Legal Counsel - Banking & Finance Lawyer in London

BBVA is a global company with more than 160 years of history that operates in more than 25 countries where we serve more than 80 million customers. We are more than 121,000 professionals working in multidisciplinary teams with profiles as diverse as financiers, legal experts, data scientists, developers, engineers and designers.

BBVA is growing its Corporate and Investment Bank (CIB) in London. We are hiring an excellent and motivated banking and finance lawyer to join our dynamic and growing UK legal team. Working alongside three other full-time banking and finance lawyers in London, this role offers exposure to a broad range of banking and finance products and related areas, providing a strong platform for professional development and career growth within a leading and growing international bank.

You will be a key legal advisor to the banking and finance businesses, supporting the structuring, origination and execution of a broad range of debt transactions (including corporate lending, project finance, real estate finance, leveraged finance, fund/capital call finance, ECA finance, private and structured credit, financial and M&A debt advisory, distribution of credit risk and secondary loan trading, post-closing monitoring and restructurings). This role will suit a lawyer with a practical, solution-oriented and adaptable mindset who thrives in a fast-paced, deal-driven environment.

• Advising, structuring, drafting, reviewing and negotiating facility agreements, intercreditor agreements, commitment/mandate letters, term sheets, confidentiality agreements and reliance letters, supporting transaction execution from end-to-end followed by post-closing amendments/waivers.
• Managing legal risk and ensuring transactions comply with internal policy and market standards.
• Developing and maintaining banking and finance internal precedents and know-how resources, and providing guidance to non-legal teams on finance documentation and legal risk.
• Providing English law advice on wholesale banking matters in the UK, to the head office and to international branches.
• Analysing and advising on all relevant UK regulatory matters, ensuring that contracts remain in compliance with applicable law and regulation and keeping abreast of legislative changes that may affect the bank.
• Supporting the legal team as required on trade finance matters and certain global markets matters.
• Working closely, collaboratively and directly with business units and other legal team members, and appointing and managing outside counsel.

• Qualified solicitor in England and Wales.
• Would suit candidates of 4+ years post-qualification experience (PQE) working in a top international law firm; additionally, prior experience in an in-house legal department is helpful but not a prerequisite.

• A background in banking and finance law is required; prior experience of all areas is not required but the candidate must have strong technical foundations and be enthusiastic and keen to learn.
• Strong understanding of LMA documentation, intercreditor arrangements, security structuring and cross-border financing.
• Experience of drafting, negotiating and leading on English law governed facility agreements without external counsel support.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, high commercial awareness and ability to distil complex legal concepts into clear, actionable advice.
• Robust and thorough approach to drafting and reviewing of documentation.
• Strong ability to work effectively in multi-cultural, geographically dispersed, virtual teams.
• Ability to work well and efficiently under pressure - working outside core office hours in order to meet deadlines, if required.
• Ability and desire to train junior members of the team (such as interns).
• Ability to manage a high workload consisting of a wide range of multiple competing tasks.
• Good understanding of the regulatory aspects of banking and finance.
• Spanish language skills are helpful but not essential.
• Familiarity with, and appetite to further use, legal technology and AI tools.

• A responsible, professional and reliable team player.
• An understanding of the need to provide a high standard of customer service to clients.
• A desire to work as a part of a team to take on new challenges and help develop new business areas for CIB.