Contract Lawyer - Trade Finance

London

Hybrid (3/2 split)

Contract

£800+ per day (via Umbrella)

cer Financial are working alongside an international bank, who are based in London. They are seeking a Legal Counsel to work with them on a contract.

Responsibilities:

1. Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of trade finance, banking and lending documentation.
2. Advise on the structuring, due diligence and execution of trade finance and corporate lending transactions.
3. Ensure documentation complies with legal, regulatory and internal policy requirements.
4. Identify, assess and mitigate legal, regulatory and reputational risks.
5. Support Front Office and stakeholders across EMEA on complex cross-border transactions.
6. Monitor regulatory and market developments affecting trade finance.
7. Contribute to legal process improvements, governance initiatives and AI adoption.
8. Manage multiple transactions while delivering timely, commercial legal advice.

The candidate will need:

1. Qualified lawyer with 4+ years' PQE and strong experience in trade finance and banking, gained in-house and/or at a top-tier law firm.
2. Proven experience advising on complex cross-border trade finance transactions.
3. Strong knowledge of trade finance documentation, products and market standards (BAFT, LMA, ICC Rules, SWIFT).
4. Experience drafting and negotiating transaction banking documentation.
5. Excellent drafting, negotiation, communication and stakeholder management skills.
6. Commercially minded with strong legal judgement and risk management skills.
7. AI proficient, with experience using tools such as Copilot or CoCounsel.