Principal Legal Counsel - Disputes and Risk

Hargreaves Lansdown group; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - GBP 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading investment platform in Bristol seeks a Principal Legal Counsel to join their Disputes and Contentious Risk team. This pivotal role involves providing expert contentious regulatory advice, managing client complaints, and overseeing litigation. The ideal candidate will be a qualified solicitor with over 10 years of experience in financial services. The position offers a supportive work environment with hybrid working opportunities and competitive benefits, including bonus and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Discretionary annual bonus

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Flexible working options

Enhanced parental leave

Pension scheme with up to 11% employer contribution

Private medical insurance

Health screening programme

Inhouse barista and deli

Two paid volunteering days

Qualifications

• Proven experience in managing contentious legal risk in financial services.
• Capacity to translate complex legal matters into pragmatic advice.
• Strong communication skills to influence stakeholders effectively.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert contentious regulatory advice to the business.
• Manage contentious legal risks from client complaints.
• Support in managing disputes and litigation.

Skills

Contentious financial services expertise

Understanding of UK financial service laws

Excellent drafting skills

Ability to influence stakeholders

Attention to detail

Education

Qualified Solicitor (10+ years PQE)

Job description

## **Our purpose is to make it easy for people to save and invest for a better future. We are looking for great people to join us, so please come and invest in YOUR future at Hargreaves Lansdown.**We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they don't tick every box. If you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, please go ahead and apply. We’d love to hear from you!About the role# We have an exciting opportunity for a highly experienced, business-minded lawyer to join us in our Disputes and Contentious Risk team. As Principal Legal Counsel, you will join a collaborative, supportive legal team with great ideas and big ambitions for the future of HL. We provide legal advice, support, and challenge across the HL Group. We manage legal risks and use commercial, legal, and business partnering skills to support HL in achieving its strategic objectives, while ensuring HL meets its legal and regulatory obligations. Reporting into the Head of Disputes and Contentious Risk, the Principal Legal Counsel will be responsible for the provision of contentious regulatory advisory services to the business, ensuring effective management of contentious legal risk across the HL Group. You will possess a range of experience from within the retail Financial Services industry to complement our passionate and skilled team in delivering a best-in-class service and be able to demonstrate this via pragmatic and knowledgeable application.**What you’ll be doing*** Providing expert and pragmatic contentious regulatory advice to the business, effectively managing legal risk.* Managing and supporting the business in managing contentious legal risk arising from client complaints and Financial Ombudsman Service referrals.* Managing legal work streams in contentious regulatory projects.* Supporting the business in managing risk in responding to risk events, including fraud related incidents.* Managing County Court and High Court litigation and supporting the business in the management of disputes risk.* Developing controls over legal risk and shaping the wider legal risk management framework.* Assisting with the development of the legal team’s training and knowledge function, including delivering training across the business.* Taking an active role in supporting the Director of Disputes and Contentious Risk in shaping the legal team’s strategy and in achieving its strategic goals.* Building and maintaining networks internally and externally and keeping abreast of developments in relevant law and regulation.**About you*** Qualified Solicitor (10+ years PQE)* Experience in contentious financial services matters, preferably within a retail context, and ideally with substantial in-house experience.* Excellent understanding of UK financial service laws, including FCA regulation and the FOS.* Ability to proactively and effectively collaborate with business stakeholders, translating complex matters into easily understood pragmatic legal advice.* Comfortable working in a dynamic environment and across a broad range of matters.* Excellent technical and drafting skills.* Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.* Excellent attention to detail.**Interview process**This will be a two-stage interview process, consisting of a competency based interview and a case study.**Working Schedule**This role is based in Bristol head office, BS1 5HL. This role is permanent, full time, 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday. For this role we offer a hybrid flexible working pattern to enable you the option of working from home and coming into the office.Here at HL, we’re the UK’s number 1 investment platform for private investors, based in Bristol. For more than 40 years we’ve helped investors save time, tax and money on their investments.To achieve our mission, we believe we have a workplace like no other, with constant learning, dynamic teams, and a great ethos. We're steered by core values that promote service, quality, innovation, and opportunity in everything we do.* Discretionary annual bonus\* and annual pay review* 25 days\* holiday plus bank holidays and 1-day additional Christmas closure* Option to purchase an additional 5 days holiday\*\** Flexible working options available, including hybrid working* Enhanced parental leave* Pension scheme up to 11% employer contribution* Income Protection and Life insurance (4 x salary core level of cover)* Private medical insurance\** Health care cash plans - including optical, dental, and outpatient care* Health screening programme* Help@hand - confidential support including mental health counselling and remote GP* Wellhub - unlimited access to fitness providers and wellness coach sessions* Variety of travel to work schemes with bike storage and shower facilities* Inhouse barista and deli serving subsidised coffee and sandwiches* Two paid volunteering days per year\* dependant on role level\*\* only available to select during our annual benefits window, in November each year*Hargreaves Lansdown is an inclusive employer that values diversity in its workforce. We encourage applications from all individuals without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age.**This role may also be available on a flexible working or part time basis – please ask the Recruitment & Onboarding team for more information.**Please note, we are unable to provide employment sponsorship to candidates.*Hargreaves Lansdown is the UK's number one platform for private investors. Our purpose is to empower people to save and invest with confidence, and today, we are trusted with more than £120 billion by over 1.7 million clients.We are based in the heart of Bristol now with over 2,000 colleagues. We believe we have a workplace like no other, with constant learning, dynamic teams and a great ethos. We're steered by our core values that promote service, quality, innovation, and opportunity in everything we do.For more information about careers at HL and to see all our vacancies, please visit our .