Description

• Special & High-Profile Projects
• Build-out New Frameworks & Policies
• Life Insurance, HNW, Wealth Management

Our client is a leading international insurance group is seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel / Associate General Counsel to provide high-quality legal support to their Hong Kong life insurance business. This is a senior individual contributor role suited for a lawyer who is hands‑on, commercially pragmatic and comfortable working on a broad mix of advisory work and strategic projects.

The key responsibilities for this position are as follows:

• Provide practical and solutions-oriented legal advice to business units including product, distribution, operations, marketing, digital and customer experience.
• Actively participate in high-profile, cross-functional projects, such new product launches, digital platforms, partnership models and strategic business initiatives.
• Lead or support special projects requiring complex legal analysis, coordination across multiple stakeholders and interaction with regulators.
• Assist in setting up new legal entities, including advising on structure, licensing, governance and regulatory requirements.
• Contribute to building legal frameworks, including drafting internal guidelines, playbooks and templates from scratch to support business growth and operational efficiency.
• Identify and assess potential legal risks, providing practical recommendations aligned with commercial objectives.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial contracts (e.g. distribution, outsourcing, technology, vendor).
• Support product / marketing approvals and customer communications to ensure compliance with Hong Kong insurance regulations.
• Strengthen internal controls through the development of policies, processes and legal documentation standards.
• Support regulatory submissions, enquiries and communications where needed.
• Partner closely with senior management, compliance, risk, actuarial, distribution, and operations teams.
• Work effectively with external legal advisors and industry stakeholders.

Successful applicants will have the following skills and experience:

• Qualified lawyer in Hong Kong or another common law jurisdiction (Hong Kong qualification preferred).
• 9-12+ years of post-qualification experience in the life insurance or from a reputable law firm with relevant insurance sector exposure.
• Strong understanding of life insurance products, distribution channels, regulatory framework, AML / FCC regulations applicable to Hong Kong
• Experience with special projects, building legal frameworks, drafting internal guidelines, setting up new entities, license applications, regulatory implementation projects is highly advantageous.
• Strong commercial judgment, problem-solving ability and skill in delivering business-friendly legal advice.
• Excellent communication skills with fluency in English and Cantonese