Legal Counsel

We are seeking a Legal Counsel to assume responsibility for the day-to-day management of the legal portfolio of our company and its related entities. A significant proportion of that work is conducted in the United States through external attorneys appointed for the purpose, and the successful candidate will be responsible for the instruction, supervision and coordination of those advisers. The role further encompasses regulatory and compliance oversight, with particular emphasis on the financial technology sector, together with substantive legal drafting and research.

The appointee will report to the Head of Operations and assume responsibility for the execution and day-to-day conduct of matters.

Key Responsibilities

Management and supervision of external counsel

• Act as the principal point of contact for the attorneys and other external advisers engaged, and manage those relationships throughout the lifecycle of each matter

• Issue clear instructions to external counsel, agree the scope, budget and timelines of each engagement, and monitor adherence to the same

• Review and critically assess work product received from external advisers, and ensure that the advice rendered is practicable and commercially appropriate

• Maintain oversight of all outstanding items, ensure the timely progression of each matter, and escalate delays or areas of concern to management

• Assist in the identification, evaluation and onboarding of new external counsel, and review fee proposals and invoices to ensure that legal expenditure remains proportionate to the matter

Litigation and dispute management

• Manage the day-to-day conduct of all active disputes

• Coordinate evidence gathering, document collection and related procedural requirements in conjunction with external counsel and internal stakeholders

• Prepare for and support mediations and settlement negotiations, including the assessment of commercial options and settlement structures

• Maintain a comprehensive register of all matters and provide management with regular reporting on status, exposure and required next steps

Regulatory and compliance oversight

• Maintain oversight of the regulatory and compliance obligations of our company and its related entities across the jurisdictions in which we operate, with particular attention to entities operating in the financial technology and financial services sectors

• Monitor and manage recurring regulatory filings, licensing requirements and periodic renewals, liaising with external compliance advisers as required

• Advise the business on the application of applicable regulatory frameworks, including those relating to financial services, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, sanctions screening, consumer protection and data protection

• Support the development, review and implementation of internal policies, procedures and controls, and assist in monitoring adherence to the same

• Conduct and oversee counterparty, vendor and onboarding due diligence reviews

• Assume responsibility for data protection matters, including the discharge of data protection office functions and ongoing monitoring of our data protection obligations and those of our related entities

Legal drafting and research

• Draft and review correspondence, agreements, internal memoranda, policies and papers for management and the board

• Conduct legal research on both settled and novel questions, and present findings in a clear and practical form suitable for a non-legal audience

• Prepare briefing notes and options papers to support management decision-making

Wider legal portfolio

• Assist in the management of the our legal portfolio working with specialist counsel in respect of filings, prosecution, renewals and IP protection strategy

• Support corporate secretarial, entity maintenance and board-related matters

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Admitted to practise as a lawyer in a recognised common law jurisdiction, with post-qualification experience obtained in private practice, in-house, or a combination of both

• Demonstrable experience in litigation or dispute resolution, including the substantive conduct of matters rather than observation alone

• Demonstrable experience in regulatory compliance, with exposure to the financial technology or financial services sector considered essential

• Strong legal drafting and research capability, and the ability to produce a first draft without supervision

• Proven ability to instruct, supervise and manage external counsel, including the capacity to hold senior external advisers to agreed scope and deadlines

• Demonstrated proficiency in the use of artificial intelligence tools in legal work.

• Clear and effective written and oral communication, including the ability to advise non-legal stakeholders

• Willingness and ability to work with counsel and counterparties in other jurisdictions, and to accommodate the scheduling requirements that cross-border work periodically necessitates

• Eligible to work in Singapore

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience of United States litigation, or of instructing United States counsel

• Experience of securities, fund or investment adviser regulatory filings

• Experience of anti-money laundering and sanctions screening frameworks and associated tooling

• Experience of intellectual property portfolio management

• Data protection experience, including familiarity with the Personal Data Protection Act

• Prior experience as the sole or first legal appointment within an organisation

Attributes

• Ownership. The appointee is expected to assume responsibility for the matters assigned and to revert with a considered recommendation rather than an open question.

• Commercial judgment. The appointee is expected to weigh legal risk against commercial cost and to advise accordingly.

• Composure. The role requires the ability to maintain progress notwithstanding shifting deadlines, unresponsive counterparties and competing priorities.

Why This Role

• Breadth of responsibility. The position spans disputes, regulatory compliance, corporate, intellectual property and data protection, rather than a single narrow practice area.

• Autonomy. The appointee assumes day-to-day responsibility for the conduct of matters.

• International exposure. The appointee will work directly with United States law firms and other overseas advisers on live and substantive matters.

• Proximity to decision-making. The position reports into operations leadership, and the appointee's work is considered directly by those responsible for the direction of the business.

• Support and development. We provide a weekly work-from-home arrangement, a collaborative working environment and genuine investment in professional development.

Terms of Engagement

• Based in Singapore, working from our office from Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 6.00pm

• One work-from-home day per week, on any day other than Friday

• We operate across multiple time zones, and a degree of flexibility as to working hours is an inherent requirement of the position