Job Summary
Our banking client seeks a Legal Counsel to provide expert legal advisory and transactional support in banking, financing, treasury, and regulatory matters for the Singapore Branch, driving effective governance and cross-border coordination in a dynamic environment.
Responsibilities
- Provide legal advice on banking business, operations, and governance matters in Singapore to support informed decision-making
- Support corporate banking, private banking/wealth management, and treasury transactions by reviewing and advising on legal implications
- Conduct legal risk assessments for new products, business initiatives, and cross-border transactions to mitigate potential exposures
- Review, draft, and negotiate a broad range of banking and commercial documents including loan agreements, facility letters, guarantees, security documents, NDAs, service and outsourcing agreements, and intra-group arrangements to ensure legal compliance and risk management
- Review treasury and financial markets documentation such as ISDA Master Agreements, CSAs, and derivatives documents to support financial transactions
- Provide legal advice on Singapore regulatory matters including MAS requirements, PDPA, banking secrecy, outsourcing, and corporate governance to ensure regulatory compliance
- Support regulatory interpretation and align internal policies with evolving legal requirements to maintain governance standards
- Advise on PRC law-related issues and cross-border transactions to facilitate compliance with Head Office requirements
- Coordinate with external counsel on Singapore and cross-border legal matters, managing scope, timelines, and costs to optimize legal resources
- Support the review and enhancement of internal policies, procedures, and operational workflows to strengthen risk management and governance
- Assist in handling disputes, regulatory enquiries, complaints, internal investigations, and incident response to protect the bank's interests
- Maintain legal documentation records and track legal risks to ensure accurate and accessible legal information
- Collaborate closely with business, risk, compliance, finance, HR, and Head Office teams to integrate legal perspectives into business operations
- Conduct internal training and briefings on legal and regulatory developments to enhance organizational legal awareness
Preferred competencies and qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Law or equivalent legal qualification
- Qualified lawyer in Singapore or common law jurisdiction preferred
- Minimum 2 years relevant legal experience in law firm, bank, financial institution, or in-house legal team
- Strong experience in banking, finance, corporate lending, treasury, derivatives, or financial regulation preferred
- Familiarity with MAS regulations, PDPA, outsourcing rules, and banking documentation standards
- Knowledge of PRC law and cross-border transactions is an advantage
- Ability to review and draft both English and Chinese legal documents preferred
- Strong drafting, analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication skills and stakeholder management ability
- Meticulous, independent, responsible, and able to manage multiple priorities
