Junior Legal Counsel

Junior Legal Counsel

Location: Sydney or Melbourne

Salary: Competitive

Work Type: Hybrid Working

The role of Junior Legal Counsel

 GLAS is an international provider of institutional debt administration services, serving lenders, borrowers, issuers, and advisers offering a global platform across Loan Agency and related services, Capital Markets and Restructuring. 

GLAS’ vision is to be recognised as the best-in-class independent, non-creditor, conflict-free provider of institutional debt administration services, enabling global clients and counterparties to achieve successful outcomes on their transactions.  

The business currently comprises c.300 employees who deliver a solution-based, innovative service, ensuring GLAS is the preferred global partner of choice. GLAS has a blue-chip customer base developed over many years; select clients include Apollo, Blackstone, CVC, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs. GLAS has been recognised as the premier independent provider of loan agency and bond trustee services with a portfolio of over $300 billion assets across its global platform. The company is headquartered in London with offices in Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, New York, New Jersey, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai.

With its origins in acting in complex restructuring transactions, GLAS' work covers a broad range of transactions ranging from direct lending with banks and debt funds to high yield bond issuances and complex debt restructurings. GLAS' services are delivered in connection with corporate debt, acquisition finance, project and infrastructure finance and sponsor and corporate led leveraged finance transactions.

An opportunity has arisen to join this growing and dynamic firm in its busy Legal Team, joining a team of 3 legal professionals.

Position Summary

• Reporting to the General Counsel Australia, you will be responsible for reviewing and negotiating the legal aspects of transaction documentation, co-ordinating transactions through to execution for new business, and advising on a portfolio of existing deals, ensuring all legal and commercial terms and conditions are in place in line with GLAS policies.
• Assisting the Business Development team with the structuring of transactions pre-mandate, in accordance with GLAS products and services, and providing legal support for new product development.
• Acting as escalation point for legal queries from across the business.
• Instructing and managing external counsel.
• Assisting with non-standard legal and commercial matters as and when they arise, across a range of jurisdictions and time zones.
• Assisting with the development of legal processes and legal training to the business.
• Fostering and maintaining key relationships internally across the business and externally with clients, law firms, borrowers, lenders and other related parties, and assisting with general marketing efforts.
• This role will be a full time permanent role, and based in GLAS’ Sydney or Melbourne office.

Key skills and experience required are:

• Degree (or equivalent) educated.
• Strong working knowledge of APLMA/LMA/LSTA leveraged and investment grade documents.
• Debt capital markets, structured finance and securitisation experience.
• Solid understanding of corporate debt restructuring, distressed/ special situations and/or enforcement processes.
• Experience gained in private practice or in-house finance/ banking teams or within a transaction management group within a financial institution or financial services company, and/or experience in advising loan agents, security agents and/or corporate trustees.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and strong negotiation skills.
• Ability to prioritise work, take the initiative and effectively manage workload whilst balancing competing demands to meet tight deadlines on transactions across multiple time zones.
• Demonstrable transaction management skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively in teams and establish, build and maintain relationships both internally and externally with clients.

Person Specification

• Co-operative, team orientated style and entrepreneurial spirit.
• Enjoy working in a fast-paced environment and being responsive to client demands.
• The ability to deal directly with a number of different transaction parties in a purposeful and constructive manner, in line with GLAS values, policies and procedures, to deliver efficient, accurate and timely legal advice and provision of transaction services.
• Highly organised and adaptable with a “can do” attitude.
• Proactive thinker and planner with a strong work ethic.
• Ability to take ownership of, and accountability for, workload and work products

Benefits

·       Base salary bonus

·       Hybrid working

·       Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

·       Career development and study support

·       Good holiday entitlement

It’s our people who make GLAS successful and we strive to recruit and retain the best people and operate in an environment underpinned by inclusivity, diversity, and opportunity. We recognise that a more inclusive workplace allows ideas and a variety of points of view to trigger discussions or deliver innovative results.

Besides, we want people at GLAS to be successful - we are committed in your career development. We truly believe in and live by our values of stepping in, stepping up and standing out.

In addition to our commitment to a diverse workforce we are also happy to talk about flexible working to support