Senior Legal Counsel

Sharp Decisions; California; Hybrid; USD 210,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation bonus

Annual bonus

Job summary

Sharp Decisions in California seeks an experienced in-house Senior Counsel to support consumer and commercial lending operations. You will advise management on regulatory, litigation, and compliance issues, review contracts, and help manage the Compliance Management System.

A CA license and JD from an ABA-accredited school are required. The role offers a base salary of $210,000–$215,000 plus annual bonus and relocation bonus if needed, with opportunities for professional growth and cross-border

Qualifications

• JD degree from ABA-accredited law school.
• License to practice law in California.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in consumer finance, transactions, litigation, or related legal activities.
• In-house consumer finance/banking compliance experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Advise and consult with business unit management on legal issues across consumer and commercial lending businesses.
• Support CMS development and conduct process reviews to ensure compliance with credit laws and regs.
• Review and negotiate master service, SOW, supplier/vendor and NDA agreements.
• Conduct legal research and stay updated on statutory and regulatory changes.
• Manage outside counsel and supervise assigned litigation matters.

Skills

Oral communication

Written communication

Stakeholder management

Regulatory compliance

Education

JD from ABA-accredited law school

Job description

$210,000-$215,000 plus annual bonus and relocation bonus (if needed)

Assist the General Counsel in advising management and staff with respect to a wide variety of legal, regulatory, litigation and compliance issues applicable to client and affiliate finance companies.

JOB FUNCTIONS:

Advise and consult with business unit management on legal issues involving all aspects of the Company’s consumer and commercial lending businesses, including: product development; consumer privacy; cybersecurity; marketing; dealer matters; underwriting; consumer and commercial contracts and other forms; servicing operations; loss mitigation; collections; and bankruptcy.

Support the continued development and execution of Company’s Compliance Management System (CMS) to include conducting business process reviews to assess compliance with consumer and commercial credit laws and regulations, and develop practices and procedures designed to ensure compliance with such laws.

Provide legal advice and support, including:

• Evaluate and weigh multiple inputs and impacts of any decision or course of action.
• Anticipate issues and estimate risks strategically.
• Identify proactive solutions that will eliminate or mitigate risks.
• Base decision-making process on ethics and integrity.
• Develop relationships of trust and respect with key stakeholders.

Review and assist in negotiating contractual documents, such as master service agreements, statements of work, supplier/vendor agreements and non-disclosure agreements.

Conduct legal research and stay up to date with statutory and regulatory changes affecting the Company.

Building collaborative relationships with and managing outside counsel, including the supervision of assigned litigation matters.

Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• JD degree from an ABA accredited law school.
• License to practice law in California.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in consumer finance, transactions, litigation, or other related legal activities.
• In-house consumer finance/banking compliance, commercial finance and/or capital markets experience a plus.
• Strong technical knowledge and ability to apply consumer compliance regulatory requirements such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Regulation B, Truth in Lending Act and Regulation Z, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and applicable state consumer privacy laws, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.
• Excellent oral, written and presentation communication skills, preferably with experience in a multi-cultural environment.
• Hands-on style with the ability to successfully prioritize, organize and manage multiple and often competing tasks.
• Ability to work unsupervised.
• Some domestic and international travel required.