Barclays Bank Plc
City of London, London, UK
About Legal
Managing Legal Risk is the fundamental responsibility of the Legal function. Our priorities are focused on Legal working together as one team to directly support Barclays Group priorities, with an emphasis on:
Helping the group understand and manage its legal and regulatory risks
Collaborating effectively across our team, all risk functions and businesses
Continuously improving quality standards
Driving efficiency and maintaining a tight control of our internal and external costs.
The key Legal roles within the function are:
Provision of business coverage and support, including Commercial Contracts, Employment, Competition, Intellectual Property and Transactional / Deal support
Oversight of Regulatory Relations and Policy
Management of Litigation, Investigations and Enforcement portfolio
Legal Strategy, Structure and COO
About External Engagement The External Engagement Team reports to the Head of Function Management, Legal. The broader Legal Function Management team comprises of Change Management, Business Management and Risk, Governance & Control teams.
The External Engagement team provide commercial support to the Legal function for all activities relating to engagement of law firms. The team builds partnerships with the bank’s key law firms in order to (i) achieve the most efficient commercial construct and (ii) transform them into solutions providers.
We are an equal opportunity employer and we are opposed to discrimination on any grounds .
Overall purpose of role
Barclays works with 140+ external legal providers. The Legal function is accountable for maximising value from our relationships with these vendors and ensuring appropriate cost, quality and risk controls are in place.
The Legal Project Manager role within the Legal Project Management team will be responsible for providing commercially-focused legal project management and operational support to the Legal function. The remit of the team is to introduce greater control and transparency of projected costs and elicit more meaningful MI on a select group of major matters with a significant combined budget. The Legal Project Manager will work with lawyers, business managers and 3 rd party vendors to ensure that the following best practices are implemented on all major matters:
A consolidated plan of all legal project deliverables and timelines is actively maintained so it is always current and available to inform law firm selection decisions and enable ongoing matter reviews and planning.
A complete and accurate financial plan containing actual and forecast data for both the current financial period and also the lifetime of each matter is in place, actively maintained and can be relied upon by Management for budgeting purposes.
Purchase orders are actively managed and any resulting invoice issues are quickly identified and resolved.
Commercial optimisations are established (and regularly reviewed and renegotiated as required) to provide cost saving and visibility of the value being delivered to Barclays.
Internal lead lawyers, external law firms and other vendors are constructively challenged regularly to establish competitive and efficient commercial arrangements.
The successful applicant will be capable of undertaking this work, managing the requirements of multiple senior stakeholders, effectively engaging with internal and external parties on complex matters and providing globally consistent processes which meet the needs of legal teams. Fundamentals of the role are:
Matter Initiation: Work with Lead Lawyer to formally agree and document project scope, project plan and deliverables; partner with Legal Project Portfolio Manager, Legal Lead, Pricing Manager, Business Manager and Finance to challenge, agree and document appropriate fee arrangements.
Matter Commercial Control: Manage the commercial effectiveness and delivery of several parallel major matters; constructively challenging, agreeing, regularly reviewing and renegotiating matter pricing where required; contributing to the standardisation and automation of matter financial reporting; accountable for accuracy and currency of financial data on assigned major matters.
Matter Quality Management: Ensure assigned projects are managed to agreed methodology and that project documentation and reports meet consistent standards.
Best practice / continuous improvement: Contribute knowledge and ideas towards team efforts at continuously evolving and improving the methodology for legal project management and commercial control; regularly review and refine processes and standards to improve quality, efficiency and consistency.
Legal function ad-hoc project contribution: Contribute time and expertise to Legal function change initiatives.
Key Accountabilities
Legal Project Management
Overall, ensure that assigned legal major matters are planned and managed effectively, with strong emphasis on commercial performance and achieving the most effective fee arrangements from legal suppliers, while promoting greater internal awareness of financial spend and forecasts alongside the value being received.
Manage complex legal projects within a clearly defined framework that emphasises strong commercial management alongside quality and timely legal deliverables.
Ensure the consistent and coordinated delivery of agreed processes and outcomes to high quality standards.
Act as a central point of information, documentation and control on assigned major matters for all discussions relating to negotiation, budgeting, planning, challenge and ongoing management of matters.
Check and challenge commercial approach on significant matters at regular intervals throughout the matter lifecycle.
Provide guidance to lawyers and other project stakeholders on effective project and commercial management practices, liaising with Legal Project Portfolio Manager and other External Engagement Team colleagues to ensure consistency of messaging.
Implement appropriate controls aligned to Barclays Legal Risk Management requirements.
Financial Analysis & Reporting
Assist Finance, Lead Lawyers, Legal Business Managers and Legal Project Portfolio Manager in confirming project costs and reporting any variances against agreed budgets.
Facilitate the production of meaningful financial MI that will provide ongoing transparency over project budgeting and commercial optimisations.
Risk and Control
Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.
Work with External Engagement Team to ensure risks are managed effectively, processes for identifying issues and breaches are in place and understood, key deliverables are executed effectively and breaches are escalated as necessary
Identify and escalate non-legal as well as legal risk issues
Stakeholder Management and Leadership
Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively with senior colleagues (MDs/Ds) and act as a trusted advisor that challenges where appropriate in a positive and constructive manner.
Building strong relationships with law firms and 3rd party vendors, working with Senior Partners, Lawyers and Pricing Directors/Managers.
Work with Business Managers and Barclays lawyers to manage all Finance forecast requests (MTP/RAF), ensuring timeliness and accuracy of legal matter/project information.
Decision-making and Problem Solving
Continuous Improvement
Develop strong understanding of External Engagement Team strategic goals and proactively contribute to agreed business objectives
Identify opportunities for new and innovative matter fee arrangements and enhanced matter management practices to continuously improve the service offering and project/financial controls.
Maintain effective communication between internal and external key stakeholders on subjects influencing the management of major matters.
Actively drive service delivery improvements by maintaining regular/ ongoing communication with stakeholders.
Ensure all major matters are initiated, planned and priced using best practice/ agreed methodologies drawing upon SMEs as appropriate e.g. Pricing Manager.
Regularly review and refine processes and standards to improve quality, efficiency and consistency.
Risk and Control Objective
Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.
Person Specification
Essential Skills/Basic Qualifications:
Experienced Legal Project Manager with strong understanding of multiple formal project delivery methodologies including Lean/Agile/Waterfall knowledge along with the ability to deliver continuous improvement aligned to a central strategy.
Experienced commercial negotiator / financial manager with robust history of challenging, setting and controlling significant budgets across multiple complex projects
Experience of working in a major law firm or in the legal function of a financial services organisation.
Strong influencing skills, with the ability to challenge and provide steer to stakeholders.
Ability to balance 'big picture' perspective with strong attention to complex detail
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a core competence in streamlining and enhancing reporting for a Legal audience.
Desirable skills/Preferred Qualifications:
Delivery focused and proactive individual, able to act on own initiative and work effectively towards objectives while maintaining good communication with colleagues and escalating where appropriate
Team player with collaborative style and ability to quickly build trust/credibility and strong working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels
Ability to work under pressure with competing deadlines and balance priorities to deliver a high quality outcome
Solution-focused, creative problem-solver who strives for the right outcome
Recognises and values diversity, inclusion and citizenship
Risk and Control Objective
All Barclays colleagues have to ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.
About Legal
Managing Legal Risk is the fundamental responsibility of the Legal function. Our priorities are focused on Legal working together as one team to directly support Barclays Group priorities, with an emphasis on:
Helping the group understand and manage its legal and regulatory risks
Collaborating effectively across our team, all risk functions and businesses
Continuously improving quality standards
Driving efficiency and maintaining a tight control of our internal and external costs.
The key Legal roles within the function are:
Provision of business coverage and support, including Commercial Contracts, Employment, Competition, Intellectual Property and Transactional / Deal support
Oversight of Regulatory Relations and Policy
Management of Litigation, Investigations and Enforcement portfolio
Legal Strategy, Structure and COO
About External Engagement The External Engagement Team reports to the Head of Function Management, Legal. The broader Legal Function Management team comprises of Change Management, Business Management and Risk, Governance & Control teams.
The External Engagement team provide commercial support to the Legal function for all activities relating to engagement of law firms. The team builds partnerships with the bank’s key law firms in order to (i) achieve the most efficient commercial construct and (ii) transform them into solutions providers.
We are an equal opportunity employer and we are opposed to discrimination on any grounds .
Overall purpose of role
Barclays works with 140+ external legal providers. The Legal function is accountable for maximising value from our relationships with these vendors and ensuring appropriate cost, quality and risk controls are in place.
The Legal Project Manager role within the Legal Project Management team will be responsible for providing commercially-focused legal project management and operational support to the Legal function. The remit of the team is to introduce greater control and transparency of projected costs and elicit more meaningful MI on a select group of major matters with a significant combined budget. The Legal Project Manager will work with lawyers, business managers and 3 rd party vendors to ensure that the following best practices are implemented on all major matters:
A consolidated plan of all legal project deliverables and timelines is actively maintained so it is always current and available to inform law firm selection decisions and enable ongoing matter reviews and planning.
A complete and accurate financial plan containing actual and forecast data for both the current financial period and also the lifetime of each matter is in place, actively maintained and can be relied upon by Management for budgeting purposes.
Purchase orders are actively managed and any resulting invoice issues are quickly identified and resolved.
Commercial optimisations are established (and regularly reviewed and renegotiated as required) to provide cost saving and visibility of the value being delivered to Barclays.
Internal lead lawyers, external law firms and other vendors are constructively challenged regularly to establish competitive and efficient commercial arrangements.
The successful applicant will be capable of undertaking this work, managing the requirements of multiple senior stakeholders, effectively engaging with internal and external parties on complex matters and providing globally consistent processes which meet the needs of legal teams. Fundamentals of the role are:
Matter Initiation: Work with Lead Lawyer to formally agree and document project scope, project plan and deliverables; partner with Legal Project Portfolio Manager, Legal Lead, Pricing Manager, Business Manager and Finance to challenge, agree and document appropriate fee arrangements.
Matter Commercial Control: Manage the commercial effectiveness and delivery of several parallel major matters; constructively challenging, agreeing, regularly reviewing and renegotiating matter pricing where required; contributing to the standardisation and automation of matter financial reporting; accountable for accuracy and currency of financial data on assigned major matters.
Matter Quality Management: Ensure assigned projects are managed to agreed methodology and that project documentation and reports meet consistent standards.
Best practice / continuous improvement: Contribute knowledge and ideas towards team efforts at continuously evolving and improving the methodology for legal project management and commercial control; regularly review and refine processes and standards to improve quality, efficiency and consistency.
Legal function ad-hoc project contribution: Contribute time and expertise to Legal function change initiatives.
Key Accountabilities
Legal Project Management
Overall, ensure that assigned legal major matters are planned and managed effectively, with strong emphasis on commercial performance and achieving the most effective fee arrangements from legal suppliers, while promoting greater internal awareness of financial spend and forecasts alongside the value being received.
Manage complex legal projects within a clearly defined framework that emphasises strong commercial management alongside quality and timely legal deliverables.
Ensure the consistent and coordinated delivery of agreed processes and outcomes to high quality standards.
Act as a central point of information, documentation and control on assigned major matters for all discussions relating to negotiation, budgeting, planning, challenge and ongoing management of matters.
Check and challenge commercial approach on significant matters at regular intervals throughout the matter lifecycle.
Provide guidance to lawyers and other project stakeholders on effective project and commercial management practices, liaising with Legal Project Portfolio Manager and other External Engagement Team colleagues to ensure consistency of messaging.
Implement appropriate controls aligned to Barclays Legal Risk Management requirements.
Financial Analysis & Reporting
Assist Finance, Lead Lawyers, Legal Business Managers and Legal Project Portfolio Manager in confirming project costs and reporting any variances against agreed budgets.
Facilitate the production of meaningful financial MI that will provide ongoing transparency over project budgeting and commercial optimisations.
Risk and Control
Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.
Work with External Engagement Team to ensure risks are managed effectively, processes for identifying issues and breaches are in place and understood, key deliverables are executed effectively and breaches are escalated as necessary
Identify and escalate non-legal as well as legal risk issues
Stakeholder Management and Leadership
Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively with senior colleagues (MDs/Ds) and act as a trusted advisor that challenges where appropriate in a positive and constructive manner.
Building strong relationships with law firms and 3rd party vendors, working with Senior Partners, Lawyers and Pricing Directors/Managers.
Work with Business Managers and Barclays lawyers to manage all Finance forecast requests (MTP/RAF), ensuring timeliness and accuracy of legal matter/project information.
Decision-making and Problem Solving
Continuous Improvement
Develop strong understanding of External Engagement Team strategic goals and proactively contribute to agreed business objectives
Identify opportunities for new and innovative matter fee arrangements and enhanced matter management practices to continuously improve the service offering and project/financial controls.
Maintain effective communication between internal and external key stakeholders on subjects influencing the management of major matters.
Actively drive service delivery improvements by maintaining regular/ ongoing communication with stakeholders.
Ensure all major matters are initiated, planned and priced using best practice/ agreed methodologies drawing upon SMEs as appropriate e.g. Pricing Manager.
Regularly review and refine processes and standards to improve quality, efficiency and consistency.
Risk and Control Objective
Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.
Person Specification
Essential Skills/Basic Qualifications:
Experienced Legal Project Manager with strong understanding of multiple formal project delivery methodologies including Lean/Agile/Waterfall knowledge along with the ability to deliver continuous improvement aligned to a central strategy.
Experienced commercial negotiator / financial manager with robust history of challenging, setting and controlling significant budgets across multiple complex projects
Experience of working in a major law firm or in the legal function of a financial services organisation.
Strong influencing skills, with the ability to challenge and provide steer to stakeholders.
Ability to balance 'big picture' perspective with strong attention to complex detail
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a core competence in streamlining and enhancing reporting for a Legal audience.
Desirable skills/Preferred Qualifications:
Delivery focused and proactive individual, able to act on own initiative and work effectively towards objectives while maintaining good communication with colleagues and escalating where appropriate
Team player with collaborative style and ability to quickly build trust/credibility and strong working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels
Ability to work under pressure with competing deadlines and balance priorities to deliver a high quality outcome
Solution-focused, creative problem-solver who strives for the right outcome
Recognises and values diversity, inclusion and citizenship
Risk and Control Objective
All Barclays colleagues have to ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.
Barclays Bank Plc
London, UK
About Legal
The Legal function provides legal advice to all of Barclays’ businesses and infrastructure functions, including areas such as transactional support, litigation management, commercial contract support and general legal advice, and provides dedicated business-aligned support to all divisions of the Group
About Capital Markets The Capital Markets team provides comprehensive legal support to Barclays Corporate & International’s capital markets, corporate finance and advisory business. The legal team works closely with the business, partnering with its coverage and origination, execution and syndicate teams and providing legal and reputational risk management advice and assistance across a wide variety of transactional and non-transactional matters.
“ We are an equal opportunity employer and we are opposed to discrimination on any grounds .”
Overall purpose of role
This role is to provide senior legal administrative support to the Capital Markets Legal team in London at every phase of transactions for BC&I clients in the debt securities markets – from origination, documentation preparation and due diligence management, through to execution and legal invoicing. The role has the capacity, depending on the right candidate, to involve assisting with the review and transaction management for EMTN and ECP programme updates and supplements.
Working alongside the DCM Legal team, business teams and other functions (notably Compliance and Risk) to provide exceptional administrative support to transactions and general investment banking matters, including assisting colleagues in managing legal and reputational risks through the lifecycle of transactions.
Preparation of powers of attorney
Liaising with other external market participants with respect to transaction-specific management due diligence calls, signing authorities and the legal execution of transaction-specific documentation.
Assisting with general recordkeeping for the DCM Legal team, including maintaining and updating spreadsheets
Organising and maintaining internal filing systems/archiving including the timely and efficient retrieval of historical documentation for internal colleagues (both Legal and Business) and stakeholders
Supporting and organising internal know-how (including precedents, templates, legal forms)
Preparing and processing invoices for legal fees, which will involve coordination with business teams, external law firms, clients and internal tax and billing teams
Candidate dependent, reviewing certain transaction documents
Candidate dependent, reviewing and advising on comfort letters, legal and disclosure opinions and other conditions precedent
Managing external counsel and legal fees
To undertake any other ad hoc duties as requested, including assisting with management information
The candidate is a strong and clear communicator with excellent relationship management skills; capable of interacting confidently with business, clients and external suppliers
Dynamic and responsive working style; proactive (rather than reactive) administrative support
The candidate will be highly organised, diligent and thorough in their approach
Contributes to the development and implementation of team objectives and strategy
Able to work independently and demonstrates the ability to identify and escalate issues promptly where appropriate
Ensures the confidentiality and security of all practice, client and deal-related documentation and information
The candidate should ideally have experience of banking and finance administration (capital markets not essential)
Uses experience and expertise to create solutions to problems and can manage situations to prevent problems arising
Ability to be effective in a fast-paced, complex and multi-dimensional environment, and to demonstrate an adaptable style and be comfortable working across all levels of the organisation.
Risk and Control Objective
Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Standards
Essential
Senior administrator and/or experienced paralegal
Familiarity with an investment banking or legal environment
Excellent interpersonal skills; motivated and personable
Diligent and attentive to detail
Professional and efficient approach to work
Good IT skills (Word, Outlook, Excel) and comfortable with learning new systems as needed (invoicing etc)
Demonstrates commercial understanding and is aware of when to escalate
Aware of the firm’s governance and risk policies
Confident, able, quick to learn
Works effectively as part of a team and able to operate under pressure to strict deadlines
Ability to clarify tasks and requirements, organise time and manage workload to ensure that deadlines are met.
Demonstrates Barclays’ Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship
Preferred
Previous experience in a top-tier financial institution
Previous experience of processing and managing invoices
Transaction management and legal review skills
Language skills helpful
All Barclays colleagues have to ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.
About Legal
The Legal function provides legal advice to all of Barclays’ businesses and infrastructure functions, including areas such as transactional support, litigation management, commercial contract support and general legal advice, and provides dedicated business-aligned support to all divisions of the Group
About Capital Markets The Capital Markets team provides comprehensive legal support to Barclays Corporate & International’s capital markets, corporate finance and advisory business. The legal team works closely with the business, partnering with its coverage and origination, execution and syndicate teams and providing legal and reputational risk management advice and assistance across a wide variety of transactional and non-transactional matters.
“ We are an equal opportunity employer and we are opposed to discrimination on any grounds .”
Overall purpose of role
This role is to provide senior legal administrative support to the Capital Markets Legal team in London at every phase of transactions for BC&I clients in the debt securities markets – from origination, documentation preparation and due diligence management, through to execution and legal invoicing. The role has the capacity, depending on the right candidate, to involve assisting with the review and transaction management for EMTN and ECP programme updates and supplements.
Working alongside the DCM Legal team, business teams and other functions (notably Compliance and Risk) to provide exceptional administrative support to transactions and general investment banking matters, including assisting colleagues in managing legal and reputational risks through the lifecycle of transactions.
Preparation of powers of attorney
Liaising with other external market participants with respect to transaction-specific management due diligence calls, signing authorities and the legal execution of transaction-specific documentation.
Assisting with general recordkeeping for the DCM Legal team, including maintaining and updating spreadsheets
Organising and maintaining internal filing systems/archiving including the timely and efficient retrieval of historical documentation for internal colleagues (both Legal and Business) and stakeholders
Supporting and organising internal know-how (including precedents, templates, legal forms)
Preparing and processing invoices for legal fees, which will involve coordination with business teams, external law firms, clients and internal tax and billing teams
Candidate dependent, reviewing certain transaction documents
Candidate dependent, reviewing and advising on comfort letters, legal and disclosure opinions and other conditions precedent
Managing external counsel and legal fees
To undertake any other ad hoc duties as requested, including assisting with management information
The candidate is a strong and clear communicator with excellent relationship management skills; capable of interacting confidently with business, clients and external suppliers
Dynamic and responsive working style; proactive (rather than reactive) administrative support
The candidate will be highly organised, diligent and thorough in their approach
Contributes to the development and implementation of team objectives and strategy
Able to work independently and demonstrates the ability to identify and escalate issues promptly where appropriate
Ensures the confidentiality and security of all practice, client and deal-related documentation and information
The candidate should ideally have experience of banking and finance administration (capital markets not essential)
Uses experience and expertise to create solutions to problems and can manage situations to prevent problems arising
Ability to be effective in a fast-paced, complex and multi-dimensional environment, and to demonstrate an adaptable style and be comfortable working across all levels of the organisation.
Risk and Control Objective
Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Standards
Essential
Senior administrator and/or experienced paralegal
Familiarity with an investment banking or legal environment
Excellent interpersonal skills; motivated and personable
Diligent and attentive to detail
Professional and efficient approach to work
Good IT skills (Word, Outlook, Excel) and comfortable with learning new systems as needed (invoicing etc)
Demonstrates commercial understanding and is aware of when to escalate
Aware of the firm’s governance and risk policies
Confident, able, quick to learn
Works effectively as part of a team and able to operate under pressure to strict deadlines
Ability to clarify tasks and requirements, organise time and manage workload to ensure that deadlines are met.
Demonstrates Barclays’ Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship
Preferred
Previous experience in a top-tier financial institution
Previous experience of processing and managing invoices
Transaction management and legal review skills
Language skills helpful
All Barclays colleagues have to ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with regulatory requirements, Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework and internal Barclays Policies and Policy Standards.