Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Regulatory Compliance Attorney

🎯 Role Definition

The Regulatory Compliance Attorney provides proactive legal guidance and operational leadership to ensure the organization complies with applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards. This role partners with business leaders, risk, internal audit, finance, product, and operations to identify regulatory risk, draft and operationalize policies, oversee investigations and examinations, respond to regulators, and defend the company in enforcement matters. The attorney translates complex statutes and guidance into pragmatic controls, training, and monitoring programs that scale across jurisdictions and product lines.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Mid-level Associate, Big Law (Regulatory, Financial Services, Healthcare, Life Sciences)
In-house Counsel (Compliance, Regulatory Affairs, Privacy)
Senior Compliance Manager / Compliance Analyst with legal credentials

Advancement To:

Senior Regulatory Counsel / Lead Compliance Counsel
Director of Compliance / Head of Regulatory Affairs
Deputy General Counsel or General Counsel with regulatory portfolio
Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) or Chief Legal Officer (CLO)

Lateral Moves:

Privacy Counsel / Data Protection Officer
Regulatory Affairs Director (pharma/medical device)
Risk & Controls Leader (financial services)
Government Affairs or Public Policy Counsel

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, draft, and maintain comprehensive compliance policies, procedures, and standard operating guidelines that incorporate federal and state statutes, agency guidance, industry best practices, and internal risk appetite.
Advise senior leadership and cross-functional business partners on complex regulatory requirements (e.g., SEC, FINRA, FTC, FDA, CMS, HHS, GDPR, HIPAA, AML/BSA) and provide clear, pragmatic recommendations to mitigate legal and operational risk.
Conduct regular regulatory risk assessments and compliance gap analyses across products, services, geographies, and third-party relationships, translating findings into prioritized remediation roadmaps and measurable controls.
Lead and manage responses to regulatory inquiries, examinations, subpoenas, and enforcement actions, preparing filings, correspondence, production plans, and witness preparation materials, and coordinating with outside counsel as needed.
Design, implement, and monitor compliance training programs tailored to business lines, senior leaders, and new hires; develop training materials and evaluate training effectiveness using metrics and audit feedback.
Build and run a compliance monitoring framework including targeted testing plans, key performance indicators (KPIs), and escalation protocols to ensure ongoing adherence to regulatory obligations.
Oversee internal investigations into alleged violations of law, policy breaches, or ethical misconduct; interview witnesses, analyze documents, prepare investigation reports, and recommend disciplinary or remediation actions.
Draft and negotiate regulatory-related contract provisions, vendor compliance clauses, data processing agreements, and business associate agreements to ensure contractual risk transfer and regulatory alignment.
Provide counsel on product development and go-to-market initiatives to ensure regulatory compliance is embedded from concept through launch, including regulatory filings, registration requirements, labeling, and promotional review where applicable.
Collaborate with Privacy, IT, Security, and Data teams to ensure regulatory and data protection compliance (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA) for data flows, retention, breach response, and cross-border transfers.
Develop and maintain metrics, dashboards, and board-level reporting on compliance posture, remediation progress, material incidents, and regulatory developments that could impact business strategy or financial results.
Counsel on anti-money laundering (AML), sanctions, and Know Your Customer (KYC) obligations and partner with operations to implement transaction monitoring, suspicious activity reporting, and enhanced due diligence processes.
Review marketing, advertising, and consumer communications for regulatory risk and truth-in-advertising compliance; provide pre-approval guidance and post-market surveillance processes.
Advise on licensing, permitting, and registration obligations across jurisdictions and coordinate filings, renewals, and reporting to maintain good standing with regulators.
Partner with M&A, corporate development, and transactional teams on diligence of regulatory risk, carve-outs, consents, and post-closing integration of compliance programs.
Drive regulatory change management by tracking legislative and rulemaking developments, assessing business impact, and coordinating timely implementation of new regulatory obligations.
Develop and maintain effective relationships with regulators, industry groups, and trade associations to influence policy, stay informed on enforcement trends, and represent the company in regulatory forums.
Prepare and deliver clear legal memoranda, regulatory analyses, and executive summaries that synthesize complex rules into actionable business guidance.
Support implementation of remediation plans following audits, examinations, or internal reviews and ensure sustained remediation through testing and governance updates.
Lead cross-functional working groups to design and operationalize controls for emerging risks (e.g., AI and algorithmic risk, fintech products, telehealth) and translate regulatory expectations into technical and process requirements.
Ensure compliance with employment-related regulatory matters (e.g., whistleblower protections, workplace safety reporting, OFCCP compliance) in collaboration with HR and labor counsel.
Maintain and manage the legal hold and e-discovery processes for regulatory matters and investigations, coordinating with IT and outside counsel to ensure defensible preservation and production.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc regulatory research requests and provide timely legal memoranda on novel or niche compliance questions.
Conduct periodic benchmarking and industry research to identify best practices and emerging compliance program enhancements.
Assist with internal audit coordination, providing supporting documentation, explaining controls, and tracking remediation items until closure.
Provide mentorship and training to junior attorneys, paralegals, and compliance analysts to build team capability and succession.
Support contract lifecycle management by reviewing regulatory clauses in procurement and vendor management workflows.
Participate in cross-functional risk committees, offering legal perspectives on new initiatives, risk tolerances, and control effectiveness.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Expert knowledge of U.S. federal and state regulatory frameworks relevant to the industry (e.g., SEC, FINRA, FTC, FDA, HHS, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, AML/BSA).
Proven experience drafting and implementing compliance policies, procedures, and internal controls at an enterprise scale.
Experience managing regulatory investigations, examinations, enforcement matters, and preparing responses to government agencies and administrative bodies.
Proficiency in conducting regulatory risk assessments, compliance gap analyses, and developing prioritized remediation plans.
Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills, including vendor compliance clauses, data processing agreements, and indemnities tied to regulatory obligations.
Familiarity with privacy and data protection laws, cross-border data transfer mechanisms, breach notification requirements, and privacy impact assessments.
Hands-on experience with compliance monitoring tools, case management systems, e-discovery platforms, and document review workflows.
Ability to interpret complex statutes, rules, agency guidance, and court decisions and synthesize into actionable legal guidance for non-lawyers.
Experience supporting regulatory aspects of M&A, divestitures, licensing, and product registrations or approvals.
Knowledge of AML/KYC requirements, sanctions screening, and transaction monitoring processes applicable to financial services and fintech.
Proven ability to prepare board-level compliance reporting, regulatory summaries, and material risk disclosures for senior executives.
Familiarity with industry-specific regulatory frameworks (e.g., healthcare reimbursement, pharma adverse event reporting, medical device regulations) where applicable.

Soft Skills

Excellent communication skills: able to clearly explain regulatory risk and recommended actions to C-suite, board members, and business stakeholders.
Strong judgment and commercial-minded approach, balancing legal risk with business objectives and pragmatic solutions.
Strategic thinker with the ability to prioritize competing risks and manage multiple high-priority regulatory matters simultaneously.
Collaborative leader who builds credibility across legal, compliance, product, operations, finance, and external counsel.
Strong project management skills and attention to detail, with experience leading cross-functional remediation and implementation projects.
High integrity, ethical standards, and ability to handle sensitive investigations and privileged information with discretion.
Persuasive influencer who can drive behavioral change through training, policy design, and stakeholder engagement.
Resilient under pressure and able to manage deadlines during regulatory inquiries and enforcement timelines.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and admission to the state bar (active bar membership required).

Preferred Education:

LLM in Regulatory Law, Health Law, Financial Regulation, or related advanced legal degree OR compliance certifications such as Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP), Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM), or CAMS.
Additional certifications in privacy (CIPP/US, CIPP/E) or AML (CAMS) are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Law (Juris Doctor)
Regulatory Affairs / Health Law / Financial Regulation
Privacy, Cybersecurity, or Data Protection

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–12+ years of legal experience with progressive regulatory and compliance responsibilities, including significant in-house exposure or a combination of law firm and corporate compliance experience.

Preferred:

Minimum 5 years in-house regulatory experience advising on enforcement, examinations, and policy implementation; 8+ years preferred for senior roles.
Demonstrated track record of successfully managing regulatory investigations and working directly with state and federal agencies.
Experience within the relevant industry (financial services, healthcare, life sciences, fintech, telecom, or energy) and familiarity with industry-specific regulatory regimes.
Demonstrated leadership in building or maturing compliance programs, cross-functional stakeholder engagement, and board-level reporting.