Job Title:  Loans Lawyer (Vice President)

Company overview

Nomura is a global financial services group with an integrated network spanning approximately 30 countries and regions. By connecting markets East & West, Nomura services the needs of individuals, institutions, corporates and governments through its three business divisions: Wealth Management, Investment Management, and Wholesale (Global Markets and Investment Banking). Founded in 1925, the firm is built on a tradition of disciplined entrepreneurship, serving clients with creative solutions and considered thought leadership. For further information about Nomura, visit www.nomura.com.

Department overview:

The Investment Banking Legal team is a team of fourteen lawyers and documentation specialists within the EMEA Transaction Legal division of Nomura. The team is responsible for the provision of legal advice and negotiation of documentation relating to a variety of Investment Banking transactions comprising M&A and Equity Advisory, DCM and Acquisition and Leveraged Finance transactions.

The Loan Financing lawyers are responsible for the provision of legal advice and documentation relating to a variety of lending transactions across our Client Financing & Solutions platform to ensure that all activity undertaken meets policy, legislative and regulatory requirements.

The team’s prime responsibility is to manage Nomura’s legal and reputational risk on the transactions, whilst supporting the business within policy, legislative and regulatory requirements.

The Legal team is a strategic partner to the business areas, maintaining client-lawyer relationships through mutual trust and respect without compromising independence.

Role description:

You will work in a small team environment and provide legal support to Nomura’s IB and Global Markets divisions.

The main focus of the role will be on EMEA Acquisition and Leveraged Finance business and you may be expected to (i) ensure Nomura is aware of its legal risks on transactions, working to pre-emptively identify and escalate issues within Legal (ii) provide specialist technical legal guidance on loan finance transactions, including but not limited to, leveraged and acquisition financing (both loan and high yield transactions), private credit and infra-lending situations (iii) review and draft highly confident and highly interested letters and negotiate and review reliance letters, confidentiality agreements, mandate/ engagement letters, commitment letters, fee letters, term sheets, loan agreements as well as various ancillary transaction documentation and (iv) review and advise on legal due diligence reports and draft, amend and review transactional documentation and accompanying legal opinions.

Keeping up to date on market practice and regulatory matters and providing such other legal support as may reasonably be required from time to time.

You may be asked to provide ad hoc assistance on legal documentation for Nomura’s other businesses e.g. the M&A advisory business, however training will be provided.

Key objectives critical to success:

Qualified lawyer (or equivalent) in England or other common law jurisdiction (with experience in practising in UK)

Experience of leveraged and acquisition finance and ideally some knowledge of other lending structures, e.g. private credit, unitranche, infra deals, , (either in-house or private practice )

Experience of LMA documentation

Experience of cross border transactions

Have some experience with HY transactions as part of cross border acquisition finance

Experience of preparation and review of complex legal documentation

Skills, experience, qualifications and knowledge required:

Excellent communication skills, both oral and writing and including ability to draft freehand

Strong understanding of corporate structures and corporate/banking law

Strong organisational skills and ability to work accurately to short deadlines and under pressure and without supervision where appropriate, taking into account multiple and sometimes competing stakeholders

Good attention to detail

Experience delivering practical solutions to legal issues

Ability to build relationships both with the business, internal legal and compliance teams and other control functions, whilst at the same time effectively managing Nomura’s risk

Must be a good team player and willing to help across the team disciplines as necessary

Must be able to use initiative and prioritise own work and meet deadlines

Ability to present and speak in front of internal and external groups

The successful candidate would:

learn to manage legal risk in a large variety of scenarios typical of an international investment bank;

come into contact with internal processes and structures across the bank as well as dealing with other groups within legal;

learn to escalate material issues to senior team members and then on to senior management within the bank;

have the opportunity to expand their product knowledge and experience of challenging jurisdictions.

Nomura competencies

Trusted Partner

Understand clients’ needs and issues, and provide solutions utilizing Nomura Group company’s resources, earn the clients’ trust

Acquire a wide range of knowledge as an employee of Nomura, instead of focusing only on one’s own area of expertise; play a part in improving the company’s services level and corporate value

Entrepreneurial leadership

Take on new challenges for improvement and cultivate a corporate culture of challenge by driving change in business operations

Teamwork Collaboration

Ensure views are not biased, accept different opinions and perspectives, and collaborate with other members to create common values

Influence

Provide appropriate guidance to others and act in a manner that places emphasis on the performance and growth of the organization

Integrity

Improve further the understanding and awareness of corporate philosophy, professional ethics, compliance risk management, and code of conduct, and make decisions and take actions from a management position

Diversity Statement:

Nomura is committed to an employment policy of equal opportunities and is fundamentally opposed to any less favourable treatment accorded to existing or potential members of staff on the grounds of race, creed, colour, nationality, disability, marital status, pregnancy, gender or sexual orientation. If you require any assistance or reasonable adjustments due to a disability or long-term health condition, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Right to Work

The UK Government have taken steps to reduce net migration to the UK by limiting the number of overseas workers from outside the EEA coming to the UK for employment. Please note that whilst we are able to consider applications from overseas workers from outside the EEA (who require a Tier 2 (General) visa) we can only employ them if we can provide evidence that there are no other suitable candidates for this vacancy from inside the EEA.

Please contact us if you are visiting our offices and require any form of personal assistance or physical adaptations to be provided for your appointment.  A member of staff will be happy to help.

Nomura is an Equal Opportunity Employer