving, and consistent follow-through.
• Lead or contribute to research projects, working groups, industry committees, and strategic initiatives.
• Share field intelligence and technical insights that support business growth, product positioning, and responsible innovation.

Job Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Juris Doctor and admission in good standing to at least one U.S. state bar
• Minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience in high-end estate planning, private wealth, life insurance, advanced markets, tax, business planning, or a closely related discipline.
• LLM, CPA, and CFP designations are an asset

Technical Competencies

• Demonstrated technical knowledge of sophisticated estate and wealth transfer planning and business planning
• Strong knowledge of life insurance industry, products, and sales strategies along with advanced planning concepts
• Ability to analyze complex legal and tax issues and translate them into practical guidance for a range of audiences
• Marketing or content development experience, with an interest in editorial drafting and creating compelling educational or promotional materials.

Professional Skills

• Strong writing, editorial, project management, organization and customer service skills
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, comfort with presenting at various size audiences and methods (in-person seminars/townhalls, webinars etc.)
• Highly developed negotiation, influencing and networking skills
• Ability to travel to industry and distributor conferences, meetings, etc.

When you join our team:

• We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want.
• We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words.
• As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see.

The role being advertised is an existing vacancy.

About Manulife and John Hancock

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. To learn more about us, visit https://www.manulife.com/en/about/our-story.html.

Manulife is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At Manulife/John Hancock, we embrace our diversity. We strive to attract, develop and retain a workforce that is as diverse as the customers we serve and to foster an inclusive work environment that embraces the strength of cultures and individuals. We are committed to fair recruitment, retention, advancement and compensation, and we administer all of our practices and programs without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or religious beliefs, creed, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, genetic characteristics, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, or any other ground protected by applicable law.

It is our priority to remove barriers to provide equal access to employment. A Human Resources representative will work with applicants who request a reasonable accommodation during the application process. All information shared during the accommodation request process will be stored and used in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Manulife/John Hancock policies. To request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact [e-mail].

Referenced Salary Location

USA, Massachusetts - Full Time Remote

Working Arrangement

Remote

Salary range is expected to be between

$128,550.00 USD - $222,820.00 USD

Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance. The actual salary will vary depending on local market conditions, geography and relevant job-related factors such as knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience, and education/training. If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact [e-mail] for the salary range for your location.

Manulife/John Hancock offers eligible employees a wide array of customizable benefits, including health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance coverage, adoption/surrogacy and wellness benefits, and employee/family assistance plans. We also offer eligible employees various retirement savings plans (including pension/401(k) savings plans and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources. Our generous paid time off program in the U.S. includes up to 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 150 hours of vacation, and 40 hours of sick time (or more where required by law) each year, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence.

We use data and analytics technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and automated processing tools, to analyze and process the information you provide to us or third parties in the application process. For more information, please refer to our personal information collection statement.

Company: John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.)