Regulation, Insurance and Funds Practice Development Lawyer

Regulation, Insurance and Funds Practice Development Lawyer – 4 years+ PQE

Location: Edinburgh

Brief

We are seeking to recruit an insurance Practice Development Lawyer into the Edinburgh office of our Regulation, Insurance & Funds (RIF) team and sits within the Finance & Projects Group.

The ideal candidate would be a lawyer who is at least 4 years+ PQE at another law firm or the regulator, however we would also be interested in candidates with in-house experience. The candidate will have a background in insurance law, insurance distribution, regulation and policy wordings and / product T&Cs; however, candidates with a wider insurance background are also encouraged to apply. Some knowledge of insurance work is essential, and training on the other products can be provided.

Our Regulation, Insurance & Funds Team

The Pinsent Masons RIF team covers a wide range of specialist Financial Services skillsets, including retail and commercial general insurance, life insurance, savings and investment. These are all highly regulated and legally complex areas. The PRA and FCA regulatory framework and approach changes continuously with a significant impact on our clients, generating a large portion of the team’s work.

The Team's primary clients are leading market financial services firms such as global banks, insurers, funds and brokers. Clients include major global and UK insurance businesses like Allianz, Aviva, AXA, Direct Line Group, RSA, Zurich and others. We also act for a number of broker groups and leading brand retail distributors.

Background to the Role

The RIF PDL team is integral to the success of the firm’s global Financial Services practice and to many of the firm’s Atlas+ relationships in the Financial Services sector. The PDL team leads from the front not only internally but also with clients and in the market generally on legal and non-legal issues, best practice, and innovative thinking.

The PDL team’s work is extremely varied, comprised on a daily basis of both internally facing traditional PSL work (such as working on precedents, providing internal training, and guidance) and externally focussed thought leadership, horizon scanning, advice, training, and guidance. Clients come to the team directly as experts on technical legal issues, and to help them formalise their thinking on internal policies and panel firm requirements. Members of the PDL team work with partners from all Groups and specialisms within the firm and across the globe. The PDL team is at the pinnacle of legal knowledge and practice and are exceptional conduits for the firm, constantly looking for ways to improve the way Pinsent Masons delivers its services including prioritising the increased use of technology to maximise consistency and ease of delivery, leveraging Pinsent Masons’ significant firm-wide investment in ground-breaking innovation in the delivery of legal services.

We are looking to expand our high functioning RIP PDL team by the addition of an additional PDL. That PDL would, together with our existing PDL team, play an integral part of supporting our lawyers and clients globally through best practice in knowhow, precedents, tracking and disseminating developments, high quality training and engagement with clients.

Purpose of the Role:

To work as an integral member of the RIF PDL team, delivering high quality knowhow, guidance, and training, internally and externally, and continue to build on the PDL team’s expertise and reputation, enabling our lawyers and clients, developing our practice and building client relationships through:-

1. providing training and working on training programmes for internal lawyers and external clients;
2. building our brand in the market through content led marketing such as articles on Out-law, webinars and horizon scanning content for clients;
3. keeping clients up to date on regulatory change;
4. tracking, creating, managing and disseminating technical and commercial intelligence to internal lawyers and external clients;
5. spotting opportunities and shaping new and innovative practices, products and resources for external clients and lawyers;
6. delivering strategic knowledge and client initiatives, working closely with the firm’s Atlas+ teams and lawyers across the firm’s international network;
7. developing and maintaining technical and commercial resources (including drafting and maintaining legal precedents and guidance notes) to enable our lawyers to provide the best possible service to clients; and
8. developing relationships with clients including through liaison in relation to client policies and precedents, horizon watching, training, briefings and other activities.

Detail of the Role:

We are looking for an enthusiastic, highly technical, commercially astute, well organised, and self-motivated practice development lawyer.

Working with our existing RIF PDL team, responsibilities of the role will include:

• working closely with the partners and legal directors and other senior lawyers on practice development initiatives;
• horizon scanning and tracking key legal and market developments for clients and lawyers (both at the firm, within clients and with other law firms);
• drafting publications (newsletters, briefings, current awareness alerts, etc.) and writing articles for publication, including news, analysis, and thought leadership pieces;
• producing and managing appropriate precedents, standard forms and practice notes, publications and team content and materials, including online materials and intranet knowledge pages;
• preparing responses to public consultations on legal and policy developments;
• researching and providing information, analysis, and expertise on legal and policy developments to the lawyers within the group globally and our clients;
• maintaining the group's knowledge databases;
• working with the firm's Central Knowledge and Research teams to ensure best use of resources and technology;
• working with the partner and lawyer teams to develop and implement strategic and practical knowledge projects: proactively identifying and prioritising key activities;
• organising training programmes for the group;
• delivery of training to key clients, including suggesting topics, developing materials and delivering presentations;
• attending client and sector events, briefings and presentations, co-ordinating Pinsent Masons events, seminars, articles and client updates;
• identifying and sourcing appropriate external training for lawyers; and
• working with the partner and lawyer teams to develop and implement (utilising the firmwide resources) strategic innovation projects: proactively identifying and introducing new work streams, products and resources.

Relevant Experience

• Previous experience working as a lawyer in a law firm, at a regulator or in-house in the UK and in the RIF arena for at least four years.
• The person need not have existing PSL or PDL experience.
• The person needs to have had client facing experience and must wish to continue developing client relationships.

Key Skills

• Enthusiasm and a desire to drive positive change
• Practical and flexible approach, with an ability to think and act strategically
• Self-starter – innovative, takes the initiative and follows through
• Highly collaborative and able to work among a group of high-performing peers
• Creates confidence with partners and forges co-operative working relationships with colleagues
• Strong communication and influencing skills and the ability to work effectively at all levels with clients, lawyers and support services
• An interest in the future of legal services and innovative products
• Good time management skills to ensure efficient and timely delivery of work and strategic initiatives
• Experience of, and a passion for, training
• Exhibits approach and behaviours consistent with the firm’s purpose-led approach and core values of being 'approachable', 'bold' and 'connected'.

What will we offer you?

• We are a market leading, dynamic and growing international team who work together to produce outstanding results for our clients.
• You will be working with colleagues who are leading specialists in the RIF sector.
• We have an unparalleled client base comprising major banks, insurers, funds, brokers and a number of leading international companies in our global sectors.
• We invest in our team and have a first class training and career development programme. Our training will assist you to develop as a specialist with valuable sector knowledge and the ability to deliver "best of breed" services.

About the Firm

Pinsent Masons is a global 100 law firm, with over 3,800 employees operating out of 28 locations across Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. We have a long-standing reputation for delivering high-quality legal advice rooted in a deep understanding of the sectors and geographies in which our clients operate. Our global reach ensures that we are well-placed to advise on complex multi-jurisdictional matters across a full range of legal disciplines.

The firm has significant multinational credentials in the financial services, energy, infrastructure, real estate, and advanced manufacturing and technology sectors. Services provided across these sectors include asset management and investment funds, corporate and M&A, commercial, competition, litigation and arbitration, banking, restructuring, insurance, regulatory, construction, projects, pensions, property, planning and environmental, procurement, outsourcing, employment, share plans and incentives, technology and tax advice.

We champion change and promote progress to make business work better for people. Pinsent Masons has embedded a range of diversity and inclusion initiatives to create an environment in which its people can flourish. We operate an agile working scheme, which offers our employees flexibility in terms of where, and how, they work.

We stand out for our innovative approach to service delivery. For example, the firm has developed a number of in-house legal technology and project management solutions, operates a hub of freelance lawyers, called Vario, and a global Diversity and Inclusion consultancy, Brook Graham. Put simply, we offer a range of professional disciplines to our clients, enabled by our people, process and technology.

Awards

We’re being recognised equally by commentators and other market movers through a plethora of awards spanning every region and culminating in being named law firm of the year by Legal Business, the FT’s most innovative law firm in Europe (for the third time in eight years), winning their sustainability award in Asia Pacific and being ranked as Thomson Reuters’ leading legal brand in their UK index.

We have been recognised as by Stonewall as a Top Global Employer . Recognising that we are a leading employer in advancing LGBT+ inclusion. Pinsent Masons is recognised as a ' Top Ten Employer for Working Families in 2023 ' for the seventh consecutive year. We are accredited as a Disability Confident Employer by the Department for Work & Pensions and we were the first law firm to sign up the global Valuable 500.

At Pinsent Masons we value diversity and inclusion. We are committed to creating a better workplace where all our talent can succeed and feel like they belong. We want to attract, retain and develop people at all levels and encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates whatever your ethnicity, religion, age, physical or mental disability/long term condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other characteristics protected by local law in the jurisdictions in which we operate.

Should you require further details, please contact our in-house Lateral Recruitment Advisor Johenn Choi who can discuss the role and requirements.

Contact details:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/johenn-choi

johenn.choi@pinsentmasons.com

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