Legal Counsel

Shawbrook is growing and our central legal team is growing with it. This is a new role working alongside the Head of Legal Disputes Regulatory & Transactions covering two of the most interesting areas of legal work in the bank.

On the transactional side youll work on M&A and corporate development: acquisitions disposals joint ventures and the integrations that follow. On the contentious side youll help protect the Groups interests in regulatory matters including FCA and PRA investigations enforcement and skilled person reviews.

Its a role with real breadth and genuine exposure. Youll advise senior stakeholders directly up to ExCo level on matters that shape the banks strategy with the backing of an experienced central legal team as you do it.

Key Responsibilities

• Advise on M&A and corporate development activity including acquisitions disposals joint ventures strategic transactions and post-completion integration.
• Manage contentious regulatory matters and related regulatory engagement including FCA and PRA investigations enforcement skilled person reviews and supervisory interactions. Youll take the lead on establishing and maintaining privilege over internal investigations and reviews and on document preservation.
• Support the Head of Legal on insurance notifications and claims arising from complaints litigation regulatory matters cyber events and other insured losses working with brokers insurers external counsel and the Finance team to preserve and recover under the Groups policies.
• Build trusted relationships across the Group working closely with the General Counsel Legal Director Heads of Legal and colleagues in Corporate Development Risk & Compliance HR Complaints and Finance always with an eye on overall customer outcomes.
• Manage external counsel: instructing them efficiently holding them to the agreed strategy and budget and bringing work in-house where it makes sense to.
• Get involved in the wider work of the central legal team from litigation and corporate advisory to funding structures capital markets activity and listed company obligations.

Qualifications :

• Youll be a qualified solicitor or barrister holding a current England and Wales practising certificate with proven post-qualification experience. Were happy to hear from candidates who bring the right experience. Lawyers qualified in other common law jurisdictions who can demonstrate sufficient English law experience will also be considered.
• You dont need to be a specialist. If you have a generalist banking or financial institution background and havent yet focused on regulatory or transactional work but are genuinely interested in doing so wed like to hear from you. What matters most is intellectual curiosity comfort operating outside your existing expertise and a willingness to take on unfamiliar challenges. Youll have structured support from the Head of Legal early exposure to live matters alongside external counsel and room to build specialism over time.
• Experience across any of the following is welcome though we dont expect all of it: financial institutions and banking; M&A; corporate development; strategic transactions; and financial regulatory work. Experience managing external counsel fee structures and budgets is preferred.
• Youll have strong commercial acumen and the ability to apply legal advice in a practical business context together with experience of being the direct point of contact for your clients and senior stakeholders (up to ExCo level) giving pragmatic solutions-based and commercially astute advice.
• In-house experience in financial services or banking whether permanent or on secondment is highly preferable.

Additional Information :

Your Wellbeing - We take your health and well-being very seriously by providing a range of benefits to give you and your family peace of mind. These include:

• Market leading family friendly policies such as access to our Maternity Adoption and Paternity policies from Day 1 of your employment
• Free access to Headspace a mindfulness & meditation digital health app
• Free access to Peppy digital health app that offers personalised support through fertility treatment becoming a parent or menopause
• EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) - Offering you support on a wide range of subjects including financial concerns mental wellbeing and more general queries around family work housing and health
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts on gym membership
• Contributory pension scheme & death in service

Your Lifestyle - Its important you strike the right balance between your work and personal life. We provide benefits to support you when at work and when youre enjoying your leisure time.

• Minimum of 27 days holiday per year
• Option to buy or sell holiday days through our flexi-holiday scheme
• Discounts on gym membership nationwide
• Access to discounts on a range of high street and online brands
• Community support and charitable giving

Your Contribution - Were focused on rewarding those that go the extra mile in helping us achieve our goals.

• Participation in our annual discretionary bonus scheme designed to reward your contribution to our success
• Proudly Shawbrook recognition scheme focused on recognising our role models and thanking our colleagues for a job well done

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time