General Counsel, Group

Overview

This role serves as the General Counsel, Group—providing senior legal leadership for the organization’s highest-value decisions, including governance, the US regulatory perimeter, entity structure and capitalisation transactions.

The General Counsel advises the Board and its committees, the CEO, the COO, and the shareholders. The role also serves as Secretary of the Board and the Audit Committee, and is the named Compliance Officer for the Americas. Day-to-day business-unit legal work is handled by the Unit Legal Team; this position sets standards, templates, and risk thresholds for that team, with performance measured on risk outcomes aligned to business goals, transaction execution, preservation of the US adviser’s exempt status, and development of the legal team.

Responsibilities

• Own governance and board machinery

  • Operating Agreement
  • Board and committee charters
  • Written consents, officer appointments and ratifications
  • Reserved-matters analysis
  • Committee composition and terms
  • Minutes and records maintained to a standard that shortens future diligence

• Preserve the US adviser’s exempt reporting status

  • Clear each new vehicle, managed-account concept, or structure against the US-adviser trigger list before offering to a counterparty as products evolve

• Own standing US regulatory obligations regardless of exemption, including:

  • Anti-fraud
  • Insider trading
  • Pay-to-play
  • Form ADV accuracy
  • Regulation D
  • Set sanctions-escalation triggers for commercial teams to operate to

• Serve as named Compliance Officer for the Americas

  • Run the compliance program through internal resources and an outsourced provider (filings, ADV updates, policies, training)
  • Maintain a documented Audit Committee escalation line
  • Manage an approved AML build plan

• Oversee the US adviser’s fund offering and marketing materials

  • Investor solicitation and securities/fundraising matters
  • Operate a defined red-flag review process with committed turnaround times

• Maintain the legal operating system

  • Precleared regulatory positions
  • Fund-marketing templates
  • An up-to-date trigger list
  • Provide same-day classification of unclear cases so unit counsel can act independently on all but red-flag matters

• Lead legal work on firm-level transactions

  • Acquisitions and consolidations
  • Platform equity raises
  • GP-stake and seeding structures
  • Support the full lifecycle from structure design through diligence to close

• Co-own, with the COO, recommendations for establishing a second adviser entity

  • Spread regulatory risk
  • Support managed-account capability

• Design and execute legal entity structure supporting business units

  • Transfer and allocation mechanics
  • Transaction-driven structuring
  • Maintain the firm’s legal risk register and thresholds

• Advise on executive compensation and related agreements

  • Executive compensation
  • Equity issuances
  • Partner agreements and separations
  • Review of success-linked compensation for fundraising-facing personnel

• Manage group-level outside counsel as a portfolio

  • Panel selection
  • Engagement discipline and approval thresholds
  • Reduce spend against baseline and eliminate duplicated review

• Lead and develop the legal team

  • Delegate work previously done centrally
  • Hold unit counsel to defined standards

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• JD or equivalent law degree; admitted and in good standing in at least one US state bar.
• 15+ years’ post-qualification experience, combining a leading law firm’s investment management, funds or corporate practice with senior in-house experience at an investment adviser, asset manager or venture capital / private equity firm.
• Deep working knowledge of the Investment Advisers Act (including exempt reporting and venture capital adviser exemptions), Investment Company Act exclusions, Regulation D, and Form ADV, pay-to-play and marketing rules.
• Experience as, or directly supporting, a Chief Compliance Officer, including running a compliance program with outsourced providers.
• Track record leading firm-level transactions (M&A, equity raises, GP-stake or seeding arrangements, entity restructurings) through to close.
• Experience serving as corporate or board secretary, with command of governance mechanics and committee processes.
• Proven ability to build legal operating systems (templates, precleared positions, escalation protocols) that let business teams move quickly within defined risk limits.
• Experience managing outside counsel with demonstrable cost and quality discipline, and leading and developing lawyers.
• Commercial judgment, discretion and presence to act as a trusted adviser to the CEO, COO and Board.
• Or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Compensation & Benefits

Pay Range Details

The pay range(s) below are provided in compliance with state specific laws. Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.

• 250,000 - 350,000 USD yearly