Business Acceptance Counsel in London

At BCLP, we’ve built our firm on the foundations of thinking differently. Curious, inquisitive and unbound by tradition, we’re building change within our sector and beyond. It starts with our people, which is why we need a Business Acceptance Counsel to join our Office of the General Counsel (“OGC”) department. Reporting to the Business Acceptance Director – EMEA/Asia, you will provide high-quality legal and risk advisory support to the OGC’s Management team (“OGCM”), the Business Acceptance Team (“BAT”) and the broader firm in managing the firm’s exposure to legal, regulatory, commercial and reputational risks relating to business acceptance. You will also advise on the full range of legal, commercial and reputational risks arising from financial crime and anti-money laundering (“AML”), sanctions and conflicts.

What’s in it for you? You will be an integral part of the OGCM consisting of senior practitioners with responsibility for supporting a number of key elements of the firm’s business acceptance risk management and compliance framework. The OGC has a global and cross-functional advisory remit. Our aims are to promote a risk-aware culture based on ethics and integrity and to ensure everyone is aware of and proactively manages risk at all levels across our business in a way that enables us to achieve our strategic and business objectives and protects our reputation. We work closely with senior leadership within the firm and our dedicated risk champions across the practice groups, in our international offices and within the Business Services departments. This is a varied and challenging role which may over time be developed to increase scope and responsibility.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Act as a trusted adviser to the BAT, the broader OGC, partners and business leaders, providing practical, risk-based guidance on complex business acceptance issues, with a particular focus on financial crime, anti-money laundering, sanctions compliance, client due diligence and reputational risk matters, as well as legal and commercial conflicts of interest, confidentiality and information barrier issues, and other legal, regulatory or commercial considerations relevant to the acceptance or continuation of client relationships and mandates.
• Facilitate the firm's global client and matter acceptance processes, coordinating with stakeholders across the firm to identify, manage and resolve complex business acceptance issues in a commercially focused and legally compliant manner.
• Assist in the review of Outside Counsel Guidelines with respect to business acceptance issues.
• As a member of the firm’s Global Business Acceptance Committee, contribute to the review, challenge and approval of higher-risk clients and matters.
• Support the MLRO and/or Deputy MLRO in relation to internal suspicion reports under the Proceeds of Crime Act and, where necessary, liaison with the National Crime Agency; develop and maintain the network of local MLRO.
• Support OGCM in relation to review, monitoring and external reporting requirements concerning economic sanctions, including reporting to OFSI where required and liaison with other offices.
• Assist in the development, implementation and continuous improvement of business-enabling, risk-based compliance policies, procedures and governance, with a focus on harmonised global approaches that support the wider firm.
• Support responses to relevant regulatory audits, inspections, information requests and reporting obligations.
• Contribute to business acceptance systems, data quality, process improvement, automation and appropriate AI-enabled risk management initiatives, and carry out other discrete projects and tasks in support of the OGC.
• Assist with the delivery of awareness raising, education and training activities to the business in relation to business acceptance risks.

Skills and experience required:

• Legally qualified and admitted to practise in the UK (or another common law or EU jurisdiction).
• Knowledge of legislation, ethical rules and guidelines and related compliance issues applicable to international law firms.
• Significant experience in advising on and resolving complex financial crime issues, including anti-money laundering, client due diligence, sanctions, and reputational risk matters.
• Expertise in the identification, prevention, management and resolution of legal and commercial conflicts of interest.
• Experience working in a commercial (preferably international) environment.
• Experience of dealing with senior stakeholders across various jurisdictions on the commercially focused resolution of difficult and complex business acceptance issues.
• Practical experience managing US conflict rules issues.
• Experience of Outside Counsel Guidelines review.

Skills and Attributes:

• Excellent research and analytical skills and experience.
• Outstanding communication skills both oral and written; with an ability to articulate complex issues in an accurate, concise and clear manner; appropriately selects best communication medium; understands the importance of adapting communication style to different situations, individuals and stakeholders.
• Ability to take ownership of complex issues and drive them through to resolution; identify the key elements of a problem; and apply relevant legislation, regulatory rules, professional obligations, policies and procedures to reach a sensible, practical and risk-based solution for the business.
• Demonstrates sound judgement, resilience, diligence and a strong sense of accountability.
• Shows initiative, is proactive and takes ownership of their own workload without repeated escalation; copes with unanticipated events; anticipates and explores the possibility for change; creates new ideas to add value and puts them to senior colleagues.
• Displays awareness of the commercial environment and understands the significance of matters in the wider context of the firm’s business.
• Prioritising and multitasking skills; taking responsibility for prioritising work; flexible and adapts to pressure and changing demand on time; comfortable working on more than one piece of work at a time.
• Proactively seeks out new experiences, challenges and training opportunities to develop knowledge and skills; seeks feedback and is able to self-assess own performance accurately; actively participates in own development.
• Trustworthy with the ability to display discretion when dealing with confidential and sensitive information.
• Personable, collaborative and able to challenge constructively and influence stakeholders at all levels, including senior partners and business leadership.
• Language skills are an advantage (particularly Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, German or Arabic).

At BCLP we understand the value of a workforce with diverse perspectives and experiences, and we believe people perform at their best when they can truly be themselves at work. We aim to create an inclusive environment where all our employees are valued, motivated and able to be themselves. In order to provide the best possible service to our robust client base, we are committed to recruiting, retaining, rewarding and developing our people with regard to their abilities and contributions and without reference to their background, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnic origin, age, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, political belief, disability or any other applicable protected characteristic.