Associate General Counsel - Mergers & Acquisitions

Valley Bank; Morristown (NJ); Remote; USD 180,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

Valley Bank seeks an experienced Associate General Counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions to serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on complex corporate transactions. The attorney will work closely with executive management, finance, risk, compliance, HR, and outside counsel to drive growth while managing legal, regulatory, and operational risks.

Responsibilities include leading all legal aspects of mergers, acquisitions, asset purchases, divestitures, and capital markets activities; drafting

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate required, 10+ years in M&A experience.
• Experience drafting/negotiating complex transaction documents and guiding deals to close.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all legal aspects of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and related transactions.
• Draft, negotiate, review letters of intent, purchase agreements, merger agreements, and related documents.
• Advise executives on legal, regulatory, and risk matters affecting transactions.
• Oversee due diligence and coordinate with cross-functional teams and outside counsel.
• Develop regulatory approval strategies with federal and state banking regulators.

Skills

M&A structures

Negotiation

Drafting & review

Regulatory risk

Executive communication

Stakeholder mgmt

Education

Juris Doctorate

Job description

At Valley Bank, we believe in people's growth potential. We invest in it. We protect it. We focus it. For nearly 100 years, we've been the Bank that clients from every industry turn to for our expertise, strategies, and advice--building the kind of trust that can fuel every goal. We are the leading relationship bank built for growth--with over $60 billion in assets, 3,800 experts, and more than 200 consumer branches and commercial banking offices in communities across the US.

At Valley, we're all driven by an ambition that goes deeper than just having a job. That's why when you work for us, we make it our goal to help you focus on what drives you--working to turn your passions and strengths into assets you can use to propel your ambitions and build the professional legacy you want. Because when we say we're a relationship bank built for growth, that's not just reserved for our clients--that includes all our associates as well.

The Associate General Counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions is trusted strategic advisor to senior leadership on complex M&A transactions, divestitures, strategic investments, joint ventures, and other corporate transactions. The attorney will work closely with executive management, business leaders, finance, risk, compliance, HR, and outside counsel to drive the Bank's growth objectives while managing legal, regulatory, and operational risks.

Join our growing team and help shape the future of Valley Bank.

This position is open to candidates located anywhere within Valley's geographic footprint.

Responsibilities Include But Are Not Limited To

• Lead and manage all legal aspects of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, asset purchases, branch acquisitions, strategic investments, and support related capital markets, securities and other corporate transactions.
• Structure, draft, negotiate, and review letters of intent, confidentiality agreements, purchase agreements, merger agreements, ancillary transaction documents, and disclosure schedules.
• Exercise significant independent judgment in advising business leaders and executives, escalating matters and offering practical advice based on materiality, complexity, reputational impact, or legal risk.
• Lead and coordinate cross-functional teams and oversee legal due diligence processes, including management of internal stakeholders and outside counsel.
• Identify and advise on legal, regulatory, litigation, employment, operational, compliance, and contractual risks arising from potential transactions.
• Develop and execute transaction-related regulatory approval strategies, including coordination of filings, applications, approvals, regulator engagement, responses to information requests, and satisfaction of approval conditions with applicable federal and state banking regulators.
• Prepare concise, decision-ready materials for executive management (and as necessary the Board of Directors) regarding transaction structure, key legal and regulatory risks, approval requirements, alternatives, and recommended mitigation strategies.
• Support transaction integration and post-closing activities, including implementation of legal and governance requirements.
• Advise business leaders and executive management on strategic initiatives, partnerships, vendor transactions, and other significant commercial arrangements.
• Select, manage, and evaluate outside counsel and other transaction advisors; establish expectations regarding scope, staffing, timelines, and budgets; ensure timely, high-quality, commercially practical legal support.
• Partner with Compliance, Risk, and business units to evaluate regulatory implications of strategic transactions.
• Assist with examination inquiries and regulatory requests related to corporate transactions and strategic initiatives.

Required Skills

• Strong understanding of M&A transaction structures and negotiation strategy.
• Ability to assess and communicate legal and business risks in a concise and actionable manner.
• Excellent drafting, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple complex matters simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaborative approach with strong executive presence and interpersonal skills.
• High degree of professionalism, integrity, discretion, and sound judgment.

Required Experience

• Juris Doctorate, minimum of 10 years of mergers and acquisition experience, through a combination of law firm and in-house roles and active membership in good standing with at least one state bar. Extensive experience drafting and negotiating complex transaction documents and independently managing transactions through closing and integration. Strong project management, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with demonstrated business judgment and the ability to provide practical, solution-oriented legal advice.

Preferred Experience

• Relevant experience within the banking industry.