The compliance lawyer role will sit within the Office of General Counsel ("OGC"). The OGC compliance team is responsible for managing the Firms Global Compliance Programme. To ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements in the jurisdictions the Firm operates. This role will be responsible for providing legal support and guidance for Firm compliance programs at the global, local, and team levels with expertise particularly in Financial Crime including Anti Money Laundering ("AML") and sanctions.



Offering hybrid working. Reporting into Financial Crime Counsel ("FCC").




Team



Kennedys Risk & Compliance team handles a wide range of partnership and risk and compliance issues for the firm and acts an in-house legal department assisting with regulatory and professional conduct enquiries.




Key responsibilities

• Monitoring compliance related statutory, regulatory, and other developments in the jurisdictions which the firm operates and proactively leads initiatives to update global and local compliance programmes in response to such developments.


• Providing legal advice to the business in response to financial crime related queries which arrive through our "helpdesk" inbox.


• Assisting FCC with drafting of any external reports to OFSI, the SRA, NCA or other body as required.


• Assisting with policies, processes, procedures, and training materials.


• Assisting with presentations to the business on key financial crime legislations, case law, or developments over time.


• Reviewing and advising on any escalations from the KYC / new business risk analysts.


• Supporting FCC in implementing its AML strategic plans and processes in line with the appropriate software.

Required experience

• A minimum of 2 years post qualification experience within financial crime. Preferably in a law firm or financial institution.


• Are self-motivated, take initiative and can work both independently and as part of a team.


• Demonstrate the ability to think outside the box and lead projects to a successful conclusion.


• Have good attention to detail and can identify and analyse and confidently advise on complex areas of law, identifying alternative strategies where necessary.


• Comfortable creating and presenting management information.


• Can communicate clearly with strong written and verbal skills.


• Highly organised with a strong focus on meeting deadlines.


• A law degree preferably England and Wales licenced to practice.


• Proactive mindset with a commitment to continuous improvement.

Please let us know if you require any additional support or adjustments to be made in order to submit your application to Kennedys.



*where a level of experience is indicated, this is a guideline only and represents the amount of time we would usually expect a candidate to accumulate the requisite level of experience. This does not preclude applications from candidates with more or less experience.




About Kennedys



Kennedys is a global law firm with expertise in dispute resolution and advisory services. With over 3,000 people in 45 offices across 18 countries around the world we have some of the most respected legal minds in their field.



Our lawyers handle both contentious and non-contentious matters, and provide a range of specialist legal services, for many industry sectors but we have particular expertise in litigation and dispute resolution, especially in defending insurance and liability claims.



We're a fresh-thinking firm, and we're not afraid to bring challenging new perspectives to the table way beyond the traditional realm of legal services. We empower our clients with a diverse range of ideas, tools and technology to make their lives easier, as well as delivering exceptional results, every time.




What do we have to offer?



We welcome high-performing lawyers, business services professionals, secretaries, graduates and apprentices to join our rapidly expanding global firm. Whatever your role at Kennedys, you'll be involved in exciting and stimulating work, where your input will make a difference.



Our culture and values form a big part of who we are and we take them seriously. We make a difference by being approachable, straightforward, supportive, distinctive and ambitious. Our values are at the core of who we are and what make us a great firm to work with and for.



The Firm recognises the value of investing in our people's development and believes our culture and values contribute to the quality of our work and of our client relationships. With a culture of on-the-job and experiential learning, peer to peer learning, mentoring, resources and tools that enable you to drive your career, we can support your development in your current and future roles. A variety of other opportunities are available including secondments to clients and our global offices.



We strive to celebrate diversity, empower our people and ensure everyone can bring their authentic selves to work. We've created a culture based on client service, professional excellence, hard work and trust, where diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) is a key priority. We recognise that many of our people want to work for an employer that is aligned to their values, which is why we are building an inclusive culture, decarbonising our operations and supporting our people to thrive at work. Our people are the key to driving this change and helping us to make a difference to our clients, our people and the communities in which we live and work.



Kennedys is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. We expect all employees to be aware of and comply with all relevant policies and procedures within their jurisdiction, including those relating to Information Security, Data Protection and Quality Management, refer any breach promptly to Risk & Compliance and to complete all mandatory training when requested.



Documents

• JD- Financial Crime Lawyer October 2026.pdf (90.50 KB)