Practice Group / Department:

Head of Conflicts, General Counsel & Risk

Job Description

We're Norton Rose Fulbright - a global law firm with over 50 offices and 7,000 employees worldwide. We provide the world’s preeminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. At Norton Rose Fulbright, our strategy and our culture are closely entwined. We know that our expansion will mean little unless it is underpinned by truly global collaboration and we understand that pioneering work only takes place when our people have room to move and think beyond boundaries. As well as the relevant skills and experience, we're looking for people who are innovative, commercial and value the work that they do. 

The Role

We are seeking a talented conflicts lawyer for our General Counsel & Risk team. This role is based in London and will report to our Head of Conflicts, also based in London. It may be offered at Counsel or Senior Associate level, depending on experience.

This role will primarily involve the provision of expert and pragmatic advice to our business in Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia on applicable conflicts laws and other ethical rules, supporting a range of colleagues and stakeholders, including junior team members, Partners, Sector leaders and firm management. It may involve line management of other GC & Risk team members.

The successful candidate will be required to participate in an evening/weekend rota, meaning occasional but predictable evening and weekend work for urgent matters and escalations only, during specified times.

The Firm

Norton Rose Fulbright is a global law practice which provides the world's pre-eminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. We have more than 4,000 lawyers based in over 50 cities across Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate and advise on legal and regulatory risks presented by the firm’s new and existing business.
• Provide senior level advice to partners and senior management on conflicts and regulatory issues.
• Assist with complex risk decisions relating to conflicts and confidentiality issues, including in connection with different ethical rules that apply across EMEAPAC and the verein, and balancing the firm’s regulatory obligations together with its strategic and commercial goals.
• Assisting the General Counsel for New Business, the Head of Conflicts and CMI operational lead with implementing compliance processes that operate effectively across the firm.
• Managing, supervising and/or mentoring more junior members of the team and being responsible for their development.
• Management and development of systems, procedures and internal knowledge resources in relation to conflicts and general compliance issues.
• Providing guidance to the business and junior colleagues on the review of engagement and relationship letters, panel appointments and non-disclosure agreements produced by clients, and advising as to their acceptability.
• Lead or collaborate on various General Counsel & Risk or firmwide projects requiring input from a risk and compliance perspective.
• Devising and/or contributing to the provision and upkeep of a rolling conflicts and confidentiality training program for the New Business teams.
• Contributing to the promotion of a risk management culture throughout the firm, including facilitating training sessions for the Practice and other Business Services teams.

Key Skills and Experience

• Qualified Solicitor, REL, RFL, or qualified Barrister or Solicitor in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa or the United States, with 8+ years qualified experience in an international law firm or in-house in a regulatory/general counsel area.
• “Can do” attitude and willingness to learn.
• High level of technical expertise.
• Ability to effectively analyse complex legal and factual issues.
• Pro-active approach; anticipating the needs of our clients and internal stakeholders; looking at ways to add value wherever possible and unafraid to ask questions and test the status quo.
• Strong influencing, written and oral communication skills, including the ability to articulate arguments and complex concepts clearly, succinctly and respectfully to all levels of staff and in different cultural settings (where English may not be a first language).
• Ability to deal with difficult and novel situations with poise.
• Sufficiently confident to exercise initiative and make risk-based judgement calls on a daily basis, whilst appropriately escalating matters.
• Ability to prioritise and delegate effectively.
• A lateral and innovative thinker who is able to overcome obstacles under time pressure and can effectively balance the firm's legal obligations with its business needs.
• A discrete and professional approach to sensitive matters and confidential information.
• Willingness to take responsibility for deliverables as appropriate; works effectively both autonomously and in a team setting.
• Has a positive outlook and is open to being a role model and mentor to junior members of staff; able to give and receive constructive criticism in a positive way.
• Is globally minded.
• Excellent project management skills with ability to lead on significant change management projects.
• Demonstratable record of delivering a successful training programme on their subject matter expertise.
• Willing and able to embrace the firm’s business principles of quality, integrity and unity.

#LI-JC1 #LI-Hybrid

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

To attract the best people, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work, have a sense of belonging, and realize their full career potential. 
Our new enabled work model allows our people to have more flexibility in the way they choose to work from both the office and a remote location, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of service. We offer a range of family friendly and inclusive employment policies and provide access to programmes and services aimed at nurturing our people’s health and overall wellbeing. Find more about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion here.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams. We strive to create an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you require any tailored adjustments or accommodations, please let us know here.