Managing Associate - Digital Data and Commercial

We are recruiting for a Managing Associate or Legal Director to join our Digital, Data and Commercial (DDaC) team in Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh or Glasgow, on a hybrid basis.

This role sits within the Payments team, part of our wider DDaC team. The team advises banks, payment service providers, fintechs, retailers and technology businesses on the commercial arrangements that underpin payment products and payment services.

Our work includes payment processing arrangements, merchant acquiring and card issuing agreements, payment scheme arrangements, Open Banking propositions, strategic partnerships, outsourcing arrangements and wider technology and commercial contracts.

The successful candidate will work on a broad range of commercial and strategic matters for clients operating across the payments sector, while also contributing to the continued growth and development of the practice.

As a key member of the Payments team, you will:

• Advise clients on commercial arrangements across the payments sector.
• Draft, negotiate and manage a range of commercial agreements, including payment services agreements, outsourcing arrangements, technology contracts, framework agreements and strategic partnership agreements.
• Support clients on payment-related projects, product launches and commercial initiatives.
• Work as part of wider multi-disciplinary teams on technology, commercial and financial services matters.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the Financial Services Regulatory, Technology and Data teams where matters require specialist input.
• Build strong client relationships and act as a trusted adviser on day-to-day commercial matters.
• Supervise and support junior lawyers, contributing to their development and progression.
• Take an active role in business development activities, including tenders, pitches, client training and relationship-building initiatives.
• Contribute to thought leadership and wider sector-focused projects.
• Support clients on-site where required, including opportunities for secondments.

You will be:

• A qualified solicitor (SRA or Law Society registered), with at least six years' post-qualification experience gained within a commercial, technology or financial services practice, or within a relevant in-house legal team.
• An experienced commercial lawyer with strong drafting, negotiation and advisory skills.
• Familiar with advising clients operating in regulated sectors, particularly financial services, fintech or payments.
• Interested in the way payment products and payment services are developed, delivered and commercialised.
• Comfortable working alongside financial services regulatory specialists on matters involving both commercial and regulatory considerations.
• Able to provide pragmatic and commercially focused advice to clients.
• An effective communicator with strong organisational and stakeholder management skills.
• Experienced in supervising, mentoring and developing junior lawyers.
• Interested in building client relationships and contributing to the development of the practice.

Previous experience advising on payments-related matters would be beneficial but is not essential. We would welcome applications from candidates with broader commercial, technology or financial services experience who are interested in developing a payments specialism.

Fast paced, fast growing and forward thinking, TLT is the law firm that helps clients stay one step ahead, and we do the same for our people.

With local, national and international reach, we have over 1,800 people in offices across the UK and a network of partner firms across Europe, India and the US. Over the last few years TLT’s successful growth, delivery of high-quality work and support for colleagues…