In House Lawyer - Bau - Financial Crime & Sanctions

A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with 48 offices in 29 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.
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Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimize your wellbeing.
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Department purpose
The Business Acceptance Unit (BAU) is a dynamic, global, collegiate team responsible for assessing all new business before it is accepted by the firm’s partners, to ensure the firm’s commercial objectives and legal obligations are met. The team work closely with partners and other senior stakeholders to identify and resolve legal and commercial conflict issues, sanctions and anti-money laundering risks, as well as reputational and values issues in each of the jurisdictions in which A&O Shearman operates.
Role purpose
In-House Lawyers within our BAU team take a lead role in analyzing and resolving the most complex issues in the areas of Financial Crime and sanctions, as well as enhancing and developing processes and procedures to ensure a first class service is provided to our partners and clients.
Key relationships

• The BAU
• Partners and fee earners
• Practice group heads, sector heads and office/regional managing partners
• The Risk Function

• Liaising with the existing BAU Managers, Senior Analysts and BAU team management in relation to the allocation of resources within the team to ensure the BAU’s processes in these areas run as smoothly and efficiently as possible and that workload is managed and completed in a timely way.
• In conjunction with the existing BAU Managers, assisting with the day-to-day management of those members of the BAU team focused on AML and sanctions compliance.
• Working closely with and supporting the Head of Financial Crime & Sanctions and UK MLCO and MLRO to implement enhancements and changes to the BAU’s processes in respect of AML compliance to ensure the strategic objective for the firm’s global AML compliance is achieved
• Analyzing and resolving professional, legal, regulatory and commercial issues relating to business acceptance and client engagement in the areas of Financial Crime and sanctions, which are referred by the BAU analyst and legal teams, by partners and by all other levels of lawyer and support staff, including in the following areas:
  • anti-money laundering client ID issues;
  • reputational and suitability issues; and
  • sanctions questions.
• Being a senior contact point for local MLROs globally in relation to the BAU team’s processes and procedures.
• Monitoring changes in practice, professional rules, regulations and the law as affects Financial Crime and sanctions globally
• Assisting and supporting the MLCO and Head of Financial Crime & Sanctions in ensuring that firm and BAU policy and procedure in the areas of Financial Crime and sanctions
• Helping to develop and refine internal databases and evaluating external databases of information / services for use in the business acceptance process, particularly technological solutions in AML compliance.
• Helping in the design of and taking day-to-day responsibility for the management of major Financial Crime and sanctions projects
• Assisting in the design, implementation, and delivery of training for the BAU team and fee earners in the areas of Financial Crime and sanctions
• Supporting the Head of Financial Crime & Sanctions with and helping to manage the day-to-day aspects of the recruitment processes in relation to vacancies in the BAU team.
• Where requested, representing the BAU in the areas of Financial Crime and sanctions at cross-departmental and external meetings.
• Supporting the AML Regulation Manager in responding to regulatory audit requests relating to AML compliance
• Assisting with anti-money laundering compliance audits commissioned by Allen & Overy.
• Assisting with the day-to-day aspects of the process for ongoing client and counterparty screening using the Accuity software
• Providing regular reports and updates of team workload to BAU team management.
• Being flexible in undertaking the above responsibilities and any others so required.

For individuals assigned to or hired for this opportunity in New York or California, the estimated annualized base salary range for this position is $140,000-$220,000. The actual base salary offered will depend on the overall qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, including, if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job, and other job-relation factors permitted by law.
This role can be based in any of the firm's US offices (New York, Washington DC, Boston, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, or Los Angeles.)
A&O Shearman is an equal opportunity employer. Every individual has the right to work in a professional environment that promotes equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination and harassment. It is AOS policy to ensure equal employment opportunity for all individuals, without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status or alienage, disability, pregnancy or related medical issue, military or qualified veteran status, familial status, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation, gender, including gender identity, gender expression or transition status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking and/or sex offenses, sexual and reproductive health decisions, unemployment status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state and local laws. This policy applies to all aspects of an individual’s relationship with AOS, including, without limitation, recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.
If you are vision-impaired or have another disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law and wish to discuss accommodations related to applying for employment at AOS, please contact US HR Transactions at US-HRTransactions@aoshearman.com or call +1 212 610 6300 and ask for HR Transactions.