Associate Legal Counsel

Remote/Hybrid Work Flexibility

This position offers hybrid remote work flexibility within Maine (minimum 2 in-office days per week). Fully remote work opportunities will be considered for residents of one of the following states: NJ, IN, NC, SC, IA, GA, and FL.

Position Overview

As a member of the Legal team, this position is responsible for reviewing and negotiating vendor and fund client services agreements, performing legal and regulatory research, and supporting other legal initiatives.

• Provide document review of fund client documents.
• Review and negotiate fund client and vendor services agreements.
• Research new laws and regulations, alerts, updates, interpretations and their potential effect on our fund clients, services, and operations.
• Provide corporate secretarial services and corporate governance support to offshore fund clients.
• Draft and finalize procedures and work on legal projects in support of company and fund client regulatory obligations.

Fund Client Contracting, Document Review and Ongoing Support

• Draft Stone Coast’s Master Services Agreements with fund clients, inclusive of any required addenda, review and respond to comments from clients and clients’ counsel (escalating and/or receiving escalations as necessary), finalize documents for execution, and facilitate and file executed versions.
• Review updates to existing fund client documents and other documents naming Stone Coast (such as side letters) to ensure that disclosures accurately reflect contractual obligations related to services provided on behalf of our fund clients.

Vendor Contracting

• Review, revise and negotiate vendor services and product agreements, working with the relevant business unit to minimize legal exposure to the company under the agreement and correctly memorialize desired business terms.
• Manage vendor contracting deadlines, and work with relevant business units to anticipate renegotiation opportunities.
• Obtain, review and track vendor certificates of insurance.

Legal and Regulatory Mandates

• Research new regulations; alerts; updates; interpretations and their potential effect on our clients, services, and operations; and distill and communicate recommendations and conclusions for internal and external consumption.

Legal Risk Mitigation

• Perform legal and regulatory risk analysis and memorialize decision-making process, as directed.

Corporate Secretarial Services

• As needed, assist in providing corporate secretarial services and corporate governance support to offshore funds, including preparation and distribution of director resolutions and board meeting agendas, minutes and other materials.

Legal Procedures and Projects

• Draft and finalize legal procedures and liaise with technology to leverage all relevant workflow and data/reporting tools.

Other Responsibilities

• All staff at this level will strive to be role models and lead by example, creating an environment that encourages collaboration (within the group and across the company), team work, and professionalism.
• In addition, this position will understand, support and adhere to the Stone Coast policies and procedures, including operation and control procedures and Human Resources policies. This position will also understand and support the Stone Coast Operating Plan initiatives and their role in the success of those initiatives.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Qualifications and Experience

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

• Member of a state bar in good standing
• A sound understanding of investment manager and fund regulatory, governance, and compliance obligations.
• 2-3 years of experience in a legal, compliance, or risk management capacity with an SEC registered investment adviser, fund administrator or other regulated financial institution.
• 2-3 years of experience reviewing and analyzing legal formation documents such as documents provided for AML identify verification (such as foundation charters, trust documents, LLC agreements), tax documents, and regulatory guidance, including both US documents and non-US documents.
• A proven track record of researching regulations and developing compliance procedures in support of those regulations, all in a fast-paced dynamic environment.
• Comfortable and highly proficient in verbal and written communications with individual investors, institutional investors and fund managers, and with particular proficiency and sensitivity communicating complex matters.
• The consummate team player – listens well and values the input of his or her colleagues.
• Highly proficient in the use of Microsoft Office (including Word and Excel) and Adobe 9 Pro or Adobe 10 Pro, including proficiency with combining, extracting and deleting files.
• Highly organized and exceptionally detailed.
• Accustomed to managing multiple priorities.

Education Requirements

• JD required

Application Requirements

• Please be sure to include an updated copy of your resume with your application. Cover letters are read and considered, although they are not required.
• Additionally, please include a professional writing sample (e.g., redacted legal memo or brief).

The Company

Stone Coast Fund Services is an award-winning, steadily growing hedge fund administrator that’s found a better way in a better place. With a sole office in Portland, Maine, Stone Coast comprises over 200 hard-working and smart professionals who deliver administration services to over 100 hedge fund managers around the country with investors around the world. We hire carefully, treat people well, and are rewarded by exceedingly low turnover in an industry where high turnover is the norm.

The Mission

Our mission, to “take pleasure in work done well, and in working well with others,” is an obligation to our clients, to their investors, to our communities and ultimately to our peers and ourselves. Fund administration, done well, requires carefully selecting smart, dedicated professionals and providing them with the resources, training and workplace culture that will engender their loyalty and bring out their best. To that end, we strive to develop and nurture relationships that are characterized by trust, respect and affection. We look for colleagues – and clients – who will share and reciprocate these values.

The Location

Our location is central to our mission. Stone Coast is in the heart of Portland’s Old Port waterfront, a picture-perfect tourist destination that we’re fortunate to call home. Our offices offer beautiful views of Portland Harbor and the islands of Casco Bay. From our front door, we can walk to award-winning restaurants, cafes, museums and shops. Living in Portland and surrounding areas offers excellent schools, minimal commutes and proximity to beaches, mountains and state parks.

Interested?

We seek high aptitude, intellectually curious candidates that enjoy working as part of a team, satisfying our clients and striving for the highest standards. The quality of our services derives solely from the quality of our people. Therefore, we seek smart, hard-working, ethical and friendly professionals – from recent college graduates to fund administration veterans.

Inclusion & Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

At Stone Coast, we strive to reflect the community of which we are so grateful to be a part, and are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and colleagues without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, veteran status, and any other basis or status designated under applicable laws.

If you don’t see an opening for which you are qualified, but do have relevant industry experience, please feel encouraged to apply to our General Application at the Career Center at www.stone-coast.com . Our growth compels us to continuously search for talent, and we may be contemplating a position that fits your experience.