Our Client
The firm is responsible both for its own trading and providing finance to its clients using its own balance sheet, as well as offering an end-to-end solution for the procurement and transport of essential goods for other entities across the broader Group. Headquartered in London, the firm has a growing footprint across Europe, MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The firm has established various trade and financing flows with both public and private entities, mostly into Sub-Saharan Africa as well as trade flows in the UAE and SE Europe for agricultural, pharmaceuticals, vehicles, equipment, crude and refined petroleum products.
The Role
The Group General Counsel is looking for a stand-alone 6+ PQE lawyer to be based in London to handle the documentation requirements associated with these established trade flows and to assist in project-based work for new flows.
Supported by a broader legal team across the Group, the successful candidate will operate within a flat structure comprising other senior legal counsel - pooling a broad skills set to handle a variety of commercial documents and legal requirements that go hand in hand with a growing and dynamic business.
The day-to-day business covers a huge range of jurisdictions and multiple products being shipped via truck, rail, and sea in container, bulk and break-bulk. Transaction structures vary accounting for the complexities of operating in emerging markets. Issues arise daily that need to be dealt with in conjunction with the ongoing documentary flow.
The legal team are an integral part of the business, not purely an advisory function - with a direct impact on activities across the Group.
Your Profile
6+ years PQE or more in drafting and negotiating commodity and trade finance documents such as repurchase agreements or pre-payment facilities together with associated off take arrangements as well as reviewing documents such as letters of credit and bi-lateral credit facilities
Drafting and negotiating sale and purchase agreements for a range of commodities and associated logistics contractsUnderstanding of issues that can arise in shipping of physical cargoes
Experience of dispute resolution practices and appropriate dispute resolution forums
Some in-house experience (e.g. through secondments) is a plus
An interest in emerging markets and an understanding of some of the issues associated with shipping into and out of these jurisdictions
Fluent or business French and/or Portuguese are not mandatory but highly desirable
The Role Will Involve
Documentation and implementation of ongoing transaction flows from origination to destination and financing arrangements
Resolving operational issues in real time
Negotiating and resolving any disputes
Liaising with external counsel when required
For more information about this position, please get in touch with Octavian Donnelly.
Email: octavian@rutherfordsearch.com
Phone: 020 3137 4187
ReferenceCode: 36442
About Rutherford
Rutherford is a boutique search firm located in London. Our consultants are executive specialists in compliance recruitment, and also in in-house legal and private practice legal, all within the financial and legal services sectors in the United Kingdom and New York. We use our carefully curated relationships, networks and market knowledge to find the best fit for the clients in hand. We work with a wide range of clients, spanning from advisors, management consultants, corporate and commercial banks, brokers, exchanges MTFs and financial tech, through to global investment managers, hedge funds, private equity firms and investment banks. We began as a compliance recruitment firm in London and expanded our offering to now provide new resourcing expertise across legal recruitment, both in-house and private practice. We have been a leading legal and compliance search agency in London for over a decade.
