Underwriting Counsel

Relm Insurance; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Relm Insurance is seeking an experienced Underwriting Counsel to join their Legal team in New York. You will provide day‑to‑day legal support to underwriting, draft and revise policy wordings, endorsements, and bespoke coverage, and partner across underwriting, product, and claims to ensure compliant, commercially viable insurance solutions.

The role requires a JD from an accredited school, bar admission in the U.S., and at least five years of insurance law experience.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree and bar admission required.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant insurance law experience.
• Experience drafting and reviewing policies, endorsements and bespoke coverage solutions.

Responsibilities

• Act as a primary day‑to‑day legal adviser to Relm’s underwriting teams on policy wording and coverage decisions.
• Own and manage the Underwriting Counsel intake process for requests and prioritisation.
• Draft and review endorsements, manuscript wordings and policy forms.
• Advise on bespoke policy terms and coverage structures translating underwriting intent into policy language.
• Review and negotiate NDAs and underwriting‑related agreements.
• Collaborate with Underwriting and Product teams on product development and lifecycle management.
• Advise on regulatory requirements relevant to underwriting activities.
• Translate claims learnings into improvements to policy wording and coverage.

Skills

Legal drafting

Underwriting support

Regulatory compliance

Communication

Collaboration

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school

Bar admission in at least one U.S. jurisdiction

Job description

Who We Are
Relm is the only specialty insurer dedicated to supporting the world’s most innovative industries.

Who We Are
Relm is the only specialty insurer dedicated to supporting the world’s most innovative industries.
Whether it’s with startups harnessing zero-gravity conditions on the ISS to manufacture blindness-curing retinas, global crypto exchanges democratizing crypto trading, or biotech pioneers using gene-editing technology to advance personalized medicine, Relm works lockstep with innovators to understand and underwrite businesses shaping the future.
Relm’s team operates out of offices in London, New York, Dubai, Miami, Bermuda, executing market-leading insurance solutions for companies operating in digital assets and web3, AI, the space economy, financial technology, biotech, and more.
What We Are Looking For
Where regular insurers look backwards, Relm differentiates by looking ahead. We operate at the forefront of innovative industries by hiring curious minds with deep sector experience. To continue helping businesses build the future, we need all of our team members to demonstrate curiosity, creativity, courage, and optimism. We need them to be accountable for ideation but able to execute collaboratively. In short: we hire people whose inquisitive minds help them break ground.
We are looking for an experienced Underwriting Counsel to join our Legal team and act as a key legal partner to Relm’s underwriting business.
Reporting to the Senior Legal Counsel – Insurance & Strategy, you will take day-to-day ownership of legal support for Relm’s underwriting teams, managing a varied portfolio of matters ranging from endorsements, amendatories and bespoke policy wordings to complex underwriting issues across Relm’s speciality insurance portfolio.
This is a hands‑on role for a commercially minded insurance lawyer that enjoys working closely with underwriters. You will independently manage the Underwriting Counsel function and be comfortable working directly with senior underwriters, claims professionals, product teams and other stakeholders across the business.What You Will Do

• Act as a primary day‑to‑day legal adviser to Relm’s underwriting teams on policy wording, coverage and other underwriting‑related legal matters.
• Own and manage the Underwriting Counsel intake process, including triaging and prioritising requests and ensuring matters are progressed efficiently.
• Draft and review endorsements, amendatories, manuscript wordings, policy forms and other insurance product documentation.
• Advise on bespoke policy terms and coverage structures, translating underwriting intent and commercial objectives into clear and effective policy language.
• Review and negotiate NDAs, underwriting authority letters and other routine underwriting‑related agreements.
• Partner with Underwriting and Product Innovation on the development, enhancement and lifecycle management of insurance products and coverage solutions.
• Advise on legal and regulatory requirements relevant to underwriting activities, policy documentation and insurance products.
• Work with Claims and Legal to identify lessons from claims, disputes and coverage issues and translate them into improvements to policy wording, products and underwriting practices.
• Develop and maintain policy wording standards, endorsement libraries and precedents. Work with Underwriting to develop playbooks and practical guidance. Support Product to ensure product library remains up to date and meets regulatory and other requirements.
• Identify emerging legal, regulatory and market developments affecting Relm’s products and underwriting activities and provide practical recommendations to the business.
• Develop and deliver training and guidance to underwriting and other relevant teams on policy wording, coverage and relevant legal or regulatory developments.
• Continuously improve Underwriting Counsel processes and ways of working to provide timely, consistent and commercially effective legal support.
  

What You Bring To The Table

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and admission to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction in good standing.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant legal experience, ideally gained in insurance coverage, underwriting counselling, specialty commercial insurance and/or an in‑house insurance legal team.
• Strong experience with commercial and/or specialty lines insurance products, coverage and policy wording.
• Demonstrated experience drafting and reviewing policies, endorsements, manuscript language and bespoke coverage solutions.
• Experience working directly with underwriters and translating commercial objectives and underwriting intent into practical legal solutions and effective policy language.
• Strong understanding of insurance coverage principles and the legal and regulatory requirements relevant to insurance products and underwriting activities.
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to provide clear, practical and solution‑oriented advice.
• Excellent drafting, analytical, communication and relationship‑building skills.
• Ability to independently manage a varied portfolio of matters, prioritise competing requests and exercise sound judgement about when to seek input or escalation.
• A collaborative, hands‑on approach and comfort operating in a fast‑paced environment supporting emerging risks, innovative industries and new insurance products.
  

WHY YOU’LL LOVE WORKING WITH US
Diversity and inclusion are a given in this day and age; Relm goes beyond the norm to provide genuine support for our team members. We believe in equipping superour staff with whatever arsenal they need to do their best work (see below), and our commitment to staff growth is often cited by members as one of their most highly valued benefits.
Relm is a team of innovators redefining what’s possible in insurance. With us, you’ll launch industry‑first programs within an environment designed to be antithetical to traditional insurance and the restraints that come with it. Our forward-thinking attracts forward thinkers.