We are recruiting an Associate/Senior Associate with three to six years’ PQE to join our Financial Services and Products practice.
About Macfarlanes
Macfarlanes is a pre-eminent law firm that serves a global client base in Private Capital, Private Wealth, M&A and Disputes. Personal connection, an entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to excellence are at the heart of our firm. These values drive our ability to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients.
We are big enough to undertake the most complex and demanding mandates yet small enough to know each other well and to be agile, adapting to the needs of our clients. We seek to strengthen the firm by recruiting talented people from all backgrounds who want to build long-lasting and impactful careers with us. Our culture is challenging and supportive, creating an environment where individuals can thrive.
What this means for you
Offering a partner-led service enables our fee earners to learn and develop through working closely with a senior member of the team. Our size means that you will often be very close to the front line or in a client facing role, gaining a greater insight into the issues facing our clients.
We expect all our fee earners to assume real responsibility, as well as to participate in client and business development activities. That means wider exposure for you and a steep learning curve.
Our matters often have a cross-border element, so our fee earners frequently liaise with global businesses and specialists in overseas jurisdictions.
The importance we place on the development of our fee earners’ legal and commercial skills has allowed us to develop the excellent reputation we have – we believe our education and training programme is second to none.
We all work together as part of a cohesive and supportive team, with the firm recognising, appreciating and rewarding the efforts of its employees.
Practice overview
Our Financial Services and Products Regulation practice consists of three Partners, our Head of ESG, one Senior Knowledge Lawyer, one Senior Counsel, seven Senior Associates and six Associates.
The team covers a broad range of work including advising on all aspects of FCA/PRA applications and notifications, the regulatory aspects of corporate and banking transactions and restructurings, outsourcings, new product launches, trading and market conduct, and other contentious and non-contentious regulatory matters. We also work closely with our disputes team on contentious regulatory matters. Besides the group’s own following of clients, we also enjoy wide and varied referrals from across the firm, working closely with our private client, investment management, derivatives and trading, tax and reward, finance, corporate and employment practices.
Our client base is broad and includes asset managers of all kinds, banks and investment firms, corporate finance houses, sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms, hedge fund managers, benchmark administrators, e-money issuers and payment services providers, technology providers, inter-dealer brokers, family offices, corporates, wealth managers and individuals.
This is an exciting time to join a growing, dynamic and highly regarded team in a key area of strategic importance for the firm. All members of the team are expected to take a role developing the practice and client base, as they progress in their career.
The role
The successful candidate will have experience in the following key areas, as appropriate to their PQE:
- buy-side experience, with some sell-side experience an advantage;
- in-depth knowledge of MiFID II, AIFMD and MAR (CRR and EMIR would be an advantage);
- experience of working with institutional asset managers, private equity and credit fund managers, and hedge fund managers;
- experience of running regulatory due diligence in support of corporate and banking teams, drafting due diligence reports and commenting on SPAs, BSAs, etc.;
experience in advising on perimeter issues relating to e.g. authorisations, client money issues, interaction between MiFID II and RAO, etc.; - experience in managing regulatory applications, e.g. authorisations, variations of permission, change in control, waiver applications, etc.;
experience in relation to the governance, systems and controls of financial institutions, operation in practice of the SM&CR; and - experience managing client matters, developing the practice and supporting the junior members of the team. This should include supervising junior lawyers and trainees, managing client relationships, as well as marketing and assisting in presentations and pitches.
In addition to the above, contentious regulatory experience (e.g. s166, enforcement, internal investigations/reviews) and experience advising on retail financial services including Consumer Duty would be advantageous but is not essential.
This job description encompasses the main duties of the role and is by no means exhaustive. It is anticipated that duties may vary from time to time according to the needs of the practice area.
The candidate
The successful candidate will have three to six years’ PQE from a highly regarded regulatory practice, which may include experience gained in the legal function of a financial services and products firm. They will have excellent academic credentials from degree upwards.
The successful candidate will have good presentation skills both written and oral, and will be able to juggle multiple matters and take an active role running client files with more limited partner supervision, particularly on more straightforward matters. Demonstrable enthusiasm for the practice area is essential, along with a can-do attitude, independence and initiative as well as experience supervising and training more junior lawyers and trainees.
We expect all our associates to forge close working relationships with clients, assume real responsibility and develop their experience on a variety of regulatory matters.
Application screening
Any offer of employment with us is subject to our pre-employment checks which are conducted by a third-party screening provider. These may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, any criminal records and employment references. These checks will be initiated with your consent and your offer will be subject to the successful completion of these checks.
Our commitment to inclusion
Inclusion is one of our key priorities and it is a goal we are actively working towards. We believe that an inclusive, forward-thinking culture is intrinsically important and enables us to provide innovative solutions to our clients.
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and experiences, making Macfarlanes an exciting and stimulating place to work. We seek to recruit the best candidates, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, social or economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.
As part of this commitment, we will ask you certain diversity data questions. We would really appreciate you and/or your recruiter completing these questions when submitting an application to Macfarlanes as this data enables us to measure our progress and identify any actions needed to continue to support an inclusive culture. This data is anonymised to maintain the privacy of applicants. If you have any questions relating to how this data is used, please contact a member of the recruitment team.
Should you require any adjustments during the application and/or interview process, please do not hesitate to inform your recruiter or a member of the recruitment team. Please note, the job description is available in other accessible formats (for example, large print)
We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme, please email the recruitment team at [email protected].