Paralegal (French Speaker)

About us

DRS is a legal consultancy specialising in commercial contracts relating to derivatives, financing and professional agreements. Trusted by banks, asset managers, hedge funds and trading firms across the globe, we provide solutions that deliver rapid and efficient negotiation and remediation of document portfolios.

Established in 2009, we have approximately 100 members of staff, operating both on-site and off-site from our bright and modern offices in London and Newcastle. Our market leading team is led by our directors who all have extensive legal and industry expertise within financial services.

Our ambition for the next five years is to grow to be the UK's largest provider of outsourced contract management services to the financial services industry.

The Opportunity

You will join DRS as a Legal Consultant; supporting the negotiation of contracts on behalf of your assigned client within one of our DRS dedicated teams. You will be working alongside leading industry practitioners, senior lawyers and experienced colleagues.

This is a client facing role, where you will be exposed to a wide range of financial institutions, from global banks to hedge funds and entrusted with a considerable amount of responsibility from the outset, as well as having the opportunity to progress within your team. You will be supported throughout by experienced colleagues and be able to continue to learn using the wealth of materials, including videos, presentations and guidance notes, available to you on the company's learning management system and you must adhere to all the information security policies.

We have vacancies across numerous teams, offering permanent contracts in our Newcastle office.

Salary: £26,500

Responsibilities
• Manage your own workload.
• Liaise with clients and their counterparties to draft, negotiate, amend and execute commercial contracts such as ISDA agreements, CSAs, GMSLAs, GMRAs, NDAs and Terms of Business.
• Manage and update negotiation databases; keeping track of external communications and ensuring appropriate escalations within the team.
• Help provide information and wider reporting for internal DRS stakeholders and the client.
• Participate in conference calls and/or face-to-face meetings within the DRS team, as well as with clients and counterparties.
• Keep abreast of legal and regulatory developments in derivatives law and practice through research, attending industry specific events, regular company breakfast club sessions and through use of the company's learning management system.

Requirements
• You'll have at least a 2:1 Undergraduate degree in Law or equivalent degree. If your degree is in a different discipline, a legal conversion qualification (Graduate Diploma in Law or the Common Professional Examination) is desirable.
• Interest in developing a career in Law.
• Close attention to detail and strength in organisation and time management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to build relationships with stakeholders and clients.
• Able to speak French fluently.
• Ability to think creatively and solve problems.

Our Culture

We pride ourselves on cultivating an informal working environment by having accessible senior management, open plan offices and a real team approach. We are pleased to have received The Sunday Times 'Best Small Company to Work for' award 2019 and 2020. We have a flexible working culture and ask for staff to attend the office for 2 core days a week but they're welcome to attend more if preferred.

We're a diverse firm; speaking over 20 languages, with staff from over 23 countries. Our inclusive, supportive and innovative team dynamic always strive to do the right thing for our clients, for our colleagues and for the business. We take pride in the work we do, in the decisions we make and in the interactions we have.

At DRS, we are dedicated to supporting your learning and development. As such, we offer an extensive career pathway to assist your growth and career goals, enabling you to envision a long-term future with us. There are many ways you can grow at DRS, depending on your own goals which your team lead will help with. To facilitate your progression through the career pathway, we provide a range of training material on our learning management system including, legal, technical and soft skills training. To help you settle into DRS, we have created support and coaching roles, along with accessible support elsewhere as well as an in-depth training programme, so you feel fully supported in your role.

We offer a sociable and collaborative culture; the relationships we build, both with each other and our clients, are what set us apart. We aspire to improve ourselves by knowing and understanding more each day, sharing knowledge and insight. We are dedicated to creating a team environment and each Friday we hold the 'Breakfast Club' where everyone in the company gets together (virtually) to discuss market developments, achievements and knowledge. We hold regular team meetings, weekly 1-2-1 sessions and quarterly company-wide updates from our CEO. We also offer a social side to coming to work; hosting regular social events, team lunches, activities and drinks/snacks.

We recruit on a regular basis as our teams are expanding quickly, due to a variety of growing client projects. Our recruitment process involves various stages in order to ensure you get a full picture of the company culture, the team you would be working with and the work you will be doing.

Benefits
• Health Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Perks and discount
• Socialisation team budget
• Wellbeing initiatives
• Charitable work & volunteering leave
• Free Mental Health Support
• Cycle to work scheme
• 5% Employer Pension Contribution
• Life insurance
• Long term sickness insurance
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals are able to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit. Return to work and flexible working conversations are also encouraged and supported.

Our selection for recruitment does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation or gender reassignment status (protected characteristics). If you require any adjustments for interview, please let us know and we'll be more than happy to accommodate.

We are dedicated to giving back and supporting our local community. As such, we have an annual charity plan that provides opportunities for our staff to take paid time off to help the local community. We are also an accredited living wage employer as we believe investment in our people is a true reflection of our company values.

Use of Data

If you apply to this position, we will hold personal data and your CV and/or application to DRS roles within our recruitment database (Workable) for a maximum of 24 months, for the purpose of considering you for this/ current and future roles. After this time your information will be deleted. If you wish for us to delete this information right away, please do let us know.

You can also view our prospective employee and all of our updated GDPR compliant privacy here: