Our global law firm client is looking to recruit a Conflicts Manager to join their London office on a permanent basis. The Conflicts Manager will support the Global Head of Conflicts in ensuring effective compliance controls and procedures are in place particularly those involving the avoidance of conflicts of interest and protection of confidential information, and to ensure compliance with applicable legislative requirements and management of risk.
Key responsibilities for the Conflicts Manager will include:
- Work closely with the Global Heads of Conflicts and other regional Managers in drafting and implementing department policy, process, and procedures.
- Work closely with the Global Head of AML to ensure best practices in new business acceptance, including conflicts, AML, and other requirements and best practices.
- Work closely with General Counsel/Risk Heads in UKIME to understand and respond to differing needs.
- Leading strategic initiatives (internal and external) to ensure a streamlined approach to conflict clearances.
- Manage communication with key stakeholders of global policies and procedures and ensure that robust conflict checking processes are in place.
- Assist global, practice, sector, and other leadership on a periodic basis to determine ways in which the department can provide optimum service.
- Assist with managing partner queries and provide a 'concierge' service to partners at the firm on conflict issues.
- Assist with the prompt resolution of complex conflict issues (legal and business conflicts) including risk assessments.
- Assist with initiation of conflict escalation to leadership in connection with legal and commercial conflicts.
- Coordinate and support CEO-level discussions, and gather all relevant information that may be required to assist in decision making.
- Maintain current knowledge on latest conflicts case law, modifications to conflicts rules and ethics opinions; Overall responsibility of workflow. Work closely with Team Leaders to ensure the daily workflow is being managed appropriately and supported as needed.
- Reviews and adhere to the firm's internal compliance policies and procedures.
- Provide conflicts training to other business services departments and fee earners, including monthly new joiner training.
- Delivers team training on specific topics, when required.
- Supervise, motivate, coach, and mentor team members in their professional development.
- Perform appraisal meetings, salary reviews and approve promotions as part of the annual reviews.
- Assist with the firm's internal audit processes.
- Organizing and implementing Department Projects and Initiatives.
- Manage team resources as needed, including approval for new hires, and replacements including strategy around team resources and workflow.
- Ensure the conflicts team is providing the highest standard of conflict clearances, through dedicated team training, quality control assessments, etc.
- Work with HR in relation to performance reviews and performance issues, with support and input from the team leaders.
- Decide on requirements and approval of overtime.
- Other duties may be assigned to fully meet the requirements of the position.
The ideal candidate for the Conflicts Manager role will have relevant experience, ideally gained in an international law firm, although other professional services or financial services firms will be considered. You must have excellent legal or business research ability using various online databases and print resources. Strong analytical skills, relationship building, and communications skills are required. It is important that you are able to distil a quantity of complex data into a manageable, logical explanation of the legal issue and recommended steps to be taken. You must have excellent judgement, including knowing when to escalate an issue. You will be familiar with Intapp OPEN or other automated conflict of interest clearance workflow procedures and systems.
