Expertise Counsel, Finance Regulatory

About Ashurst

Ashurst is a leading progressive global law firm with a rich history spanning more than 200 years. We are proud of our history and are future-focused, having expanded into new technologies through our NewLaw division, Ashurst Advance, and our consulting arm. Our in-depth understanding of our clients and commitment to providing excellent standards of service have seen us become a trusted adviser to local and global corporates, financial institutions and governments in all areas of commercial law. To find out more please visit .

Team Overview

Ashurst is an expert in global financial services regulation, advising some of the world\’s leading banks and other institutions on their regulatory obligations. We also work closely with regulators, enabling us to prepare clients for issues that might appear on the regulatory horizon.

Our financial regulation practice is a genuinely global practice. London and Sydney are the firm\’s most prominent offices in terms of their strength and numbers in this area. The firm also has highly regarded teams in Hong Kong, Melbourne, Tokyo, Beijing, Frankfurt, Paris, Luxembourg and Madrid. There are also contentious teams in these jurisdictions who work closely with the non-contentious regulatory team.

Ashurst recognises the importance of the regulatory team in its own right and as a key part of other practice areas, but it is by no means a \’support\’ team.

Coverage

Primarily UK and EU law and financial services regulation focussed, with expectation of engagement and support with financial regulation colleagues globally, particularly the UK and Europe and other jurisdictions where similar regulations are present.

About Knowledge & Expertise

K&E\’s work and responsibilities go to the heart of Ashurst\’s 2027 strategy. Our specialists across the firm empower our legal teams with insights, skills and tools so that they can deliver exceptional client service across the globe. They:

• Equip our practice areas with high-quality research and thought leadership, and develop and maintain our legal knowledge and information resources;
• Enable our lawyers to achieve practice excellence through legal learning programmes and mentoring;
• Enhance our legal teams\’ work and client delivery by implementing next-generation tools and technologies, and by driving consistency in our legal documents and processes.

You will be joining a highly expert, dynamic, friendly, well supported global community of expertise lawyers and other K&E specialists.

This new role is a pivotal one for our highly successful global finance regulation (Fin Reg) practice as it continues its strategic growth trajectory. The successful candidate\’s priority will be to work with the Fin Reg expertise partners and broader practice leadership to develop a highly credible, impactful and well-integrated expertise function for our UK and European Fin Reg practice and embed collaborative practices across our global team.

Reporting to

The role will report to the London Fin Reg Expertise Partner, on behalf of the broader Fin Reg practice leadership team. The Expertise Partner and Expertise Counsel are jointly accountable for developing and implementing expertise plans for our UK and European Fin Reg practice, and to achieve a well co-ordinated global approach.

Role overview

The role requires an excellent technical and client-focused lawyer who has the right motivation and skill set to develop and drive forward our Fin Reg expertise in a dynamic and visibly impactful way for our lawyers and clients.

The successful candidate will:

• Guide and contribute to client and industry facing thought leadership initiatives.
• Develop and manage high quality internal and client facing legal content.
• Ensure information, resources and insights are easy to access.
• Develop and maintain standard documentation, guidance and other know-how.
• Develop effective legal learning programmes for our lawyers and clients and support the development of junior lawyers with coaching.
• Drive a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Strategy

Play a leading role in setting, maintaining, evaluating and implementing Ashurst\’s Fin Reg expertise strategy and annual expertise plan(s) to support the achievement of the Fin Reg practice\’s and the firm\’s strategy.

Thought leadership

• Stay up-to-date with relevant legal, regulatory and commercial developments and ensure the practice is kept aware of such developments. Liaise with other practices to identify developments which may be relevant to, or provide opportunities for, the practice.
• Plan, create, coordinate and support the development of client campaigns on significant developments in the Fin Reg area. Devise and produce client publications (e.g. client briefings, email updates and alerts plus practical and forward-looking materials), critical thought pieces, insights and analysis of significant developments in the Fin Reg area (primarily in respect of English and EU law and also by collaborating with Ashurst offices globally e.g. to produce jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction contrast and comparison guides to Fin Reg matters) and client training.
• Prepare articles for the Ashurst website, LinkedIn, and trade publications to inform clients of relevant legal and regulatory developments.

Client engagement

• Guide and participate in Fin Reg client training, pitches and ongoing client development.
• Support the Fin Reg practice\’s leadership team to identify and take to market client engagement strategies through horizon scanning and knowledge of key regulatory changes.
• Collaborate with other practices, regions and industries to help the team identify cross selling and other client opportunities for strategic growth.

External engagement

• Assist in raising Ashurst\’s profile in the Fin Reg area, including by developing and building networks within the financial services sector e.g. by establishing and maintaining relationships with trade bodies, professional bodies, directories, clients and prospective clients.
• Attend relevant meetings of trade associations and other events and report insights to the wider team.

Legal learning and \’on the job\’ coaching

• Foster a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
• Enhance our current Fin Reg training offer, ensuring it aligns with the team\’s needs and our expertise plan and broader practice strategy, equips our junior lawyers with the core capabilities and insights they need to develop at pace, and that all fee earners are up to date with changes in the legal and regulatory environment and market practice.
• Create engaging and relevant training materials that capture the attention of learners and align with the Ashurst brand.
• Assess the effectiveness of training programmes and tailor them in response to feedback.
• Provide technical advice and support to lawyers at all levels.
• Pro-actively mentor junior lawyers to develop high levels of technical excellence.

Knowledge sharing, tools and tech

• Develop and maintain systems to facilitate knowledge sharing.
• Identify, test, implement and champion tools and technology to support fee earner work.
• Consider the impact of developments in technology and AI on the work of the practice.

Risk mitigation, consistency and efficiency

• Research legal and market developments and, together with partners, develop coherent and appropriate policies and guidance.
• Draft and maintain standard documents to anticipate or respond to market or legal developments so that fee earners have the best starting point for their work.
• Develop, collate, coordinate and update supporting guides, precedents and other Fin Reg know-how/resources, including by collaborating with K&E colleagues and relevant legal teams across Ashurst.

Firmwide expertise initiatives

• Participate in and contribute to firmwide and cross-practice expertise initiatives.

Skills and experience

Legal experience

• Qualified in the UK or an EU jurisdiction.
• Possesses technical proficiency equivalent to that of a partner or counsel.
• Has a range of experience across key UK and European regulatory initiatives, including MiFID, CRD/CRR, AIFMD, sustainability, financial crime, payments and e-money and FinTech developments.
• Genuinely interested in financial services, capital markets and developing and delivering exceptional client service, including in new and innovative ways.
• Has had significant experience of client facing work.

Strengths

• Confident and motivated to establish strong trusted partner relationships across the practice and broader firm.
• Proactively identifies and helps coordinate thought leadership and client development initiatives.
• Skilled at analysing complex legal issues to determine their practical impact and devising pragmatic commercial solutions.
• Possesses strong written and oral communication skills.
• Capable and confident in independent and team working.
• Pro-active and positive in supporting individual and team work delivery.
• Passionate about the ongoing development of lawyers, inspiring enthusiasm and a curiosity for learning, and an eagerness to share knowledge.
• Champions quality, consistency, and legal excellence.
• Pro-actively embraces legal technology and process improvement.

Accessibility

We are committed to making all stages of our recruitment process accessible to candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions. If you consider yourself to have a disability or a long-term health condition, please feel able to be open about this at any point during the recruitment process. If you are not sure what adjustments you require, we will work with you to establish the most suitable adjustments at each stage of the recruitment process.

Background checks

In order to comply with regulatory and client requirements, Ashurst will undertake appropriate vetting of staff. When applicants accept a job offer, Ashurst, alongside a specialist provider, will undertake professional verification and background checks. These checks are only undertaken with consent, and in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations.

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