Senior Legal Counsel, ASP Innovation Banking, ASP Legal

Job description

Some careers have more impact than others.

If you’re looking for a career where you can make a real impression, join HSBC and discover how valued you’ll be. Whether you want a career that could take you to the top, or simply take you in an exciting new direction, HSBC offers opportunities, support and rewards that will take you further.

Global Legal plays an important role in protecting the Group’s reputation by helping to future-proof the organisation through robust legal risk and issue advisory. Responsible for providing comprehensive legal advice to senior management and all global businesses and functions, the team offers a diverse range of legal skills, jurisdictional experience and practice specialisms across all countries and territories in which our businesses operate.

We are currently seeking a high calibre professional to join our team as a Senior Legal Counsel.

As Senior Legal Counsel in the Asia-Pacific Commercial Banking Legal team, you will provide legal advice, guidance and support to HSBC’s Innovation Banking and Venture Debt team in Commercial Banking (CMB). 

Commercial banking has been at the core of HSBC since 1865. HSBC Innovation Banking is our enhanced global innovation practice, a globally connected, specialized banking proposition to support a broad range of innovation economy companies across all stages of growth in technology, life sciences, and healthcare, and their investors.  The HSBC Innovation Banking proposition is part of CMB, so its strategic priorities align with CMB’s strategy of helping businesses grow by supporting their financial needs; facilitating cross-border trade and payments; and providing access to international markets.  HSBC Innovation Banking is unique, combining innovation expertise, bespoke financial and lending services with the global platform of HSBC.  This combination allows us to support innovation businesses through all of their life stages: from early-stage, growth, through to late-stage public and private corporates; and to support them with our broader HSBC platform

• The successful candidate will report to the Deputy General Counsel, CMB ASP and will be based in Hong Kong.
• The candidate will have primary responsibility for providing legal and transactional support to HSBC’s HK Innovation Banking team; and (ii) Commercial Banking’s Asia-Pacific Venture Debt and Fund Financing businesses. 

Principal Responsibilities 

• Providing day-to-day legal advice directly with senior stakeholders in the innovation banking business focusing on the innovation economy and innovation businesses through all of their life stages from early-stage, growth, through late-stage public and private corporates
• Provide timely counsel and legal support on implementing early and mid-stage venture and growth lending structures, including venture debt, inventory and recurring revenue-based lines of credit, and asset-based financing
• Support fund banking, including implementation of capital call and NAV facilities
• Provide support on the end-to-end cycle (e.g., origination, structuring, drafting, negotiation, execution and implementation) of venture debt transactions in a cost-effective manner
• Negotiation of venture lending documents, including equity warrants, NDAs, term sheets, inter-creditor, subordination, and other facility agreements
• Support relationship managers in the start-up innovation hubs like Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, India and Malaysia;
• Collaborate with HSBC Innovation Banking lawyers in other innovation centres globally to facilitate global standards for the Innovation Banking proposition, to share knowledge and experience and to facilitate in the management of global law firm relationships
• Ensure senior management within legal and business teams is fully briefed on material legal issues arising in Innovation Banking
• Work independently, but seek management input on unusual situations, highly complex issues, and matters that may pose significant legal, financial and/or reputational risk to the bank
• Manage (and instruct) panel law firms and legal spend
• Maintain and develop positive and professional working relationships within the wider HSBC legal department and within Innovation Banking and CMB Credit & Lending legal teams in HK and globally

Requirements

• Qualified lawyer with solid post-qualification experience gained in a relevant jurisdiction
• The successful candidate should have:
  • At least 7-10 years of experience in in one or more Asia-Pacific jurisdictions in the following areas
    • Funds financing
    • Venture debt financing
    • Syndicated and club lending
• Curiosity, flexibility, growth mindset and a genuine desire to contribute to a growing and dynamic team
• A commercial and pragmatic approach to providing legal and risk advice to the business
• Excellent collaboration skills, ability to work effectively with varied stakeholders and to drive results
• Excellent negotiation and drafting skills and demonstrated ability to take initiative
• High level of academic achievement and solid law firm experience.
• Mandarin skills, in addition to English, preferred