Wealth Management Investment Products Attorney, VP

Morgan Stanley; Purchase (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job description

Background on the Position:

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management's Legal and Compliance Division is seeking to hire a Vice President to join a team providing legal coverage for Wealth Management's retail products and services. Specifically, the attorney would focus on a wide range of investment products, including annuities, insurance, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, money market funds, closed-end funds, interval funds, and unit investment trusts. The position is based in Purchase, NY or midtown New York City.

The attorney will have significant interaction with the business units responsible for these products. The applicant will be a member of a broader group of advisory attorneys covering Wealth Management's products and services, and the role will involve coordination with attorneys covering Morgan Stanley Wealth Management's other businesses.

In particular, the position will involve analyzing, reviewing, negotiating, structuring, and approving matters relating to the offering and distribution of such products. Additionally, the attorney will advise on various business initiatives, both independently and in coordination with other team members, including colleagues in Compliance and Risk, along with counterparties at external financial services firms and outside counsel.

Primary Responsibilities:

The following is an illustrative, non-exhaustive list of the types of responsibilities that the successful candidate will be actively involved in:

1. The distribution of fund offerings, including drafting and negotiating distribution and related agreements.
2. Drafting client disclosure regarding how investment products work and other considerations for clients investing in investment products.
3. Advising the proprietary unit investment trust complex with respect to the creation of new trusts, including the drafting of new prospectuses and other SEC filings.
4. Reviewing marketing materials and investor presentations.
5. Advising business partners on, and then negotiating and drafting, economic arrangements relating to investment products.
6. Reviewing and interpreting relevant statutes, rules, and regulations applicable to Wealth Management's products and services.

Experience/Qualifications:

1. J.D. required.
2. Member in good standing of a state bar.
3. A minimum of four (4) years of relevant experience at a top-quality law firm and/or in-house, preferably with a financial services firm (including a broker-dealer, bank, investment advisory firm, or insurance company).
4. Experience with a wide variety of retail investment products.
5. Experience reviewing and interpreting statutes, rules, and regulations, such as the Investment Company Act of 1940, Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Securities Act of 1933, rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and a variety of state laws governing standards of conduct and sales practices.
6. Expertise in applicable rules and regulations relating to annuities and insurance products.
7. Experience with broker-dealer/FINRA matters.

Skills desired:

1. Professional maturity, confidence, presence, independence, drive, and initiative.
2. Excellent judgment and analytical skills.
3. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
4. Excellent contract drafting and negotiation skills.
5. Strong interpersonal skills.
6. Strong management and administrative skills.
7. Excellent organizational and time management skills.
8. Teamwork and ability to multi-task in fast paced environment.
9. Ability to evaluate and prioritize among multiple tasks.
10. Ability to work independently when needed and collaborate with cross-functional groups.

Diversity and Equal Opportunity:

Morgan Stanley's goal is to build and maintain a workforce that is diverse in experience and background but uniform in reflecting our standards of integrity and excellence. Consequently, our recruiting efforts reflect our desire to attract and retain the best and brightest from all talent pools. We want to be the first choice for prospective employees.

It is the policy of the Firm to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, sex stereotype, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, disability, marital and civil partnership/union status, pregnancy, veteran or military service status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce (M/F/Disability/Vet).