Legal Counsel

About Northern Trust:

Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.

Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world’s most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Role/ Department:

Northern Trust's legal department consists of approximately 90 lawyers worldwide, including approximately 30 lawyers located in EMEA.

We are looking to recruit a lawyer with 3-5 years PQE to fill the role of Legal Counsel and Vice President supporting Northern Trust’s EMEA banking business. Reporting to the Assistant General Counsel – Banking in the UK, the role will be based in London responsible for advising on a wide range of banking and treasury related legal issues in the UK and Europe. This is a unique opportunity to support the expansion of a growing business area. 

The key responsibilities of the role include:
 

• Providing banking and treasury related legal advice supporting loan transactions, deposits, bank regulatory matters, bank policies and practices and other banking related issues.
• Coordinating, drafting, reviewing and negotiating banking legal documents, including secured and unsecured loan transactions.
• Providing advice and counsel to business partners in the Global Family Office and the Global Financial Institutions Group on business products and services, liaising and engaging with internal and external counsel, where necessary.
• Supporting the Assistant General Counsel and liaising with other colleagues in the legal department (in EMEA, APAC and the US) supporting Northern Trust’s banking and treasury businesses globally in order to maintain a consistent approach to the policies of the bank in connection with the provision of the services.
• Creating, updating and maintaining standard template agreements and negotiation guidelines relevant to the services provided to Northern Trust’s clients in compliance with the risk management framework and policies of the bank.
• Supporting strategic projects and new product initiatives.
• Engaging with internal stakeholder by supporting Compliance and Risk Management and the Assistant General Counsel, in analysing  the requirements of new laws and regulations impacting the businesses and the implementation of processes and procedures in order to comply with such requirements.
• Conducting legal research as appropriate to support legal advice and recommendations.

Skills/Qualifications:

• A qualified lawyer in England and Wales with 3-5 years PQE with a current practicing certificate, who is currently working either in a reputable and recognised financial services practice at a law firm or a financial institution with general banking expertise. Additional qualifications to practice law in other EMEA jurisdictions will be viewed positively, particularly Luxembourg or Guernsey.
• Experience with structuring, drafting and negotiating different types of secured and unsecured lending and other banking related contracts including bi-lateral facilities, capital call facilities and overdrafts. Solid understanding of credit support for various types of fund structures as well as taking security.
• Excellent contract drafting and negotiation skills across a broad suite of contracts, ideally with specific experience of the documents and agreements referred to above including negotiating with large financial institutions and their appointed external counsel.
• Ability to work cooperatively with all levels of the organisation and provide practical, solutions-orientated advice with a strong commercial and pragmatic sense understanding the needs of the business.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to work collaboratively, both within the legal department and with business partners. The ability to analyse complex legal issues and explain these in plain English.
• A self-starter who is flexible and able to work independently and has the ability to prioritise and work to set deadlines within a challenging environment.

Working with Us:

As a Northern Trust partner, greater achievements await. You will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture in an organization where financial strength and stability is an asset that emboldens us to explore new ideas.

Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to assisting the communities we serve! Join a workplace with a greater purpose.

We’d love to learn more about how your interests and experience could be a fit with one of the world’s most admired and sustainable companies! Build your career with us and apply today. #MadeForGreater

Reasonable accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at [email protected].

We hope you’re excited about the role and the opportunity to work with us. We value an inclusive workplace and understand flexibility means different things to different people.

Apply today and talk to us about your flexible working requirements and together we can achieve greater.