Conflicts and New Business Analyst (NY, LA, SF, New Haven CT)

Summary 

Under the general direction of the US Head of Risk and Compliance and according to established policies and procedures, the US Conflicts and New Business Analyst will work as part of the Risk and Compliance team. The role primarily focuses on managing the Firm's risk regarding new business intake, including initiating and analyzing conflict checks for new matters and advising relevant fee earners on new client acceptance, anti-money laundering (AML) and reputational risk issues in order to secure the necessary resolutions and approvals.  The individual’s primary work location will be the New Haven, Greenwich, New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco office, to be agreed with the successful candidate.  This is a permanent, full-time position, working Monday to Friday. Flexibility is required as needed. This role will be deemed hybrid and expected to come into the office as needed. The annual base compensation range for this role is $88k - $115k (this range starts at the Junior Analyst level and ends with Senior Analyst level).

The Role

• Familiarity with the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, particularly the conflict of interest rules, and the ability to take initiative in matters relating to same
• Review conflict check forms and new client inception forms to obtain clarity on parties, positions, and scope of work
• Perform conflict checks that originate from various offices and jurisdictions around the world; monitor and follow up on requests
• Assist Head of Risk and Compliance with necessary research and due diligence to aid in conflict decisions and resolutions
• Process sanctions-database searches and analyze data in connection with the firm's processes, policies and procedures
• Perform due diligence regarding lateral attorney, staff, and consultant hires
• Timely escalate conflicts and other risk issues to US Head of Risk and Compliance
• Communicate with Risk and Compliance team members and other firm stakeholders with concise statements of potential conflicts situations recognized in the conflicts reports
• Perform quality control in Thomson Reuters 3E Financial Management to ensure that all clients and matters created via the Intapp workflow processes and any amendments to them are processed correctly and, where necessary, liaise with the Finance and/or Risk & Compliance teams in other offices.
• Establish and perform maintenance on confidential and ethical screens; coordinate notifications and acknowledgments
• Document all communication; obtain waivers, acknowledgment to open and close client/ matters
• Propose improvements for methods and standards for analysis of conflicts of interest and other Risk related processes
• Assist in the testing, review, and implementation of new software systems
• Capture institutional knowledge discovered during conflict resolution; assist US Head of Risk and Compliance in developing and driving risk policies
• Maintain strict confidentiality of the firms internal, personnel, and client affairs
• This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also undertake additional tasks as required

Key Skill & Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree is required.
• Junior Analyst: At least three years of experience in processing business intake and conflicts of interest, including compliance and regulatory monitoring in a law firm setting is required.
• Senior Analyst: At least five years of experience in processing business intake and conflicts of interest, including compliance and regulatory monitoring in a law firm setting is required. Experience overseeing processes and procedures and supporting teammembers.
• Exceptional critical thinking and analytical skills, and acute attention to detail
• Ability to apply good judgment under time constraints
• Organizational and research skills
• Ability to operate as a proactive team player but also to work and focus on tasks independently of others
• Strong MS Office skills and administrative/clerical skills for updating records
• Ability to communicate in a confident and professional manner with a variety of stakeholders, including partners and legal assistants
• Experience and skill dealing with people in a calm, effective manner
• Ability to work efficiently and accurately under pressure, learn new processes quickly, and adapt to new environments and procedures
• Ability to ask for and accept direction, while also taking ownership of and resolving issues
• Ability to make efficient use of time to handle workload
• General understanding of conflicts of interest rules under ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and applicable state rules
• Experience with FileSite/DeskSite/iManage
• Proficiency with Thomson Reuters 3E Financial Management, Intapp Open, and Wallbuilder

About Withers

A law firm focused on people, performance, and collaboration.

For the past 125 years, we have supported some of the world’s most remarkable people and organizations at defining moments in their lives.

As the global private client firm, we are trusted advisors to families, founders, fiduciaries and businesses – and more than this, to governments, charities and financial institutions.

We structure, grow and preserve capital. We protect reputations and relationships, ideas and innovations. We secure our clients’ legacies across generations.

We are united in our commitment to integrity, quality and collaboration. We have a culture of high performance and deliver excellent service consistently across the firm. We provide tailored solutions built on trust and partner with our clients to achieve their goals.

Many of our clients are shaping the future, and creating solutions to tackle many of the world’s problems. It makes for a fascinating and challenging practice.

Our role is to get to know each individual client, find out where they want to be, and help them to get there – whether they are building a business, buying a home or protecting and defending their interests.
To meet their unique needs we are exceptionally collaborative, working together across teams and time zones. And we are agile – focusing on strategy rather than rigid ideas and traditional hierarchy.

We are delighted that we have been awarded Mansfield Certification Plus in relation to our recruitment and leadership progression efforts in the US and UK. This certification is an encouraging milestone as we continue to champion diversity within our organization and in the wider legal sector.

Join us to be part of a team that is always looking to the future. Where initiative, big ideas and bold moves are always encouraged. Where you can truly be yourself.

For more information on Withers, please visit the following links: General Career Site, LinkedIn, About Us 

Equal Opportunities Employment Statement 

The firm is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.  Equal employment opportunity has been and will continue to be a fundamental principle at the firm. Employment at the firm is based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.  The firm prohibits and will not tolerate any discrimination or harassment on the basis of any of these classifications or characteristics.

If you are interested in applying for employment and need special assistance or an accommodation to use our website to apply for a position, please contact the firm at (203) 789-1320 or email us.recruiting@withersworldwide.com with your request.  Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis.