Counsel, Global Corporate Legal Affairs

at  Manulife

Reporting to the VP & Chief Counsel, Public Company, the role of Counsel, Global Corporate Legal Affairs will provide legal support for a broad range of matters related to Manulife’s public company, governance, and corporate law requirements.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• You have an LLB or J.D. and are a member in good standing with Law Society of Ontario, or another province or territory of Canada, with a minimum of 3-5 years post-call experience in corporate law, corporate governance and/or securities matters, ideally gained in a large or mid-sized law firm and/or large public company.
• Experience with corporate secretarial function of a public company or involvement with facilitating Board meetings and annual meetings of shareholders will be considered an asset.
• You have excellent verbal and written communication skills; strong drafting skills.
• You have strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with an ability to identify legal problems and develop clear solutions.
• You have a consistent record to work under pressure and to operate with tact and discretion.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Understanding of the Canadian financial institution and the Canadian and U.S. public company regulatory environments and familiarity with Canadian securities laws and regulations, and applicable rules of the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange, will be considered an asset.
• You have strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate and build relationships.
• You are very well organized, with strong attention to detail.
• You work strategically and exercise good judgement.

You will have a broad range of responsibilities, including:

• Providing legal support for annual shareholder meeting process and drafting of relevant meeting materials (e.g., proxy circular drafting and coordination; legal planning and oversight; materials production and coordination).
• Advising on, and facilitating the maintenance of, a best-in-class governance framework (e.g., supervising governance developments, benchmarking standard methodologies and interacting with industry on governance matters).
• Supervising emerging legal and regulatory developments in corporate law and governance matters, proactively assessing their impact, and recommending changes as appropriate.
• Legal research and memorandum drafting.
• Legal support for matters involving Manulife’s Board of Directors, including materials preparation and review, as well as meeting process review and facilitation.
• Engaging with other groups around the Manulife organization (e.g., Finance, Risk, Executive Compensation, Sustainability) on governance and Board-related matters.
• Drafting, reviewing and/or being responsible for corporate, public company and Board-related matters (e.g., relevant regulatory filings globally, director compensation and director stock plan facilitation, relevant service provider agreements, and delegations of authority).