Sole Counsel - International Bank (London)

We’ve partnered with an international bank seeking to hire its first in-house lawyer in London. This broad role will combine commercial legal work with exposure to corporate governance, regulatory matters, and business operations. Offering flexible working and exposure to a wide range of banking products and services, it’s an excellent opportunity for a lawyer looking to grow within a dynamic environment.

What you'll do:

• Provide comprehensive legal support across all business areas by negotiating, reviewing, and managing legal matters while controlling costs and expediting case resolution.
• Deliver clear, concise, and timely legal advice to various departments, ensuring compliance with internal policies and UK regulatory requirements.
• Monitor changes in laws and regulations, review new legislation and market developments, and advise on necessary actions to maintain compliance.
• Manage disputes effectively by overseeing outsourcing decisions, ensuring suitable legal representation, and reporting litigation matters to senior management.
• Oversee corporate governance activities including committee meetings, statutory records maintenance, and regulatory compliance adherence.
• Handle Companies House obligations by filing statutory returns and maintaining registers according to applicable laws.
• Support directors in fulfilling fiduciary duties through training initiatives that ensure adherence to UK Corporate Governance requirements.
• Take initiative in managing institutional documentation such as agreements, terms and conditions, memoranda, transaction execution documents, confidentiality agreements, trade finance documentation, master agreements (ISDA/CSA), service level agreements, FX portal maintenance documents, and project implementation paperwork.
• Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders like Treasury, Middle Office, KYC teams, Sales, Compliance & Risk functions, Internal Audit, Administration, and HR to draft agreements and negotiate terms.
• Review agreements alongside external legal advisers and internal compliance teams; provide robust legal analysis that supports positive commercial outcomes.

What you bring:

• English law qualified solicitor or barrister with 2-6 years PQE, gained at a UK-regulated bank or financial services firm.
• Proven ability to deliver high-quality legal advice within a regulated environment while demonstrating strong compliance commitment.
• Exceptional organisational skills enabling you to manage varied workloads efficiently under tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills paired with influencing abilities that foster collaboration across departments.
• Resilience under pressure combined with professionalism; able to remain calm when facing complex challenges.
• Meticulous attention to detail ensuring accuracy in all documentation reviews or drafting assignments.
• Willingness to work collaboratively within a small team environment; eager to broaden skillset across business operations.
• Experience working in legal teams with exposure to Treasury or Back/Middle Office functions within banking or financial institutions.
• Familiarity with trade finance products or treasury matters is advantageous but not mandatory.
• Advanced understanding of institutional documentation management including contract negotiation is desirable.

Should this be of interest, please apply below.

Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates