FS Regulatory - Tier 2 team 4pqe+

Our client is consistently ranked amongst the market leaders by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500. Their regulatory team operates as a standalone practice, generating and managing their own client relationships and instructions directly rather than relying on referrals from transactional practice groups. This enables their lawyers to develop genuine regulatory expertise while building direct, long-term relationships with clients as trusted advisers. The firm's global footprint means we regularly act on complex cross-border mandates, collaborating with colleagues across our international network.

They are also at the forefront of innovation in the legal industry, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and legal technology. Their lawyers are supported by a full suite of AI-powered tools, reflecting our belief that technology should enhance - not replace - the expertise and judgement of our people.

Currently very busy and successful, they are seeking an enthusiastic and talented mid-level associate to join our market-leading, non-contentious Financial Services Regulatory team in London. As part of a standalone regulatory practice with a dedicated client base, you will act as a primary adviser to clients rather than in a supporting role to transactional teams. You will take ownership of client relationships, instructions, and business development from an early stage, offering a clear platform to build a long-term regulatory career independent of the deal cycle, while also collaborating with colleagues on broader firm mandates where required.

You will work on high-quality, complex matters for a prestigious client base including hedge fund managers, institutional investment managers, and alternative asset managers. The role offers strong client exposure from the outset, with direct interaction with senior stakeholders and responsibility for sophisticated, varied instructions that support the development of a high-calibre regulatory lawyer.

Given the international nature of their work, you will have regular opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as potential for international secondments.

You will be joining a close-knit and collaborative team that values flexibility and work-life balance. We are proud of a culture built on trust, mutual support, and an understanding that our people perform at their best when supported both professionally and personally.

Key Responsibilities

• Advising hedge fund managers, institutional asset managers, and other buy-side clients on the full range of UK and EU financial services regulatory requirements.
• Providing expert guidance on MiFID2 / MiFIR compliance, including conduct of business rules, best execution, transaction reporting, product governance, inducements, and client categorisation.
• Advising on UCITS regulatory matters, including fund structuring, management company obligations, eligible assets, liquidity risk management, and cross-border distribution.
• Counselling clients on the AIFMD (Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive), including authorisation, marketing and distribution, delegation arrangements, depositary requirements, leverage, and reporting obligations - as well as the forthcoming UK AIFMD review.
• Advising on the FCA's Consumer Duty, including its application across distribution chains and to predominantly wholesale firms, and assisting clients in demonstrating good consumer outcomes in respect of products distributed to retail investors.
• Advising on the UK change in control regime under Part XII of FSMA, including preparing and managing notifications to the FCA and PRA in connection with acquisitions and disposals of control over UK-authorised firms.
• Advising on FCA authorisation and permissions, including applications, variations of permission, and the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SM&CR).
• Supporting clients with regulatory change projects, including the impact of the UK's post-Brexit regulatory framework.
• Advising on the structuring and launch of new fund products and investment strategies, with a focus on regulatory feasibility and compliance.
• Working alongside the firm's transactional teams - including corporate, funds, and finance - where regulatory advice is a key component of broader mandates, whilst maintaining the team's own independent client relationships and instructions.
• Providing day-to-day regulatory advice on operational and compliance queries from buy-side clients.
• Contributing to thought leadership, client briefings, and business development initiatives.

What we're looking for

Essential Requirements

• Qualified solicitor (England & Wales) with approximately 4-6 years' PQE in financial services regulatory law, gained at a leading City or international law firm.
• Strong technical knowledge of MiFID2 / MiFIR, UCITS, and AIFMD, with demonstrable experience advising buy-side clients.
• Solid understanding of the FCA's Consumer Duty and its implications for buy-side firms, including its application to products distributed to retail investors and across distribution chains.
• Experience advising on the UK change in control regime.
• Sound knowledge of the FCA Handbook, including COBS, SYSC, SUP, and the Senior Managers & Certification Regime.
• Experience advising hedge fund managers, institutional asset managers, or other alternative investment fund managers.
• Excellent drafting, research, and analytical skills with meticulous attention to detail.

Desirable Experience

• Familiarity with the UK's post-Brexit regulatory divergence from EU frameworks.
• Exposure to cross-border fund distribution and third-country regulatory matters.
• Awareness of the FCA's current supervisory priorities for the wholesale buy-side sector.
• Contentious regulatory experience - whilst this is a non-contentious team, any exposure to FCA investigations, enforcement matters, or regulatory engagement would be viewed as a valuable complement to the core advisory role.

For a confidential chat, please don't hesitate to call View phone number on jobs.thelawyer.com and ask for one of our dedicated consultants.

The clients we represent and Noble Legal are open and inclusive employers, who seek to understand, encourage and celebrate diversity, making them a place where a sense of belonging is fostered.