Senior Lawyer

The Junior Legal Counsel position involves supporting senior lawyers in providing legal and regulatory guidance across Asia. This role entails drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide range of legal agreements to ensure compliance with local and international regulations.

• Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on fund-related documentation including trust deeds, prospectuses, information memorandums, investor notices, product highlight sheets for onshore and offshore fund products sold in Singapore.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on intermediary agreements in connection with the distribution business.
• Provide legal advice on distribution issues in connection with the South East Asian business (with a primary focus on Singapore).
• Draft, review, and negotiate agreements with service providers, such as transfer agents and fund administrators.

• Advise on legal and regulatory issues relating to institutional funds and separate accounts and other matters like marketing of such funds in connection with the institutional business.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on legal agreements including investment management agreements and advisory agreements.
• Advise on, and draft, and review agreements relating to, the establishment and maintenance of institutional funds.

• Draft, review, and negotiate a variety of commercial agreements with external vendors/outsourcing partners, such as engagement letters, subscription agreements, platform agreements, digital related contracts, IT contracts, and other legal documentation in connection with the APAC infrastructure hub.
• Draft and review intra-group agreements between group affiliates, such as delegation agreements and service level agreements.
• Advise on data protection, privacy, and intellectual property matters and other related areas of local law, in close collaboration with other legal teams within Manulife.
• Reviewing and negotiating NDAs and general corporate related agreements.

• Complete transactions and projects alongside Compliance, Risk, and other functions which comprise solutions and advice to our internal stakeholders and external partners.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Qualified as a lawyer in Singapore.
• At least 2-3 years of PQE in a major law firm, financial institution, or both with a background in fund management.
• Excellent command of written English with good drafting skills.
• Read and write another Asian language is a plus.
• Majority experience in funds work (retail or private) is strongly preferred, some experience in labour, IP/IT, and digital related contracts is a plus.
• Some experience working on cross-border matters and working across different cultures.
• Familiar with the Singapore outsourcing framework.

Preferred Characteristics

• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Excellent time management and prioritisation skills.
• Awareness of the commercial implications of legal issues.
• Ability to explain relatively complex concepts in a clear and concise manner.
• Willingness to learn/sense of curiosity with respect to the business coupled with a keenness to take a holistic view of issues, priorities, reputational and regulatory risks, cultural nuances, and efficient solutions.
• Team player, able to collaborate and work with key functions (e.g., Products, Compliance, Operations, Finance, Sales), Legal teams in other offices, and with global colleagues.
• Ability to work under one's own initiative as well as in a team to achieve common business goals.
• Creative and able to work under pressure.
• Need to embrace understanding of the 'whole issue' and not operate in silo thinking.