Legal Counsel

Your role is to support the responsible Senior Institutional Business Lawyers in EMEA in providing legal support and advice to the Institutional business of Columbia Threadneedle Investments.

How you'll spend your time:

• Draft, review, amend, negotiate and advise on Investment Management Agreements and other legal and commercial agreements in respect of new and existing clients - both for standard segregated mandates and mandates geared towards the provision of Liability Driven Investment (‘LDI’).
• Draft, review, amend and advise on intra-group agreements, working with key stakeholders including but not limited to internal Tax and Finance teams.
• Advise the Institutional business in relation to both its UK and offshore institutional pooled product ranges including: the Luxembourg domiciled LDI Fund, the UK Investment Trusts and the unit-linked pooled product range (drafting insurance policies, reinsurance policies and endorsements).
• Draft, review, amend and negotiate LDI related contractual documentation and advise internal business partners on queries arising out of the promotion and operation of the LDI service/product.
• Co-ordinate external legal advice and manage external lawyers where required.
• Assist with addressing general and ad-hoc queries from the respective business areas.
• Research and advise on developments in the law, regulation and practices relating to the institutional fund industry.

To be successful in this role you will have:

• Qualified solicitor in England & Wales (or equivalent) with 2-5 years of relevant post-qualification asset management legal experience.
• An understanding of the asset management industry appropriate to the candidate's level of experience gained through working in the financial services team of a reputable law firm or the in-house legal team of a financial services provider.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks independently in a fast-paced environment often to very tight deadlines, whilst knowing when to escalate any issues and risks to the Senior Legal Counsel responsible for the relevant business area.
• Ability to draft asset management contracts with a degree of autonomy, particularly Investment Management Agreements.
• Attention to detail and a critical thinker.
• Ability to balance business risk with business opportunity.
• Ability to provide practical and commercial advice.
• Ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with the business and global teams and within the General Counsel’s Organization.

If you also had this, it would be great:

• Exposure to, and an understanding of, a broad range of investment fund structures and strategies.
• Experience of UK pensions business, particularly unit-linked policies, desirable but not essential.

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments:

Working at Columbia Threadneedle Investments you'll find growth and career opportunities across all of our businesses. We're intentionally built to help you succeed. Our reach is expansive with a global team of 2,500 people working together. Our expertise is diverse with more than 650 investment professionals sharing global perspectives across all major asset classes and markets. Our clients have access to a broad array of investment strategies, and we have the capability to create bespoke solutions matched to clients' specific requirements. Columbia Threadneedle is a people business and we recognise that our success is due to our talented people, who bring diversity of thought, complementary skills and capabilities. We are committed to providing an inclusive workplace that supports the diversity of our employees and reflects our broader communities and client-base. We appreciate that work-life balance is an important factor for many when considering their next move so please discuss any flexible working requirements directly with your recruiter.