Senior Counsel

Wells Fargo provides middle market, large corporate and financial institution customers with a range of international solutions, including treasury management, credit, payments, financing, foreign exchange, and trade services. Wells Fargo operates from 42 countries and territories outside of the U.S., including branches in Beijing, Cayman Islands, Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), Hong Kong, London, Seoul.

Main Function of the Role

The Law Department provides advice to Wells Fargo’s senior management, business units and support functions on a wide range of issues including regulatory matters, transactions and corporate law issues with lawyers located in Wells Fargo’s offices globally.

Responsibilities

• Advising on legal issues and complex documents (including reviewing ISDA Master Agreements, GMRA and GMSLAs) for business units (liaising with external counsel as appropriate).
• Working independently with business units to help develop their businesses, particularly in obtaining requisite approvals from regional and Head Office committees.
• Identifying and mitigating transaction risks and providing creative, problem-solving legal input to new product and new initiative development.
• Providing legal advice on compliance policies, advising and working with Compliance Department as appropriate.
• Advising on licensing regulations in various jurisdictions, in particular on the ability to market, solicit and conduct business in such jurisdictions.
• Communicating regularly and co-ordinating with Head Office Law Department, in particular adhering to policies and procedures on managing external counsel relationships and all related expenses, particularly on transactions (and approving legal invoices).
• Consulting with and advising clients and representing the Bank in dealing with others inside and outside the organization, as appropriate.
• Keeping other Law Department and line of business colleagues updated on EMEA legal developments and their impact on Wells Fargo’s businesses.

Market Skills and Certifications

Requirements

• Duly qualified lawyer admitted to practice law in England, the United States, other common-law or European jurisdiction.
• Extensive transactional experience practicing law with a major law firm or financial services organisation.
• Substantial experience representing international financial institutions on cross-border transactions, regulatory issues and dealing with regulators.
• Good technical knowledge of EMEA markets and relevant laws (derivatives, securities, insolvency, tax, etc.) with respect to lending, capital markets, structured finance and similar products.
• Experience in OTC derivatives is helpful.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation and communication skills.
• Flexible, proactive, creative and entrepreneurial approach.
• Ability to manage projects and work with multidisciplinary project teams.

Team members support our focus on building strong customer relationships balanced with a strong risk mitigating and compliance-driven culture which firmly establishes those disciplines as critical to the success of our customers and company. They are accountable for execution of all applicable risk programs (Credit, Market, Financial Crimes, Operational, Regulatory Compliance), which includes effectively following and adhering to applicable Wells Fargo policies and procedures, appropriately fulfilling risk and compliance obligations, timely and effective escalation and remediation of issues, and making sound risk decisions. There is emphasis on proactive monitoring, governance, risk identification and escalation, as well as making sound risk decisions commensurate with the business unit’s risk appetite and all risk and compliance program requirements.