Job description

Allen & Overy is a leading international legal practice with a truly global presence. We are renowned for the high quality of our banking, corporate, international capital markets and litigation advice, and also have major strengths in areas such as financial regulation, employment and benefits, real estate and tax.

Our projects, deals and cases often make headline business news and we work with a large number of the top corporates, financial institutions and governments. With many of our partners acknowledged as leaders in their fields, and with all our people demonstrating the highest levels of professionalism, we have a reputation for delivering excellence in all that we do.
Join our team and you’ll be part of a flexible, inclusive culture underpinned by openness and consistent support for one another. Our culture enables people to define their own career path based on their strengths, while our ambitious outlook ensures we continue to provide each person with opportunities to thrive. We’re also committed to supporting a culture that drives diversity and inclusion. Every day, we’re working hard to create an environment where you feel you can bring your authentic self to work. To be comfortable and confident to be who you are in the workplace. To feel like you belong. If you’re ready to play your part in defining the future of law: It’s Time.

Department purpose
Our Financial Services Regulatory team is comprised of lawyers across our office network, covering all of the world's principal financial markets. We are able to offer our clients expertise in the key regions, from a full-service coverage of the key European jurisdictions, including London and Frankfurt, to our U.S. regulatory practice led from our New York and Washington D.C. offices.

We also have well established offices in the Middle East and Asia Pacific region that have been involved in setting up many of the regulatory systems that exist in those regions today.

Our lawyers offer clients extensive regulatory experience and they lead thinking on regulatory developments, helping clients in lobbying on, planning for and implementing changes as they occur. Areas we advise on include bank structuring, securities and derivatives regulation, capital and liquidity requirements, marketing and selling restrictions, clearing and settlement, custody and prime brokerage recovery and resolution planning, payment services, fintech initiatives (for example in relation to fintech, payments and crypto assets) and consumer finance. As an international team we are very experienced in providing international comparative advice on regulatory matters that helps our clients decide where best to conduct their business and gives them a competitive advantage. In addition to continuing to advise on the global reform agenda (particularly in light of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic), Brexit is another area that is driving substantial regulatory change that is impacting our clients particularly as a result of divergence between the EU and UK regimes.  

Role purpose

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Professional Support Lawyer to join the Financial Services Regulatory team within the Banking Department in London at a time when the regulation of the financial services industry is undergoing rapid and dramatic change. The role involves providing a professional service to fee-earners who focus predominantly on Markets regulation and the ESG agenda, supporting the know-how function and working with the other senior PSLs within and outside the practice. In return we offer a compelling benefits package coupled with unrivalled experience and opportunities, first-rate training and development, all within a dynamic and supportive environment.

Role and Responsibilities

The role and responsibilities outlined below would predominantly be in relation to the Markets and ESG areas of our practice:

• Producing, updating and collating core regulatory know-how
• Current awareness alerting and impact assessment in relation to new regulatory and legal developments;
• Enhancing and developing new technology/mechanisms for capturing, sharing and communicating know-how;
• Proactively identifying the impact of regulatory developments on other practice areas, and delivering and developing know-how, training, and resources as necessary;
• Dealing with queries from fee-earners in the UK and overseas offices, and providing general know-how and advice;
• Supporting the training function, including organising training seminars (preparing training materials and delivering training etc.);
• The role will involve client contact, including through the production of targeted materials for clients with insightful and practical impact analysis and involvement in running client training (including the production of relevant materials); and
• Liaising closely with business development.

Key requirements

Essential

• Qualified lawyer – minimum of 4 PQE (no upper limit).
• Excellent technical skills, with a strong interest in the commercial and legal issues relating to financial services regulation, with a particular interest in Markets regulation and the ESG agenda.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Familiarity with the international, European and UK regulatory framework and processes.
• Energy and enthusiasm, with a flexible and pro-active approach.

Non-essential

• An interest in know-how systems and applications.
• Prior experience as a PSL or delivering know-how to lawyers is advantageous, but not essential.

Allen & Overy LLP is committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements.

Additional information - External

Allen & Overy is a leading global law firm operating in over thirty countries. Embracing new trends and harnessing decades of experience, we’ve earned our place at the forefront of the legal industry. Our partners are recognised as leaders in their field and our deals and cases often make headline business news. As a result, we’ve developed a reputation for delivering exceptional legal solutions that not only solve our clients’ challenges but exceed their expectations. By embracing new ways of thinking, integrating technology into our everyday work and putting our people first, we’ve become known for leading by example.

Join our team and you’ll be part of a flexible, inclusive culture underpinned by openness and consistent support for one another. Our culture enables people to define their own career path based on their strengths, while our ambitious outlook ensures we continue to provide each person with opportunities to thrive. We’re also committed to supporting a culture that drives diversity and inclusion. Every day, we’re working hard to create an environment where you feel you can bring your authentic self to work. To be comfortable and confident to be who you are in the workplace. To feel like you belong. If you’re ready to play your part in defining the future of law: It’s Time.