About this role
About the Role Mizuho Americas is seeking an experienced Legal Counsel to support its equity sales and trading platform, with a focus on equity derivatives and structured equity finance. This role collaborates with front-office, risk, and operations to manage legal and regulatory risk, negotiate complex trading documentation, and support a broad range of equity and equity-linked products in fast-paced markets. What You'll Do
- Provide legal coverage for the equities sales and trading business, including equity derivatives and structured equity finance transactions.
- Draft, review, and negotiate ISDA Master Agreements, Initial and Variation Margin CSAs, master confirmation agreements, and related trade confirmations.
- Advise on regulatory and documentation requirements related to uncleared margin rules and other derivatives regulations.
- Support trading activity across equity swaps, options, and forwards.
- Draft and negotiate securities financing documentation, including MRAs and MSLAs; maintain and enhance standard documentation templates.
- Partner closely with Credit, Market Risk, Collateral Management, Operations, and other internal stakeholders to address legal, operational, and risk matters.
- Provide legal support for additional equity-linked products, including structured notes, corporate equity derivatives (e.g., ASRs and ATM issuer forwards), custom indices, quantitative investment strategies (QIS), and exotic equity options. What We're Looking For
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited U.S. law school.
- Member in good standing of the New York State Bar.
- 5+ years of relevant legal experience within a financial institution or top-tier law firm.
- Strong understanding of Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act and related derivatives regulations.
- In-depth knowledge of derivatives markets, including cleared and uncleared products, margin requirements, and business conduct standards.
- Proven ability to manage multiple complex matters and tight deadlines in a trading-floor environment.
- Proactive, resourceful, and able to operate independently while exercising sound judgment.
- Detail-oriented, collaborative team player with strong interpersonal skills.
- Excellent written, verbal, organizational, and presentation skills.
- Demonstrated professionalism and strong work ethic. Compensation & Benefits
- The expected base salary ranges from $200,000.00 - $275,000.00 per year.
- Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including relevant skills, training, experience, education, and, where applicable, certifications and licenses obtained. Market and organizational factors are also considered.
- In addition to salary and a generous employee benefits package, successful candidates are eligible to receive a discretionary bonus.
- Mizuho offers a competitive total rewards package and a hybrid working program with varying opportunities for remote work depending on role, department needs, and local regulations.