Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Banking Finance NI Solicitor

🎯 Role Definition

We are recruiting an experienced Banking & Finance Solicitor (Northern Ireland) to join a leading law firm or financial institution focused on commercial lending, structured finance, and security enforcement. The successful candidate will provide technically strong legal advice across secured and unsecured lending, drafting and negotiating complex documentation (loan agreements, facility agreements, intercreditor agreements, security documents), and supporting origination, refinancing, restructuring and enforcement matters. This role is ideal for a solicitor who is admitted in Northern Ireland (or equivalent UK qualification) and has demonstrable experience across corporate lending, real estate finance and regulatory compliance in the banking sector.

Key search terms: Banking Finance NI Solicitor, Northern Ireland banking lawyer, syndicated lending solicitor, real estate finance solicitor NI, asset finance solicitor Belfast.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Trainee Solicitor / Newly Qualified Solicitor (NQ) with finance rotations
Banking & Finance Paralegal with 1–3 years’ lending experience
In-house legal counsel in banking or corporate finance

Advancement To:

Senior Associate (Banking & Finance)
Counsel or Head of Banking & Finance Group
Partner / Equity Partner in national or regional firm

Lateral Moves:

In-house Banking Counsel / Head of Legal (Bank or Lender)
Regulatory Compliance Officer (FCA/BoNI-facing roles)
Credit Risk or Transaction Structuring roles within finance institutions

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the drafting, negotiation and execution of complex commercial loan documentation including facility agreements, term and revolving credit facilities, mezzanine finance, and bridging loans, ensuring commercial objectives are achieved while mitigating legal risk.
Prepare, review and negotiate security packages across multiple asset classes (real estate charges, fixed and floating charges, debentures, share pledges, guarantees, assignment of receivables) and advise on perfection and registration requirements in Northern Ireland and the wider UK.
Act as lead solicitor on syndicated and club lending transactions, coordinating legal opinions, intercreditor agreements, agent and trustee documentation, and ensuring seamless coordination between borrowers, agents, lenders and external counsel.
Advise clients on acquisition finance and leveraged buyouts, structuring debt facilities, covenant packages, and security arrangements to support M&A and corporate restructuring transactions.
Conduct comprehensive legal due diligence on borrower groups, target assets, property portfolios, and corporate groups; identify title, tax, environmental, regulatory and enforcement risks and recommend pre-completion protections.
Manage refinancings, restructurings and amendments to existing facilities, including covenant waivers, forbearance agreements, debt-to-equity conversions, and intercreditor rearrangements.
Provide practical enforcement and workout advice for distressed facilities, including enforcement strategies, receivership, appointment of administrative receivers, enforcement of security over land and personal property and court proceedings in Northern Ireland.
Advise on real estate finance matters including mortgage drafting, development finance, forward funding, commercial leases as security, and consent/third-party documentation required for security creation.
Support asset finance and leasing transactions, drafting documentation for equipment finance, operating leases, hire purchase agreements, and syndication arrangements with cross-border considerations.
Prepare and provide legal opinions for lenders and investors on matters of corporate capacity, authority, enforceability and priority of security in support of transaction completion and funding.
Coordinate with local and international counsel on cross-border lending matters, ensuring harmonised documentation, choice of law, jurisdiction clauses and enforceability across multiple jurisdictions (UK, ROI, European jurisdictions).
Advise on regulatory and compliance matters affecting banking transactions, including anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions screening, data protection (GDPR), and lender regulatory obligations under UK and Northern Ireland frameworks.
Draft and negotiate director and shareholder agreements, subscription and shareholder security, and ancillary documentation necessary to support bespoke financing structures and shareholder-backed lending.
Provide pragmatic commercial advice to banking clients, credit committees and relationship managers, translating legal risk into clear business options and steps for risk mitigation.
Work with tax advisers to structure lending arrangements to achieve tax-efficient outcomes and ensure the documentation reflects tax structuring and withholding obligations.
Supervise and mentor junior solicitors and paralegals on transaction workflows, drafting standards, due diligence processes and client communication.
Manage multiple transactions concurrently, maintain project timetables and budgets, and provide regular status reports to clients and internal stakeholders to ensure timely fundings and completions.
Liaise with fiduciaries, trustees, receivers, insolvency practitioners, and enforcement agents in distressed or insolvency scenarios to protect lender recoveries and administer security realisations.
Draft and negotiate intercreditor agreements, agency agreements, deed of priority and subordination agreements, ensuring lender rights and enforcement priorities are clearly defined.
Advise banks and alternative lenders on loan portfolio sales, securitisations, warehouse facilities and secondary market trades, including transfer mechanics and borrower/consent requirements.
Keep abreast of legislative and market developments affecting banking and finance law in Northern Ireland and the UK, including case law impacting trustees, receivers and secured creditors, and proactively update clients on material changes.
Develop client relationships, support business development and pitch activity, prepare fee estimates and assist partners in building bespoke banking practices and product offerings.
Ensure high standards of client service, file management and compliance with firm risk policies, conflicts checks, AML processes and billing practices.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc regulatory enquiries and internal compliance investigations related to lending portfolios and client onboarding.
Assist in developing precedent banks’ documents and knowledge management resources tailored for Northern Ireland lending transactions.
Contribute to internal training sessions on new regulatory requirements, security registration procedures and enforcement trends for the banking team.
Collaborate with finance teams to produce client-friendly closing checklists, borrower disclosure packages and completion memoranda.
Participate in business development initiatives, client seminars and sector-specific rounds focusing on banking, property and corporate finance in Belfast and broader NI market.
Provide occasional secondment support to lender clients, acting as embedded counsel for transaction execution and portfolio management.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Qualified Solicitor admitted in Northern Ireland (Law Society of Northern Ireland) or equivalent UK admission (Solicitor of England & Wales with NI practice eligibility).
Deep expertise drafting and negotiating facility agreements, security documents (charges, debentures, mortgages), intercreditor and agency agreements.
Proven experience with syndicated lending, club deals, agent roles and multi-lender transaction mechanics.
Practical knowledge of enforcement remedies in Northern Ireland and the UK: receivership, appointment processes, foreclosure, and statutory charge enforcement.
Familiarity with real estate finance documentation, Land Registry/SERVICING/registration processes and consents for security over land in NI and across the UK.
Competence in conducting and managing complex due diligence exercises and drafting disclosure letters and warranties.
Strong understanding of AML, sanctions screening, GDPR and other regulatory obligations applicable to banking transactions and client onboarding.
Experience preparing and delivering enforceability and opinion letters for lenders and investors.
Knowledge of cross-border security structures, choice of law, recognition of foreign judgments and harmonisation of security perfection.
Ability to use legal practice management software, document automation tools and MS Office to manage closing documentation efficiently.
Familiarity with loan portfolio sales, securitisation structures, warehouse facilities and secondary market transaction documentation.
Commercial negotiation skills with demonstrable record of protecting client risk while facilitating deal completion.

Soft Skills

Commercial mindset: translates legal complexities into pragmatic commercial advice that supports client lending and funding objectives.
Strong written and verbal communication: drafts clear agreements, client advice and board-level summaries.
Project and time management: manages multiple live matters, prioritises deadlines and delivers within budget.
Client relationship management: develops trust with credit officers, relationship managers and treasury teams.
Collaboration and stakeholder engagement: works effectively with cross-functional teams including tax, compliance, real estate, and insolvency practitioners.
Leadership and mentoring: supervises junior fee-earners, provides feedback, and builds team capability.
Negotiation and persuasion: drives favourable outcomes in multi-party commercial negotiations.
Attention to detail: meticulous approach to documentation, practical completion mechanics and registration steps.
Adaptability and resilience: comfortable in a fast-paced transactional environment with shifting priorities.
Ethical judgement and professionalism: maintains client confidentiality and adheres to regulatory and firm risk standards.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

LLB or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) plus completion of the professional qualification route (e.g., Legal Practice Course or equivalent) and admission as a Solicitor in Northern Ireland or an equivalent UK jurisdiction.

Preferred Education:

Postgraduate qualification (LPC, LLM in Banking & Finance or Commercial Law) or specialised banking law courses.
Additional training/certification in insolvency, secured transactions or regulatory compliance is beneficial.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Law (Commercial, Banking & Finance)
Finance, Economics or Business (desirable for commercial context)
Postgraduate specialisations in Financial Regulation, Corporate Finance or Property Law

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years for mid-level Banking & Finance Solicitor roles; 7+ years for Senior Associate or Counsel level; 10+ years for partner-level or lead counsel roles.

Preferred:

Demonstrable track record of acting for banks, credit funds, alternative lenders or major corporate borrowers on UK and Northern Ireland secured lending transactions.
Experience handling syndicated and bilateral facilities, loan-to-value calculations, security perfection and cross-border enforcement.
Prior exposure to negotiating with credit committees, agents, trustees and external counsel on complex financings.
Record of client development, successful transaction delivery and strong referrals within the NI and wider UK banking sector.