Senior Legal Counsel – Trust Counsel Group

Northern Trust • Sarasota, FL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The candidate will be an attorney with broad experience in all areas of trusts, estates guardianship and transfer taxes. This position is in the Trust Counsel Practice Group and will report directly to a manager and indirectly to Trust Counsel. Northern Trust is a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services. Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Requirements

• Excellent communication skills
• Very high level of trust and estate knowledge and broad experience in all areas of trust, estates, guardianships, and transfer taxes
• Ability to handle a wide range of trust and fiduciary matters independently; using high-quality legal analysis and practical judgment
• Ability to spot issues and risk to the bank and develop appropriate solutions
• Ability to make important decisions quickly and independently
• Ability to multi-task and handle many matters at the same time
• Ability to be responsive within short deadlines
• Ability to work closely as a team member both within the Legal group and with business partners
• Ability to develop good relationships and rapport with outside counsel
• Good drafting and negotiation skills
• At least 10 years of experience working in a major law firm or in-house practice in the trust and estate area
• Knowledge of trust and estate law as well as estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax rules, is required to advise on legal risks and compliance issues
• Strong analytical skills are required to review of will, trust and other fiduciary documents and related agreements
• Must possess a J.D. degree from an accredited law school and must meet attorney licensing requirements in the jurisdiction in which the position will be located, prior to and after commencing employment
• The candidate must be admitted to practice law in Florida and be in good standing with the Florida Bar
• Experience in advising on trust and fiduciary matters is essential
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge and experience of non-U.S. international trust and fiduciary matters, estate tax and other relevant experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Reviewing and analyzing Will and trust agreements when the bank is named to serve in a fiduciary capacity in order to protect the bank, comply with the law, and satisfy client expectations.
• Reviewing and analyzing other legal documents such as post nuptial agreements, disclaimers, settlement agreements, consents, waivers, etc. and providing legal advice to internal partners regarding same.
• Providing legal counsel to management and business partners in our Wealth Management business on a broad range of trust and fiduciary matters, including review of trust documents, estate settlement matters, trust real estate matters, homestead issues, trust and estate litigation and complex trust/fiduciary legal issues.
• Serving as a resource and providing legal advice to internal partners in our Wealth Management business concerning on-going trust, estate and guardianship administration matters and questions that arise.
• Analyzing proposals to modify or terminate trusts in order to assess the legal risk and working in conjunction with the Chief Fiduciary Officer and the partners on same.
• Acting as legal advisor to various committees to advise on legal risk and compliance issues.
• Overseeing and monitoring of trust and estate litigation when Northern is acting in a fiduciary capacity and working with the internal and external litigation teams on matters when the bank is sued in its corporate capacity.
• Reviewing resignations, removals and signing off on distribution memos for account terminations.
• Promoting the bank by attending and speaking at industry and client conferences.
• Giving educational presentations to internal partners in Wealth Management.
• Participating in local and state Bar meetings.

Benefits

• flexible and collaborative work culture
• strong history of financial strength and stability
• Movement within the organization is encouraged
• senior leaders are accessible
• inclusive workplace
• assisting the communities we serve
• Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree