Corporate Secretarial Officer (French Qualified)

About LawDeb

Law Debenture is an Investment Trust supported by a wholly owned professional services business. LawDeb is an unusual and exciting proposition; on a day–to-day basis we are nimble, ambitious and small enough to know everyone by name, whilst also benefiting from the profile and credibility of a listed business. This is thanks to our 135-year-old FTSE250 investment trust and our fast-growing independent professional services business of over 300 colleagues across 6 business lines.

At LawDeb, doing work that has a positive impact is important to us. We need the very best people to be the custodians of our business for the next stage of our proud history and growth. We’re ambitious to innovate, collaborate and push forward in providing peace of mind and excellence for our clients and each other.

We’re on a journey to shape a culture we’re all proud to be part of. One where everyone feels trusted, supported and empowered to own their success. Working at LawDeb, you will have access to our enviable network of clients and innovative projects, as well as brilliant colleagues to learn from and collaborate with.

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly skilled and experienced Corporate Secretarial Officer to join our team, specialising in Global Entity Management with a focus on entities based in France. This role will be based in our Manchester or London office. As a key member of our Global Entity Management team, you will ensure compliance with the Code de Commerce requirements on behalf of our clients. This role requires strong collaboration with internal departments and local counsel to maintain legal compliance and adherence to local regulatory frameworks.

As Corporate Secretarial Officer, you will be a French speaker and qualified French lawyer. Though your primary focus will be on French entities, our clients are global and there will be a requirement to work across multiple jurisdictions.

Responsibilities 

• Advising a portfolio of clients on compliance matters, including annual statutory requirements, routine company changes and share capital changes.


• Corresponding directly with clients and third parties.


• Undertaking administrative duties on behalf of our clients required to maintain compliance with the code de commerce


• Assisting with the maintenance of electronic corporate records


• Ensuring that statutory books remain up to date.


• Undertaking health checks of statutory records and the reconstitution of records where required.


• Incorporation/formation of French companies.


• Ad Hoc requests and administrative matters (authorised signatory requests, board minute extracts, secretary certificates, auditor requests, etc.) and attending to any notarisation/apostille requirements.


• Building relationships with teams across Law Debenture.


• Ensuring that invoices for work completed are issued, accurately, and on time.

Essential Knowledge, Skills, Experience

• Fluent in French and English


• A demonstrable interest in the company secretarial profession


• Strong organisational skills


• High level of attention to detail


• Good communication skills, both written and verbal across both French and English. Confident in communicating effectively with stakeholders at all levels


• Commercial and practical outlook


• Ability to build relationships and rapport, demonstrating credibility


• Ability to work on your own initiative and to take ownership of tasks, time and workload by prioritising and managing expectations.


• Contributing towards monthly forecasting and work to ensure targets are met


• Excellent computer skills, in particular MS Office, Excel and Outlook


• High standard of professional and personal conduct and ethical behaviour

Your Reward

• Competitive salary with annual review and performance bonus scheme


• Generous pension contribution


• Full healthcare cover


• Health cash plan


• Life assurance


• Attractive office space

Things To Note

People who thrive at LawDeb make the most of this foundation to grow themselves, help us improve and have fun playing their part in building the culture that’s fuelling our growth.

LawDeb hires people based on personal merit and qualifications regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background or any other protected attribute. We celebrate the diversity of our colleagues and provide an inclusive environment so you can bring your true self to work. We recognise that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success.

Here’s the legal bit: please note that we have a thorough referencing process, which includes credit and criminal record checks.

*GEM Partnership is acting as an employment agency on this exclusive vacancy.