Corporate Counsel

Purpose of the position

• Working together with the Senior Counsel, Art Finance and the Counsel, Art Finance (EMEA and APAC) to provide legal advice for the Christie’s Art Finance (CAF) business on all areas of international art and luxury asset-based lending, including client due diligence, with a primary focus on borrowers in APAC
• Working together with the APAC legal team on all art law related commercial matters, disputes and corporate matters in APAC
• Able to provide user-friendly and timely advice and regular, proactive, legal/compliance training & “clinics” to help the business achieve its goals in a manner consistent with Christie’s global standards and best practices

Christie’s Art Finance (CAF) specific

• Advise CAF business on all areas of international art and luxury asset-based lending, including client due diligence, with a primary focus on borrowers in APAC
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating loan agreements, security documents and other ancillary documents for, and assisting in closing, art and luxury asset-based loans
• Assisting, from a legal perspective, in the ongoing management of CAF’s loan portfolio, including in relation to amendments/supplements, extensions, refinancings, paydowns/releases, upsizes, collateral swaps, museum loans, collateral touring and bailment/storage arrangements
• Assisting in CAF’s expansion into new jurisdictions across APAC, including advising as to lending, marketing and other laws/regulations
• Monitoring national/international laws/regulations impacting a lending business, including licensing/registration requirements
• Manage external counsel, and its spend, regarding lending/regulatory matters
• Developing, maintaining, refining and updating templates, policies and processes for underwriting and servicing art and luxury asset-based loans
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating other related documentation, including NDAs and referral/partnership agreements

• Reviewing and drafting commercial agreements
• Advise business on full range of legal matters relating to the sale of property, the conduct of auction and any post sale issues and disputes
• Handling and managing legal disputes; working closely with and supervising external legal lawyers including the management of external legal fees
• Maintain best practices and contribute to the development of group wide legal services and risk management team that is leading edge in terms of the service it provides and the technological platform upon which the service is based
• Support and assist with key measurement criteria across legal services and risk management for the purpose of assessing the overall effectiveness of the legal services and risk management function in Asia
• Work closely with other members of Christie’s legal services and risk management team to nurture all global practice management groups and to deliver globally a seamless legal and risk management service to the Christie’s Group in APAC
• Provide legal advice in and assist with company-wide cross-department projects and initiatives

General

• Develop a strong ethos of financial management, working strictly to agreed budgets and carefully managing external law firms’ and other professional costs and build effective working relationships with external counsels
• Build relationships and liaise with various teams across Christie’s (including art departments, Finance, Treasury, Tax and Insurance)
• Educate and train business colleagues on various legal matters
• Providing Chinese language support to business

• Partnership Building – Develops productive internal and external relationships & works collaboratively
• Influencing – Adopts and applies appropriate influencing styles
• Commercial-mindedness – Able to make decisions in a balanced way taking into account all relevant legal/regulatory risks and business realities

• Team Player – Able to work in a team and willing to share information
• Adaptability & affability

• Change Agent – Not afraid to stretch/push boundaries and continually searches for ways to improve

• Fluent Cantonese and Mandarin…