Description:
Job Description:As part of the Legal Department, the Senior Counsel is at the center of keeping An Online Banking, Loans, Credit Cards & Home Lending Bank Bank strong and resilient, all while enabling responsible growth.
You will provide oversight, legal advice, and support to An Online Banking, Loans, Credit Cards & Home Lending Bank's US Credit Cards and Unsecured Lending (CCUL) lines of business. You will use your expert judgement to provide solution-oriented legal guidance regarding the bank's consumer lending products, operations, and processes. You may also, directly and indirectly through external counsel, support business development teams and the management of legal and contractual requirements for CCUL's merchant partner relationships. You will be a trusted advisor to product owners and risk stakeholders.
The Senior Counsel provides oversight, legal advice and support to An Online Banking, Loans, Credit Cards & Home Lending Bank Bank management in Corporate Group Functions and Business Units. Functions as legal expert in one or more defined subject matter areas and/or specific business lines. Provides high level legal advice to specific business area(s), may prepare resolutions, contracts, memoranda to management, litigation documents and forms and participates in major legal actions. Foresees and protects the Company against legal risks.
- Must be eligible for employment under regulatory standards applicable to the position.
- May manage paralegal and administrative staff, assigning responsibilities and evaluating results
- Provides leadership, coaching, counseling and guidance to staff
- Supervises external counsel providing advice or other legal services of the Company
- Works closely with General Counsel, department attorneys and external legal counsel on specific legal issues related to the Company's business
- Gives practical support and assistance to contemporaries, junior attorneys and staff
- Volunteers expert advice and experience
- Verifies the information has been understood
- Serves in one or more permanent or ad hoc practice groups or cross-practice teams of attorneys and staff
- Assists in the management of expenditures for external counsel
- Advises lines of business on best practices that help minimize legal and litigation risk
- May assist General Counsel in developing and managing departmental budget for both internal and external legal spend
- Anticipates client needs
- Deals with complex legal issues
- Clearly delivers difficult messages without jeopardizing client relationships
- Gives pragmatic legal opinions with reasons and rationale
- Provides advice in ambiguous situations; identifies and prevents future legal risks
- Identifies and takes action on future opportunities
- Resolves most situations where conflicts arise between the needs and desires of specific business units and the interests of the Company without requiring intervention of more senior attorneys
- Demonstrates highest professional ethical and behavioral standards and complies with all applicable Bar Rules and Codes of Professional Responsibility, and corporate ethical and behavioral standards
- Participates in special projects and performs additional duties as required
Qualifications:
- Bachelors degree required
- J.D. from an Accredited Law School required
- 10+ Years of related experience
- Strong knowledge of at least one area of law relating to banking/financial services operations and issues
- Integrity and high moral standards
- Strong negotiation and conflict resolution skills
- Strong legal and analysis skills
- Detail oriented
- Must be able to apply legal knowledge to the business
- Ability to exercise sound judgment
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Strong teamwork and client skills
- Highly motivated
- Ability to provide difficult, complex and unwelcomed legal advice credibly and convincingly to management
- Strong technology aptitude including i) proficiency with standard office software and ability to learn and apply new technologies in work environment and ii) capacity to understand current and emerging technologies in the industry and how they affect business objectives
- Ability to identify problems and barriers, and effectively implement solutions to advance business strategy
- Operates with creativity and innovation; seeks different perspectives and new ideas
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple deadlines and priorities
- Understands the value of knowledge management , builds and supports systems and tools that efficiently connect people to the knowledge they need to do their job
Preferred Qualifications:
- Prior in-house experience at a nationally or state-chartered bank, consumer finance company, fintech company, payment processor or network, or large retailer with a consumer credit program.
- Prior experience advising on both product and regulatory legal considerations, as well as exposure to transactional issues, for private label, co-brand, and point-of-sale financing programs, such credit cards, installment lending, or buy-now pay-later products.
- Prior experience developing and updating template agreements, as well as advising on related business policies and procedures.
- Detailed knowledge of and experience with the Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Unfair Deceptive and Abusive Acts and Practices (UDAAP), and other laws and regulations related to consumer credit.
- Familiarity with OCC Bulletin 2023-17 and the Interagency Guidance on Third-Party Risk Management, particularly as it relates to expectations with contractual obligations.
- Familiarity with bank and financial institution risk management organizations and processes, and a demonstrated ability to work closely with compliance teams, risk stakeholders, and other internal lawyers.
