General Counsel jobs in Europe

What Does a General Counsel Jobs in London Entail?

The core purpose of the legal counsel jobs is to advise a specific business on legal matters, to help it get through times of change in a seamless fashion and to protect the firm's integrity, all whilst being commercially aware. 

This senior position comes with its fair share of responsibility, as the General Counsel usually has a seat at the decision table alongside other business executives. Whilst the role can vary widely depending on the size of a firm or the nature of its services, most General Counsels will also have to proactively identify any potential legal and risk issues which may arise in the near future. 

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The Typical Legal Counsel Job Description in Financial Services

General Counsels in the financial services sector are usually asked to oversee a wide array of duties, which often include compliance, ethics, risk, commerciality, legality and client engagement. 

As stated in our article Commerciality and Corporate Responsibility: the Evolution of the General Counsel, the role of Legal Counsel has emerged - and gained massive popularity since - within the financial services sector during the 2008 financial crisis. Appointing a senior legal practitioner has proven useful to not only increase overall business profitability but also to make a company thrive in the ever-changing regulatory environment and new legal market. 

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What Are The Duties of a General Counsel in Financial Services? 

Whilst the duties may change from firm to firm, the typical General Counsel job description will encompass, but are not limited to, the below: 

• Providing sound and expert legal advice to executives

• Putting in place internal governance policies and managing how external factors could impact the business

• Anticipating legal issues and estimating their risk

• Liaising with external parties on a regular basis (this can include regulators, clients, external counsel, etc.)

• Playing an active role in the drafting of legal documents

• Keeping abreast of regulatory and legal changes

• Conducting due diligence on deals such as mergers and acquisitions

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Legal Counsel Job Search in London

The best way to find General Counsel and legal counsel jobs in London is to look at specialist legal counsel recruitment firms which focus on the industry you are interested in. For example, Rutherford is a legal counsel recruitment firm that specialises in the financial services sector: for over a decade, we have been working with some of the most renowned firms in the finance world, helping them source some of the best legal talent in the London market. 

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What Is The Difference Between General Counsel Jobs and Legal Counsel Jobs in London?

​General counsel and Legal counsel positions all sit within the same in-house legal team, with the General Counsel acting as the Head of the department. 

The Head of legal will often feed directly into the CEO of the business, representing the firm from a legal standpoint, whereas legal counsels will be carrying out the day-to-day legal requirements of the firm. 

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Why are In-house Counsel Jobs Important?

In-house counsel jobs are important to businesses for a breadth of external and internal matters. 

The in-house team are there to represent the firm on external B2B or B2C legal matters. Whilst internally monitoring the functions within the business, ensuring they’re producing legally accurate work. 

In-house counsels are also involved with in-house matters or disputes from employees, depending on the severity of the issue, the afflicted employee will speak to HR and General Counsel.

For a better understanding of the state of hiring within the in-house legal sector alongside salaries read our In-house Legal Salary Survey.  

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What Should You Do Once You Have Found Your Preferred General Counsel Recruitment Firm?

Once you have found a general counsel recruitment firm that is aligned with your career objectives and the industry you would want to work in, the next step would be to identify the right Consultants for your job search. 

Specialist legal recruitment firms will usually have headhunters who oversee a niche market: they are the ones best suited to present you with interesting and attractive in-house counsel jobs: from roles in London or in the city where you are based.

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Rutherford's General Counsel Recruitment Consultants

If you are actively looking for general counsel jobs or corporate counsel jobs within the financial services industry, then get in touch today with Rutherford's legal recruitment specialists. See below our expert headhunters within the financial services' legal recruitment space.

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Tevia Kretzmer Consultant tevia@rutherfordsearch.com	​	Jackson Baker Director jackson@rutherfordsearch.com	​	Jonathan Skerrett Director jonathan@rutherfordsearch.com

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​Europe

Mainland Europe is a large peninsula comprised of 44 sovereign states, such as Denmark, Switzerland, Poland and Greece to name a few. For centuries, Europe has had a rich agricultural and industrial diversity, resulting in the continent becoming the centre of trade and commerce.

Europe is home to some of the most famous cities in the world: London, Madrid, Rome, Vienna, Stockholm. Each city projects its own culture and vibrancy – offering tons in tourist activities and travel opportunities.

Getting around

Traveling and getting around Europe is easy for anyone, thanks to its extensive and efficient public transport system, which allows you to go anywhere within the continent. Europe is the second smallest continent on the globe, making journey times between countries, cities, and towns reasonable: for example, getting from Milan to Berlin is a 1hr 15min journey if you decide to take a flight.

In major cities like Paris or Amsterdam, you will also find an extensive public transport system, which includes the bus, tube, train, boats, and other alternatives. Getting from one point to another is extremely easy, especially if you have a traveling application like Citymapper or Google Maps on your phone to help you find the fastest - or cheapest! - journey.