Financial Crime Compliance Lawyer

Overview

Mayer Brown is an international law firm positioned to represent the world’s major corporations, funds, and financial institutions in their most important and complex transactions and disputes. We are recognised by our clients as strategic partners with deep commercial instincts and a commitment to creatively anticipating their needs and delivering excellence in everything we do.

We are a collegial, collaborative, and diverse firm where highly motivated individuals with an unwavering commitment to excellence receive the opportunity, support, and development they need to grow, thrive, and realise their greatest potential while supporting the Firm’s client service principles of excellence, strategic partnership, commercial instinct, integrated strengths, innovation, and collaboration across our international firm.

If you enjoy working with team members whose defining characteristics are exceptional client service, initiative, professionalism, responsiveness, and adaptability, you may be the person we are seeking to join our Legal Risk Management team as a Financial Crime Compliance Lawyer in our London office.

Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with flexibility in accordance with the needs of the business. We are happy to consider flexible working arrangements.

The Department: Legal Risk Management

Responsible to: Head of Financial Crime Compliance (Head of FCC)

The Role: Financial Crime Compliance Lawyer (FCC Lawyer)

The Firm has established a Financial Crime Compliance team within its Legal Risk Management and Risk Management Services functions to oversee the Firm's compliance with AML/CTF, sanctions, anti-bribery (ABC), and other financial crime laws. The Head of FCC is responsible for harmonising the Firm's cross-border approach to financial crime compliance, developing policies and procedures, and training and mentoring compliance staff.

The FCC Lawyer will report to the Head of Financial Crime Compliance and will provide day-to-day legal assistance to the financial crime compliance team. The FCC lawyer will work closely with the partners and counsel in charge of regional compliance in these areas and with the local money laundering reporting officers.

The FCC Lawyer will also act as the local Anti-bribery & corruption officer for Mayer Brown International LLP.

Responsibilities

1. Provide day-to-day assistance to the financial crime compliance team, including carrying out risk assessments, reviewing risk ratings and requests for CDD exemptions, and responding to queries from clients, lawyers & support staff and financial crime compliance staff.
2. Assist with responses to regulatory audits and advise on sanctions-related intake matters.
3. Support the Firm's reporting procedures for suspicious transactions/activity and sanctions, liaising with local MLROs, sanctions lawyers, and regulatory authorities as necessary.
4. Handle queries from the Firm's Accounts staff relating to client monies.
5. Keep abreast of key financial crime compliance legal and regulatory developments and support the Head of FCC in oversight of compliance with other financial crimes such as anti-bribery, tax disclosure regimes, and Accounts and Escrow Rules applicable to lawyers throughout the global firm.
6. Support the Head of FCC in developing and delivering training programs for lawyers, support staff, and the compliance team.

Qualifications

Strong academic background.

Qualified lawyer, admitted in England & Wales or another relevant overseas jurisdiction.

Experience, skills, and personal attributes:

• Knowledge of AML/CTF laws and other financial crime laws such as sanctions, anti-bribery, tax disclosure regimes, and Accounts Rules applicable to lawyers in the local region;
• Strong analytical skills; able to analyse facts and scenarios quickly and thoroughly;
• Able to proactively solve problems in a methodical, practical way;
• Effective communicator and able to disseminate complex topics clearly, with credibility and confidence;
• Excellent writing skills;
• Able to prioritise a varied workload and work to tight deadlines with minimal supervision;
• Practical and pragmatic approach;
• Enthusiastic and pro-active;
• Good team worker, willing to chip in and help others;
• Responsive and able to work under pressure;
• An ability to handle sensitive matters confidentially and with discretion;
• Commitment to a career within risk and compliance;
• Good IT skills/tech savvy.

At Mayer Brown, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment that offers our people the opportunity and support they need to succeed. Our culture promotes mutual respect, acceptance, cooperation, and productivity among people from varying backgrounds and values different perspectives and ideas.

One of our core values at Mayer Brown is to promote diversity and inclusion at all levels within the business, which is actively supported by our diversity networks - LGBT+, Fusion (Race & Ethnicity), Multi-faith, Women, Enable (Disability), and Work and Me (Family).

We are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments that individuals may require throughout the recruitment process and once they have joined the Firm.