Derivatives Counsel

About the Opportunity

Epiq Counsel is seeking a Derivatives Counsel to support our client, a leading global bank, within its Markets legal function.

This is an interim engagement for a derivatives lawyer who enjoys working close to the business. You’ll negotiate and advise on OTC and cleared derivatives documentation, work through U.S. clearing models and netting questions, and serve as a practical, responsive legal partner to a fast-moving markets team. It is a hands-on role: you’ll own matters, work directly with business stakeholders, and help them get to a workable answer quickly.

About the Client

Our client is a global financial institution with a major U.S. markets franchise. Its Markets legal team supports trading, clearing, and client relationships across a high-volume derivatives business. The team is notably business-oriented and works closely with front-office, operations, credit, and risk colleagues. This role reports to an Associate General Counsel on the team’s contract management advisory group.

Key Details

• Engagement Type: Interim engagement (Epiq Counsel model), consultant (contract)
• Duration: Approximately six months, starting late November to early December 2026
• Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week)
• Compensation: $185,000 to $210,000 annualized ($90-$100/hr)
• Benefits: Healthcare, paid vacation, paid holidays, paid bar dues, plus engagement support and coaching

Responsibilities

Derivatives Documentation & Negotiation (~50%)

• Negotiate and draft OTC derivatives documentation, including ISDA Master Agreements, Schedules, and Credit Support Annexes
• Negotiate cleared derivatives documentation, including FCM clearing agreements and related addenda
• Manage a portfolio of counterparty negotiations from intake through execution

Clearing & Netting Advisory (~30%)

• Advise on U.S. clearing models and their documentation and legal implications
• Support netting analysis, including netting opinions and the enforceability of close-out netting and collateral arrangements
• Turn regulatory and legal requirements into clear, practical guidance for the business

Business Partnership (~20%)

• Partner day to day with trading, operations, credit, and risk teams on documentation questions and escalations
• Apply internal policies, playbooks, and approval frameworks, and escalate the issues that need senior attention
• Help improve templates, fallback positions, and negotiation guidance where you see the opportunity

Qualifications

• JD and active U.S. law license in good standing
• Substantial experience with OTC and/or cleared derivatives documentation, from a law firm, a bank or broker-dealer, or a buy-side institution
• Working knowledge of Dodd-Frank Title VII and the regulatory framework for cleared and uncleared swaps
• Hands-on experience with netting, such as netting opinions, close-out netting analysis, or netting-driven documentation work
• A business-oriented style: comfortable liaising directly with the business, translating legal risk into practical answers, and moving at the pace of a markets desk
• Strong judgment and the confidence to own negotiations end to end
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills

Preferred Experience

• Familiarity with U.S. clearing models, FCM and clearinghouse documentation, and client clearing arrangements
• In-house experience at a global bank or broker-dealer
• Familiarity with ISDA protocols, industry netting opinions, and regulatory margin documentation
• Experience supporting high transaction volume on a documentation or negotiation desk

Why This Role

This is a chance to do substantive derivatives work inside one of the most sophisticated markets legal functions in the industry, on a team that values lawyers who partner with the business rather than advise from a distance. It’s ideal for a derivatives lawyer who wants a defined-term engagement with real ownership, plus the flexibility and support of the Epiq Counsel model.

About Epiq Counsel

Epiq Counsel is an innovative legal services talent provider that offers meaningful work and flexibility to sophisticated, credentialed lawyers and legal professionals. Our lawyers work on a wide variety of matters for leading organizations across the U.S. Epiq works hard to provide our diverse legal talent with challenging, high-quality work that does not require sacrificing flexibility or control. We take the time to understand each legal professional’s practice areas, experience, and preferences to ensure alignment with sophisticated interim in-house opportunities. Leverage our network to work with organizations in need of top-tier legal services, and take the next step in your career by joining a vibrant community of Epiq legal professionals.

It is Epiq’s policy to comply with all applicable equal employment opportunity laws by making all employment decisions without unlawful regard or consideration of any individual’s race, religion, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expressions, transgender status, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, marital status, age, national origin, genetic information, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, veteran or family status or any other basis protected by applicable national, federal, state, provincial or local law. Epiq’s policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on any of these impermissible bases, as well as any bases or grounds protected by applicable law in each jurisdiction. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. Epiq is pleased to provide such assistance and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request. Pursuant to relevant law, where applicable, Epiq will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.