Senior Legal Counsel - Regulation, Markets, and Wealth

We are seeking a senior and commercially-focused Senior Legal Counsel to support the leadership of the EMEA legal function within a fast-paced, technology-driven brokerage and trading business.

This role sits at the intersection of markets, product innovation, and regulation, with responsibility for advising on crypto/digital assets, corporate/M&A activity, markets and market infrastructure, wealth management, and financial services regulation across EMEA.

The successful candidate will combine technical excellence with strong commercial judgement, and will be comfortable operating in a front-office-facing environment supporting trading, product, and strategic initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

1. Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

•  Act as a deputy to the Head of Legal (EMEA), including stepping into leadership responsibilities as required

• Provide strategic legal advice to senior management, including C-suite stakeholders

• Lead, mentor, and develop members of the legal team across EMEA

• Drive alignment between Legal, Compliance, Risk, and the business

2. Digital Assets

•  Lead legal support for the firm’s digital assets offering, including crypto assets, tokenised products, and associated payment arrangements
• Advise on regulatory perimeter issues, including interaction with FCA guidance, EU MiCA framework, and cross-border considerations
• Support product structuring, client disclosures, and risk frameworks for digital asset offerings
• Monitor and interpret developments in crypto regulation and market practice

3. Financial Services Regulation

•  Provide high-level legal advice on regulatory frameworks applicable to brokers and wealth platforms, including:
• MiFID II
• FCA Rules
• EMIR
• Support regulatory analysis relating to wealth management services
• Advise on regulatory perimeter issues, particularly in relation to hybrid brokerage/wealth propositions
• Support engagement with regulators (e.g. FCA) and regulatory change initiatives

4. Wealth Management Products & Services

• Advise on the structuring and distribution of wealth products, including:
• Managed portfolios and discretionary mandates
• Funds, ETFs, and multi-asset investment products
• Advisory and guidance-based services
• Support the development of client journeys, onboarding frameworks, and suitability/appropriateness models
• Advise on client disclosures, product governance, and target market assessments
• Work closely with product, compliance, and distribution teams on the launch and scaling of wealth offerings

5. Corporate Law & M&A

• Lead and execute strategic transactions, including acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, and minority investments

• Advise on group structuring, capital allocation, and shareholder arrangements

• Oversee transaction lifecycle: structuring, due diligence, negotiation, and completion

• Support expansion into new jurisdictions and licensing strategies

6. Product & Trading Support

• Act as a key legal partner to trading, product, and platform teams
• Advise on the legal structuring of new instruments, execution models, and liquidity arrangements
• Support development of trading platforms and client-facing features
• Review and oversee client terms, disclosures, and platform documentation

7. Risk Management & Governance

• Identify, assess, and manage legal risks across EMEA operations
• Ensure appropriate governance frameworks are maintained across regulated entities
• Oversee use of external counsel and manage legal spend effectively
• Contribute to internal policy development and control frameworks

Candidate Profile

Experience

• Qualified lawyer in England & Wales (or equivalent common law jurisdiction)
• At least 15+ years’ post-qualification experience
• Training and early career at a top-tier international law firm
• Significant in-house experience within a financial services firm, ideally a broker, trading platform, or fintech

Skills & Attributes

• Strong commercial instinct and ability to support revenue-generating teams
• Confidence operating in a front-office environment
• Ability to balance legal risk with speed and innovation
• Excellent stakeholder management, including board-level interaction
• Proven leadership and team development capability

Desirable Experience

• Experience in CFDs, spread betting, FX, or multi-asset trading platforms
• Familiarity with market structure and execution models
• Exposure to UK and EU regulatory frameworks and cross-border operations
• Experience working in a high-growth or technology-led environment