Legal Counsel

About the Team: 

This role is reporting to Legal Lead P&C & L&H Transactions APAC. This is an outstanding opportunity to work in a global team of lawyers in Legal Reinsurance. We are a group of passionate and business-oriented legal advisors operating in a global organization and culturally diverse environment. We support the business while safeguarding sound governance standards.

Swiss Re embraces diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Our aim is to live visible and invisible diversity – diversity of age, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, physical abilities, personalities and experiences – at all levels and in all functions and regions.

About the Role:

The Legal P&C and L&H Transactions team is looking for a Legal Counsel to support in the execution of L&H and P&C transactions across the APAC region in addition to supporting the global legal transactions team from time to time with transactions outside of APAC. In addition to applying deep technical expertise in the legal advice and execution of transactions, the role also requires due application of oversight and steering in respect of transactions governance and compliance with external and internal requirements.

The role will present an opportunity for the successful candidate to work with the global legal transactions team as well as with different local legal sources (whether part of the local reinsurance counsel team or those part of different teams in Legal Corporate Centre and Group Functions for example) to lead the strengthening of legal transactional support across the globe. The role will support the execution of Legal and Compliance transaction governance, setting structure and processes for Legal by Design in the area of transactions, building a competency network of lawyers and support to build a global platform for the management of transactional knowledge and the development of best practices to enhance contract certainty and loss avoidance as well as driving transactional key initiatives.

In this role you will:

• Work closely with a diverse group of structurers, marketers, client managers, underwriters, actuaries and other cross-functional colleagues as part of the transactions core team for both LHSS and PCSS
• Provide legal advice guidance and support in relation to complex structures (e.g. deals falling within the FMT scope) for both LHSS and PCSS
• Review, draft and negotiate contracts and legal documents for reinsurance and retrocession transactions during structuring, negotiation, execution and implementation phases
• Conduct legal and regulatory due diligence on transactions; analyze and advise on legal and regulatory matters as they apply to Swiss Re's transaction activities in reinsurance APAC or globally
• Support the strengthening of transactional knowledge management and the development of house positions for reinsurance and retrocession transactions within Legal P&C and L&H Transactions, the development of efficient transactional policies, templates (in different languages if necessary) and best practices that maintain high legal, compliance and ethical standards
• Facilitate international coordination of legal/regulatory issues and help to maintain and adjust the legal and regulatory framework and processes of Swiss Re in order to meet the legal, regulatory and internal requirements
• Support internal group projects and initiatives, as needed; provide timely and concise input to senior management and ensure adequate management reporting
• Instruct and manage outside counsel (as needed)
• Conduct and/or arrange internal presentations and trainings on legal topics with focus on transactions
• Monitor legal and regulatory trends affecting relevant business areas

About You: 

We are looking for you if you:

• Are a fully qualified lawyer
• Have a minimum of 5+ years post qualification experience, preferably in-house or with a law firm if no in-house expereince. in the (re)insurance industry; experience in reinsurance laws, regulations and practices and a sound understanding of different transactional structures, cross-border issues, basic structured finance and collateral structures
• Are able to negotiate, write and work professionally in English and in Mandarin; other Asian languages are an advantage
• Work independently and prioritize multiple requests and deadlines
• Provide high-quality, timely client service that is balanced with a clear focus on protecting the interests and reputation of the firm and adopt a pragmatic, solutions-oriented, consultative approach to problem-solving
• Are able to collaborate with those within and outside your team to lead transactions to their full implementation
• Are a strong communicator (written and verbal)

Personal Skills

• You identify and report legal, regulatory and reputational risks, provide professional advice, expertise and guidance, and apply sound judgement beyond the dimensions of laws and regulations
• You are a trusted business partner, who develops strong relationships and communicates legal concepts clearly and succinctly
• You possess excellent drafting, negotiation, influencing and legal project management skills
• You share assumptions, beliefs, values and thought process in reaching conclusions and are self-reflective, willing to learn, and collaborative
• You take accountability for progress and/or outcomes, apply a measured appetite for risk, and plan ahead to deliver workable solutions