Senior Knowledge Lawyer – Finance / International Capital Markets

Department purpose
Our Global Financial Markets (GFM) team covers an exciting and broad area of finance. We work with colleagues across practice groups and jurisdictions on helping the world’s most successful companies fund themselves and manage risk.
Our work shapes market practice and our lawyers are involved in innovative, cutting-edge and high-profile deals. We have advised on many industry ‘firsts’, including some of the most innovative transactions in sustainable finance and digital bonds. In recent years we have also advised clients on complex funding matters as they navigate difficult economic conditions and often act as a client’s first port of call in times of market crisis.

Role purpose
The Finance/International Capital Markets Know-How & Training team and EU based GFM partners are looking to recruit a Senior Knowledge Lawyer based in London or Continental Europe, who can work alongside the London-based Finance/International Capital Markets Knowledge Lawyer team and relevant Knowledge Lawyer colleagues in Continental Europe to develop and maintain EU law/regulation focused know-how resources, design and deliver associated internal and external training sessions, monitor developments in relation to EU securities law/regulation and practice, be involved in relevant industry consultation responses/advocacy efforts and the development of industry standard form language, as appropriate, and act as a contact for know-how enquiries world-wide where there is an EU securities law/regulation angle.  Importantly, this Senior Knowledge Lawyer role will be responsible for co-ordinating with the EU based GFM partners with regard to their input on developments, know-how resources and training, etc. Topics to be covered will include the EU Prospectus regime, the EU Transparency Directive, the EU market abuse regime, EU MiFID II, the EU Benchmarks Regulation, capital markets related aspects of the EU sustainable finance regime and any other legislative/regulatory regimes impacting the primary debt capital markets in the EU.

Key relationships
GFM Partners and fee-earners globally, as well as partners and fee earners engaged in debt capital markets work in other practice groups.
Finance/International Capital Markets Knowledge Lawyers and Know-How & Training team.
Finance/International Capital Markets Knowledge Lawyer colleagues in Continental Europe and in particular the other knowledge lawyers in Continental Europe.
Wider A&O Shearman Knowledge Lawyer and Know-How community.
GFM BD/PR colleagues.
GFM Innovation Lead.

Role and responsibilities
Co-ordinate with the EU-based GFM partners to gather their input on developments, know-how resources and training.
To maintain and update existing know-how resources, including relevant intranet pages/knowledge collections and online services available internally and to clients.
Prepare updates in line with legal developments to inform colleagues and clients of implications.
To design, plan and deliver relevant aspects of Finance/International Capital Markets training programmes and, when appropriate, deliver relevant training sessions and help with preparing training and presentation materials and to provide ad-hoc training for external clients.
Monitor relevant legal, regulatory and other EU securities related developments in order to keep updated existing (or prepare new) know-how resources, including standard form documentation, and to assist fee earners with being able to provide the latest analysis when giving client advice.
Be the first point of contact for relevant legal queries relating to Finance/International Capital Markets transactional work and product lines.
Undertake some travel to other offices to make connections and build relationships.
Respond accurately and in a timely way to specific requests from partners and associates on complex legal matters within own area of expertise.
Help brief EU GFM fee earners going on client secondments on the know-how resources available to them whilst on secondment, be a first point of contact for them for relevant queries whilst on secondment and to obtain on-going and post-secondment feedback from them on client know-how provision.
To work closely with other London/Continental Europe based Finance/International Capital Markets Knowledge Lawyers and the Documentation team to provide timely responses to relevant queries sent to the ICM Documentation and Know-How Enquiries e-mail address/directly to the Finance/International Capital Markets Knowledge Lawyers.
To attend meetings of relevant external trade associations as necessary in order to keep the Practice Group up to date with developments, and to assist with the production of papers for such associations if required.
To develop and maintain links with the Continental Europe Head of Know-How and with the Knowledge Lawyers in other relevant Practice Groups within Continental Europe to ensure that areas of common interest to more than one department are appropriately covered.
Under general guidance from the EU GFM partners, the Head of Know-How & Training produce and maintain high quality documentation to provide partners and associates with cost effective and timely precedents which help progress client business.
Prepare effective guidance material such as practice notes to enable colleagues to access material which is fully up to date with precedent and practice.
Gather, synthesise, and produce good quality, up to date and readable material for inclusion in the firm’s thought leadership/opinion pieces.
Assist and when necessary, participate, in important Practice-wide projects designed to ensure A&O Shearman’s knowledge base and documentation is maintained in line with new legislation, regulation, significant case law etc.
Work with Innovation colleagues to identify, support and influence new opportunities for innovation on knowledge projects/projects with knowledge implications.
Maintain and develop own knowledge.

 Key requirements
Qualified lawyer with 7+ years’ experience, with some mainstream debt capital markets transactions experience.
Will have worked successfully as a Knowledge Lawyer or transactional associate.
Technical competence in capital markets law and transactional experience, advising on regulation at level of qualification.
Sound experience of working with senior management within a complex international organisation.
Confident self-starter with the desire and ability to continuously acquire, build upon and share knowledge.
Strong commercial/business acumen with the ability to deliver creative and pragmatic solutions and advice.
A high energy individual who enjoys both the operational and strategic sides of this role and shows great flexibility.
Detail-focused and self-motivated approach.
Collaborative team player with the ability to develop and work in a fast paced, intellectually rigorous environment.
A person of sound judgment, able to establish a high level of credibility in the organisation and act as a trusted advisor to fee-earners.
Intellectual curiosity and versatility.
Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines.
Flexibility and a willingness to expand areas of practice for both the team and personally.
International outlook (and keen to spend some time in other EU offices/London).
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interface at all levels and particularly to win the respect of the partner and fee-earner community, building and developing strong (internal and external) client relationships.
Resilient; able to understand that credibility has to be earned in this environment and may take time.