Job Description
Overview and Structure of the Role
This is an exciting opportunity for a practically minded and commercially focused mid-senior level solicitor to take on a dynamic role within a fast-moving, growing and well-respected in house Legal team with numerous accolades (including winning the In-House Impact Team of the Year 2021 at the Legal Business Awards, and previously being ‘Highly Commended’ in The Lawyer Awards for In-House Banking and Financial Services).
This is a new role that will allow the right candidate to build extensive experience that goes well beyond the ‘contract churn’; it will involve both shaping Ardonagh’s risk profile and approach to commercial insurance matters (including TOBAs, DUAs, AR agreements, introducer arrangements, panel services agreements, fee for service agreements and overrider agreements, among others), as well being heavily involved in advising senior stakeholders on key regulatory matters including Consumer Duty, the Insurance Act, ICOBS etc.
You will work within the Commercial Team for Ardonagh Advisory, which is led by the Deputy General Counsel. The 3 Commercial Legal Counsel are focused mainly on general commercial/ outsourcing agreements, however are also heavily involved in the non-regulated insurance agreements e.g. introducers and fee for service arrangements. There are dedicated specialists for other specific matters, such as litigation, employment and M&A.
This is a hybrid working role with the need to attend the London office 2-3 times per week, subject to attending in-person meetings with counter-parties/suppliers/stakeholders as required and Legal Team meetings once a month. A 4 day a week role with attendance once a week may be considered for a candidate of suitable experience and seniority.
What you will do
Your responsibilities will include:
- Working closely with the 2x Counterparty Contracts Teams (dealing with Insurance Broking and MGA respectively) to review, update and overhaul their suite of contracts and drafting practices for TOBAs, DUAs, ARs and Introducer Agreements (among others).
- Ongoing training and development of the Counterparty Contracts Teams, as part of their dotted line reporting into this role.
- Developing and maintaining key standard documentation, including playbooks, policies and precedents for the Counterparty Contracts Teams, as well as various Conduct Teams / certain teams within the business who hold and issue commercial insurance agreements directly.
- Drafting, negotiating and amending a wide and varied range of commercial insurance agreements, including those listed above. This will involve working closely with colleagues to draft and negotiate contracts in line with the strategy and values of the organisation.
- Advising on insurance regulatory issues, including Consumer Duty, ICOBS etc.
- Working with the Deputy General Counsel and 3 Commercial Legal Counsel to provide general legal guidance, assistance and advice to the business on a day-to-day basis on wider commercial matters from time to time, including services agreements.
- Providing day-to-day advice and negotiating on wider commercial matters from time to time, including data protection and use of data within commercial arrangements.
- Supporting the business in following the right legal contracting compliance procedures, to ensure effective contracting, procurement and negotiation.
- Helping to develop the legal operations within the business, including ways of working and engagement with the business.
Who we are looking for
This is a fantastic opportunity for a mid-level to senior solicitor qualified in England and Wales equivalent foreign jurisdiction, with deep knowledge of insurance regulation and market practices in the UK. We are looking for someone has:
- Strong technical skills and market knowledge in this sector, including differing distribution models (essential), as the role requires someone who is able to work confidently and independently, referring matters to the Deputy GC for escalation where necessary.
- Knowledge, attention to detail and the ability to work as part of a small highly skilled team is essential as the role will necessarily be broad and varied.
- Experience of reviewing and negotiating a broad range of commercial insurance agreements (essential).
- Management experience is preferred – while there will not be a direct report for this role, each of the Counterparty Contracts leads are expected to have dotted lines into this role.
- Strong/clear communication and interpersonal skills, as you will need to develop and maintain good working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
- Ability to prioritise work is essential whilst demonstrating working well under pressure and changing priorities and, over time, with reducing supervision.
- Some in-house experience, although this is not essential.
- Knowledge of GDPR and data handling requirements.
In return you will be welcomed and supported by our Ardonagh family and be joining an organisation that cares about you as a person and your wellbeing. Some of the other benefits are:
- Holiday entitlement of 28 days plus bank holidays
- Opportunity to progress your career across the entire Ardonagh family
- Pensions scheme for when you feel it’s time to retire
- 24-hour support for physical and mental wellbeing
- 1 day’s paid volunteering day to give back to our communities
- The Spotlight Awards, where we shine a light on the brightest talent across our group
We offer genuine potential for both personal and professional development, come and be part of our story and help us shape our future. So, what are you waiting for? Apply today and one of our team will be in touch.
Ardonagh Group is an equal opportunities employer, and we are committed to a working environment that is free from discrimination, is inclusive, and empowers our people to bring their whole self to work and reach their full potential.
If your application is successful, we will conduct relevant employment checks prior to you beginning employment with us. These will include verifying your recent employment, address, credit history and a standard criminal record check.
Please note: We may close a vacancy prior to the published end date if the required quality or number of applications has been received. No agencies please.
Why not check us out on LinkedIn to find out what life’s really like at Ardonagh.
The Ardonagh Group is one of the UK’s largest independent brokers with over 9000 dedicated and passionate professionals across the country, and worldwide, facing and dealing with our clients’ challenges, offering an enviable range of products, services and solutions to their clients. We are progressive, passionate and proud of the work we do, across all sectors of the business. Therefore, we need highly capable people to join our team to make this a reality!
So if this sounds like you, and you are looking for a new challenge where you can learn and develop your career, then this could be a great opportunity for you.