Chief Legal Officer - Established Financial Services Company

Company Overview

Our client is an established and growing financial services platform seeking a Chief Legal Officer to serve as a strategic member of the executive leadership team. The organization operates across private credit, specialty finance, and commercial lending markets and is focused on delivering innovative financing solutions to middle-market businesses and institutional partners.

This executive will oversee all legal, regulatory, governance, and risk-management matters for the organization while partnering closely with senior leadership to support business growth, new product initiatives, capital markets activities, and strategic transactions.

Position Summary

The Chief Legal Officer will provide practical, business-oriented legal counsel on a broad range of matters, including lending transactions, credit facilities, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, commercial contracts, litigation management, and strategic initiatives. The role requires a strong understanding of the legal and commercial issues impacting lenders, specialty finance companies, and private credit platforms.

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of sophisticated transactional experience, financial services regulatory knowledge, and executive-level leadership capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the principal legal advisor to executive leadership and the Board of Directors.
• Lead and manage all legal, regulatory, governance, and compliance functions across the organization.
• Advise on commercial lending, private credit, specialty finance, structured finance, and related financing transactions.
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex lending agreements, financing documents, servicing agreements, vendor contracts, and strategic commercial arrangements.
• Partner with business leaders on new products, growth initiatives, acquisitions, investments, and strategic partnerships.
• Oversee relationships with outside counsel and manage litigation, disputes, and regulatory examinations.
• Monitor federal and state regulatory developments affecting lending, finance, and capital markets activities.
• Develop and enhance corporate governance, risk-management, and compliance frameworks.
• Provide legal guidance regarding credit, workout, restructuring, and portfolio management matters.
• Support fundraising, warehouse financing, securitization, and other capital markets initiatives, as applicable.
• Build and mentor a high-performing legal team while fostering a collaborative, business-focused legal culture.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Minimum of 9 years of legal experience, with significant exposure to financial services.
• Demonstrated experience within private credit, specialty finance, commercial lending, asset-based lending, direct lending, commercial finance, or related sectors.
• Strong background negotiating and advising on lending transactions and credit facilities.
• Experience advising executive leadership and interacting with boards or senior stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of financial services regulatory frameworks and risk management principles.
• Prior in-house legal leadership experience preferred, though candidates from top law firms with substantial financial services practices will also be considered.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and business judgment skills.