Assistant General Counsel, Consumer & Small Business Banking

Valley Bank • Morristown, NJ

8d

About The Position

This role provides legal counsel to various banking teams, including SMB lending and credit, Private Bank, and Residential Mortgage. The Assistant General Counsel will be responsible for drafting, reviewing, and negotiating loan documentation, advising on collateral and legal matters related to loan products, and ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations. The position requires close collaboration with internal teams to support efficient transaction execution and maintain documentation standards.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and active bar membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Minimum of 6 years as a practicing attorney with relevant lending and financial services experience, including in-house experience at a financial institution.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to navigate a fast-paced environment and handle multiple projects.
• Impeccable attention to detail, unwavering commitment to excellence, and the highest standards of integrity.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal counsel to SMB lending and credit teams in connection with commercial loans to small businesses, including term loans, revolving credit facilities, and other secured and unsecured lending products.
• Provide transactional legal support to the Bank's Private Bank in connection with a number of lending products, including securities-based lending, premium finance lending, and other related private banking credit products, and to the Bank's Residential Mortgage team.
• Draft, review and negotiate standardized loan documentation, including loan agreements, notes, guaranties, security agreements, amendments, waivers, and related documentation.
• Advise on collateral structures, UCC Article 9 matters, lien priority, perfection, and enforcement, in a manner appropriate to SMB and private banking lending programs.
• Advise on legal matters related to the origination, servicing and collection of the Bank's consumer and residential mortgage lending products.
• Advise on laws, regulations, and standards that are applicable to consumer and residential mortgage loan products, including, but not limited to, the Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, and Unfair Deceptive and Abusive Acts and Practices Act.
• Partner closely with lending, credit, risk, and operations teams to support efficient transaction execution while ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and policy requirements.
• Support ongoing maintenance and enhancement of template documentation to promote consistency and scalability across the SMB, private banking, consumer and residential mortgage lending platforms.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level