The Role
Department: Legal & Risk Department
Location: London
Role: Head of Conflicts Resolution
Reporting to: Director of Risk
The Team
The Legal & Risk Department provides support to the firm's Senior Management and to the wider business, to ensure that the firm develops and maintains the very highest standards of professional conduct, optimally manages its risk and sets a healthy risk culture and ensures compliance globally with its legal and regulatory requirements. This role is a senior level role and will also lead in promoting and embedding best practice in these areas throughout the firm's global network.
The role reports to the Director of Risk and works closely with the the firm's COLP, Practice Group Heads and the Heads of Risk Management and Financial Crime.
Key Responsibilities
- Responsibility for setting the firm's approach and all related processes to managing and resolving legal and commercial conflicts globally and ensuring all decision making is in accordance with the firm's strategy and values; this will also include ensuring process and systems are in place to record all decisions taken.
- Responsibility for guiding and managing the Conflicts & New Business Committee (CNBC) on all escalations made to it, and working closely with regional Boards and Practice Group Heads to develop and deliver an effective, smooth and pragmatic approach to managing conflicts resolution within the firm.
- Working with the Global Head of Business Acceptance and Conflicts Management in shaping the conflicts and client intake capability within the firm to support the needs of the business, focussing on developing, coaching and growing the lawyers in the team who have a role within the conflicts process and identifying gaps and opportunities to enhance the entire process. The role will also consider appropriate learning and development initiatives required and build the knowhow within BAU and the Conflicts Resolution team. More specifically, the role will also consider:
- Managing legal analysis of potential conflicts and confidentiality issues escalated by the Business Acceptance Team
- Taking a lead on facilitating resolution of legal and commercial conflict issues, with the relevant members of senior management, Practice Group Heads, Client Relationship Partners and key business stream leads as well as the CNBC.
- Appropriate learning and development initiatives required and build the knowhow within the department and the Conflicts Resolution team.
- Drafting and embedding policies and procedures for managing conflicts and recommending changes, new team processes and improvements, as required.
- Devising, leading and delivering a training programme on excellent conflicts management across the firm to embed key messages.
- Guiding the business with its most complex and challenging conflicts issues, escalating to the Conflicts & New Business Committee as required and reporting quarterly to the Management Board, via the GC's regular report, on conflicts resolution and progress.
- Inputting into the wider Risk and BAU team initiatives including into other policies and procedures for managing compliance and recommending and implementing improvements, as required.
- Supporting senior management to ensure the firm is aligned and consistent in its risk culture and approach and to develop a continually closer relationship between the department and the lawyers in all regions.
Essential Skills & Experience
Key Objectives within the Role
As part of the role the candidate will:
- Analyse and critically assess the firm's current conflicts process and approach to conflicts with particular reference to US conflicts provision and waivers. Work closely with the North America General Counsel and his US Senior Risk Lawyer to ensure the firm is in the best position to take opportunities in the market over the next 5 -10 years;
- Develop an integrated client review process for each regional Board to help ensure that conflicts are considered early and the quality and sustainability of its client base is aligned with the firm's strategy taking into account the firm's position on ESG and reputational risk issues;
- Work closely with the Global Head of Business Acceptance and Conflicts Management on a robust process to manage conflicts relevant to potential lateral hires, particularly in the context of new office openings.
- Understand closely the key risks faced by the firm across the whole department, including conflicts and engagement with clients, Professional Indemnity risks, financial crime and data protection and privacy risk as well as key compliance messages critical to the business in order to be a champion and influencer.
- Deliver and guide the team to assist with delivering market leading risk training across offices as well as virtually.
- Act as an escalation point for conflicts resolution from both the Business Acceptance team, Conflicts Lawyers and partners in the firm.
- Supervisory and mentoring responsibilities for the Conflicts Analystsand Conflicts Lawyer.
The successful candidate will have:
- Qualified lawyer with a significant number of years' experience practising in an international law firm and with a bachelor or Master's Degree (or equivalent);
- Significant experience in managing risk within a professional services firm, with experience in enterprise risk also welcomed;
- Excellent ability to manage and influence senior stakeholders, driving action and challenging inaction;
- Strong partnership abilities; skilled in influencing and motivating others especially senior leaders;
- Strong project management, problem-solving and decision-making skills;
- Expert trainer able to inspire and influence busy executives to engage with relevant training and scenarios;
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills including presentation development and delivery;
- Proven ability to design and deliver well thought through, relevant and challenging exercise scenarios to all levels of business continuity teams;
- Ability to work independently and think critically;
- A strong service focus with the need to listen and understand the essential requirements of different areas of the firm;
- Ability to build connections and work collaboratively across boundaries at all levels.
- Ability to think laterally, commercially and analytically; dealing with large amounts of information to short deadlines; and finding practical solutions for the business.
This is the job description as constituted at present; however the Firm reserves the right to reasonably amend it in accordance with the changing needs of the business.
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