7 Months Legal Counsel - Global Markets & Derivatives (APAC)
About the job
Key Responsibilities
The role requires providing legal expertise across a wide range of financial products and legal matters, including:
Derivatives & Structured Products
- Provide primary legal support for fixed income and commodity desks regarding market access, hedging, and structured products.
- Develop and adapt complex equity structures (e.g., TRSs, accumulators, correlation swaps, variance swaps) and fixed income/FX structures (e.g., CLNs, CDOs, CDSs, NDFs, PRDCs, TARFs).
- Utilize and negotiate market-standard documentation from organizations like ISDA, EMTA, and Markit.
- Support the firm on industry committees and working groups, such as the Credit Determinations Committees and ISDA working groups.
Capital Markets & Trade Finance
- Manage and provide legal oversight for structured note programmes, including handling all note issuances (Formosa bonds and commodity linked structures), updates, and supplements.
- Negotiate and advise on commodity trade finance matters, including receivables sale agreements (BAFT form), letters of credit, and trade finance loans.
- Provide legal support for secondary loan trading, including the purchase and sell-down of loans in the secondary market across Asia ex-Japan.
Regulatory & Jurisdictional Matters
- Provide regulatory and jurisdictional advice across the region, with a focus on Singapore, China, Japan, and Taiwan.
- Manage local counsel and advise on specific matters such as cross-border activities and compliance with sanctions.
- Handle legal matters related to significant regulatory developments affecting derivatives, including Dodd-Frank and EMIR.
- Establish and enact firm policies in response to regulatory developments.
Disputes, Recoveries, and Projects
- Provide advice and guidance on arbitration, litigation, and recovery matters in various courts (China, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand) and arbitration forums (Singapore).
- Support upstream oil and gas project finance matters.
- Support business development, including the establishment of joint ventures across Asia.
- Support the development of new business lines, such as a carbon trading business.
- Support the development of Islamic finance products, including bespoke structures using the murabaha framework.
Qualifications and Experience
- 15+ years of extensive in-house legal experience at investment banks or financial institutions.
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree.
- Admitted to the New York State Bar is highly desirable.
- Significant experience managing legal teams in key Asian financial hubs, specifically in Singapore and Tokyo.
- Proven ability to work effectively on a trading floor and to provide responsive, commercial legal advice.
- Experience with corporate and governance matters, including NDAs, service agreements, and new product approvals.
How to Apply
Interested candidates kindly send your resume over to me at or reach out to +65 89193200 and attention to Izz Lokman (R24124828) with the position title stated above.
I regret to share that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
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Morgan McKinley Pte Ltd
Izz Lokman
EA Licence No. 11C5502
Registration No. R24124828
