Overview
My client, a leading global macro hedge fund, is seeking an Associate General Counsel to take full ownership of legal matters across its hedge fund business. This is a senior, high-impact role for a commercially minded lawyer who enjoys operating close to the investment floor and acting as the primary legal partner to the business.
The role sits at the centre of the investment platform, working closely with the General Counsel, COO, portfolio managers, and senior stakeholders globally.
The Opportunity
This is a rare opportunity to be the day-to-day legal lead for a sophisticated hedge fund platform, combining strategic advisory work with hands-on execution. You will have broad autonomy, visibility across the full investment lifecycle, and genuine influence over how legal risk is managed as the business continues to grow internationally.
Responsibilities
*Acting as the primary legal counsel for the hedge fund business, with full ownership of legal matters across investment activity, fund structures, financing, and operations.
*Advising investment teams on credit-focused strategies, including structured credit, asset-backed investments, complex capital structures, and bespoke transactions across public and private markets.
*Leading legal support on financing and leverage arrangements, including prime brokerage relationships, repo and securities-based financing, and related counterparty documentation.
*Providing legal oversight on fund-level matters, including liquidity terms, side letters, investor-driven structuring, and interactions with administrators, depositaries, and other service providers.
*Advising on UK and EU regulatory matters relevant to a credit hedge fund platform, including FCA, AIFMD, and MiFID II considerations, with a practical approach to cross-border issues.
*Partnering closely with portfolio managers, risk, operations, and compliance on new strategies, product launches, and market entry, ensuring legal risk is managed in a commercially pragmatic way.
*Managing legal risk across counterparties, financing providers, fund vehicles, and SPVs, including documentation, structuring, and lifecycle issues.
*Operating with a high degree of autonomy as the day-to-day legal decision-maker for the hedge fund business, while supporting the General Counsel on broader strategic and governance matters.
Required Qualifications
*UK-qualified solicitor with 7-15 years’ PQE
*Must have 3 or more years of experience in-house at a hedge fund.
*Experience acting as a senior legal partner to investment teams, with direct front-office exposure.
*Strong background in credit-focused hedge fund strategies, including structured and asset-backed investments.
*Hands-on experience with financing and leverage arrangements, including prime brokerage and securities-based financing.
*Practical working knowledge of FCA, AIFMD, and MiFID II within a live hedge fund environment.
*Comfortable operating autonomously in a lean in-house team, exercising commercial judgment and influencing senior stakeholders.