Senior Legal Counsel - Regulation, Markets, and Wealth

We are seeking a senior and commercially-focused Senior Legal Counsel to support the leadership of the EMEA legal function within a fast-paced, technology-driven brokerage and trading business.

This role sits at the intersection of markets, product innovation, and regulation, with responsibility for advising on crypto/digital assets, corporate/M&A activity, markets and market infrastructure, wealth management, and financial services regulation across EMEA.

The successful candidate will combine technical excellence with strong commercial judgement, and will be comfortable operating in a front-office-facing environment supporting trading, product, and strategic initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

1. Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

•  Act as a deputy to the Head of Legal (EMEA), including stepping into leadership responsibilities as required

• Provide strategic legal advice to senior management, including C-suite stakeholders

• Lead, mentor, and develop members of the legal team across EMEA

• Drive alignment between Legal, Compliance, Risk, and the business

2. Digital Assets

•  Lead legal support for the firm’s digital assets offering, including crypto assets, tokenised products, and associated payment arrangements
• Advise on regulatory perimeter issues, including interaction with FCA guidance, EU MiCA framework, and cross-border considerations
• Support product structuring, client disclosures, and risk frameworks for digital asset offerings
• Monitor and interpret developments in crypto regulation and market practice

3. Financial Services Regulation

•  Provide high-level legal advice on regulatory frameworks applicable to brokers and wealth platforms, including:
• MiFID II
• FCA Rules
• EMIR
• Support regulatory analysis relating to wealth management services
• Advise on regulatory perimeter issues, particularly in relation to hybrid brokerage/wealth propositions
• Support engagement with regulators (e.g. FCA) and regulatory change initiatives

4. Wealth Management Products & Services

• Advise on the structuring and distribution of wealth products, including:
• Managed portfolios and discretionary mandates
• Funds, ETFs, and multi-asset investment products
• Advisory and guidance-based services
• Support the development of client journeys, onboarding frameworks, and suitability/appropriateness models
• Advise on client disclosures, product governance, and target market assessments
• Work closely with product, compliance, and distribution teams on the launch and scaling of wealth offerings

5. Corporate Law & M&A

• Lead and execute strategic transactions, including acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, and minority investments

• Advise on group structuring, capital allocation, and shareholder arrangements

• Oversee transaction lifecycle: structuring, due diligence, negotiation, and completion

• Support expansion into new jurisdictions and licensing strategies

6. Product & Trading Support

• Act as a key legal partner to trading, product, and platform teams
• Advise on the legal structuring of new instruments, execution models, and liquidity arrangements
• Support development of trading platforms and client-facing features
• Review and oversee client terms, disclosures, and platform documentation

7. Risk Management & Governance

• Identify, assess, and manage legal risks across EMEA operations
• Ensure appropriate governance frameworks are maintained across regulated entities
• Oversee use of external counsel and manage legal spend effectively
• Contribute to internal policy development and control frameworks

Candidate Profile

Experience

• Qualified lawyer in England & Wales (or equivalent common law jurisdiction)
• At least 15+ years’ post-qualification experience
• Training and early career at a top-tier international law firm
• Significant in-house experience within a financial services firm, ideally a broker, trading platform, or fintech

Skills & Attributes

• Strong commercial instinct and ability to support revenue-generating teams
• Confidence operating in a front-office environment
• Ability to balance legal risk with speed and innovation
• Excellent stakeholder management, including board-level interaction
• Proven leadership and team development capability

Desirable Experience

• Experience in CFDs, spread betting, FX, or multi-asset trading platforms
• Familiarity with market structure and execution models
• Exposure to UK and EU regulatory frameworks and cross-border operations
• Experience working in a high-growth or technology-led environment

CMC Markets is powered by our people. We are an equal opportunities employer and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, where our people feel confident to be themselves, feel valued and are able to do their best work. We don’t just value differences and unique perspectives, we seek them out and we invite them in, because we know it will lead to better outcomes for everyone.