Legal Counsel - Derivatives

Job Description

What you will be doing

• Advise on the legal basis for structured derivatives and related activities, including OTC transactions, platform-based trading, clearing and repurchase transactions (repos).
• Advise Front Office, Operations and Risk teams on legal issues, transaction documentation and the legal risks associated with OTC activities.
• Draft, review and negotiate legal and contractual documentation, including confirmation templates, structured ISDA and French FBF Master Agreements, guarantees, security documents, confidentiality agreements and other transaction-related agreements.
• Liaise with external counsel where required.
• Identify and assess legal risks arising from OTC activities, explain them clearly to relevant stakeholders, and develop practical measures to manage or mitigate them, including through procedures and standard documentation.
• Provide legal analysis of new products and contribute to the work of the New Product Committee.
• Manage contractual documentation, keeping standard documents and templates up to date, and coordinate relevant Natixis legal policies.
• Maintain and update internal legal guidance on structured derivatives considering relevant international legal developments.
• Monitor ISDA (and French FBF, if applicable) developments and advise the business on their implications.
Report to management in London and Paris and liaise with colleagues across both locations.

What we need from you

• English-qualified lawyer with a minimum of 10 years’ post-qualification experience (PQE).
Significant experience gained at a leading law firm and/or in-house within an investment bank with a track record of success across derivatives

Expertise in:

• ISDA documentation, derivatives and structured products, including interest rate swaps, credit and FX derivatives, securitisation swaps, and hedging swaps relating to a range of underlying assets and transactions, including LBOs, real estate, asset-backed transactions, PPPs and alternative assets.
  • French law or a French law qualification, and knowledge of French-law-governed master agreements (FBF), would be an advantage.
  A solid understanding of derivatives, with some experience in repos and other financing arrangements.
  

• Work collaboratively with colleagues and key stakeholders, supported by strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prioritise effectively and work under pressure.
• Team-oriented, with the flexibility to respond to client demands while adhering to firm policies and Group practices.
• Able to identify, assess and manage legal risks, escalating issues as appropriate.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex legal issues clearly to senior internal stakeholders and non-lawyer audiences.
Strong client-management skills.

Required Skills/Qualifications/Experience

Act as a trusted legal partner to the Fixed Income business, advising on the structuring, negotiation and execution of derivatives transactions and supporting the effective management of legal risk.