Legal Counsel

Making a Difference

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The State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB), founded in 1951, is a premier global investment organization responsible for managing the more than $156 billion of assets of the fully funded Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), the State Investment Fund, and other state funds.

Through SWIB’s effective and innovative investment management, WRS remains one of the only fully funded US public pensions.

We are the 9th largest public pension fund in the U.S. and the 25th largest public or private pension fund in the world.

SWIB is recognized by the investment industry for our teamwork and innovation. SWIB pursues sophisticated global investment strategies across the asset and risk allocation spectrum.

Providers across the investment ecosystem seek to partner with SWIB. Serving more than 677,000 beneficiaries of the WRS, SWIB is a mission-driven organization focused on providing a strong financial future to those who committed their careers to public service.

For public employees and the 1,500 Wisconsin employers who contribute on their behalf, we are a trusted partner. Our team innovates continuously to meet the challenges of an evolving investment landscape while growing and protecting the assets of the WRS.

SWIB provides a strong, steady economic pillar for the state of Wisconsin by growing the trust funds under its management, managing risk, and optimizing costs of the long term.

We are a mission-driven organization and the participants we serve are our mission. By bringing a disciplined, prudent, and innovative approach to market opportunities, SWIB has been successful in generating required returns and maintaining the trust of the beneficiaries and stakeholders of the funds we oversee.

Home To Top Talent

Our high-performing staff is key to what makes us a premier investment manager. SWIB is committed to investing in talented professionals to implement our robust, sophisticated investment strategies and to keep the organization at the forefront of the investment industry.

We encourage innovation and offer professional development opportunities to help staff sharpen and expand their skills. Approximately 61 percent of SWIB’s investment professionals are Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholders.

About the Team

The Legal Division at SWIB supports SWIB’s mission to be a trusted and skilled global investment organization contributing to strong financial futures for Wisconsin retirees.

We work to ensure that SWIB maintains the highest ethical standards and operates in compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements and SWIB policies and procedures.

SWIB’s Legal Division works hand-in-hand with our colleagues throughout the organization, including Investment Management, Trading, Operations, IT, Data Management, Finance, Risk, Internal Audit, Compliance, and Human Resources.

SWIB’s new Legal Counsel will join a talented team of experienced asset-management attorneys with a strong culture of mentorship and career-long learning.

The Legal Counsel position will play an integral role in an ever-changing, fast-paced environment and will provide legal services related to agency contracts, state statutes, agency policies, public records requests, and private and public market investments under the supervision of Senior Legal Counsel or Chief Legal Counsel.

This is a unique opportunity for a motivated individual to join a widely respected asset-management firm as an in-house counsel in supporting SWIB’s core mission.

Responsibilities

Depending on the successful candidate’s qualifications, the role will encompass some or all the following duties :

Provide legal support for the investment-management teams, including both public equities (e.g., fixed income, debt, derivatives / swaps, trading operations) and private markets (e.

g., private equity, co-investments, debt, real estate, and venture capital).

• Provide legal support to the Agency.
• Engage and supervise outside counsel on assigned matters.
• Work with other attorneys and SWIB’s records specialist to respond to public records requests.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate :

• J.D. required.
• 3-7 years’ experience post-J.D., either within a law firm practice or in-house counsel at an asset management firm or institutional investor.
• Experience with some or all of the following :
• Negotiate, draft and review agreements (including software agreements) with strategic partners and vendors, consultants, and other third parties.
• Negotiate, draft and review legal documents for private markets investments (including private equity, co-investments, real estate and / or venture capital).
• Negotiate and review ISDAs and MCAs, MRAs (bilateral and GMRAs), MSFTAs, prime broker agreements, securities lending agreements, and / or collateral agreements.
• Additional experience in one or more of the following areas : corporate law, private equities and alternative investments, mergers and acquisitions, securities law, or similar is preferred.
• Experience in litigation / dispute resolution (e.g., arbitration) is desirable.
• Ability to understand and balance the needs of internal clients while protecting the interests of the organization.
• Ability to advocate on behalf of the agency and gain alignment on internal matters.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Familiarity with or willingness to learn investment management concepts, as well as issues unique to government agencies.
• Ability to identify unique and creative solutions to complex problems.

SWIB Offers

• Competitive total cash compensation, based on AON (formerly McLagan) industry benchmarks.
• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Educational and training opportunities.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Challenging work in a professional environment.
• Hybrid work environment.

The position requires U.S. work authorization. Pursuant to our Hybrid Remote Work Policy, all staff have the flexibility to work remotely, but are required to have a weekly presence in our offices, the frequency of which is dependent on their distance from the office.

Staff are not required to reside locally; however, we offer relocation reimbursement to the Dane County area per our policy.

All SWIB employees are subject to SWIB’s Ethics Policy and Personal Trade Approvals Policy. These policies include restrictions on outside business activities and employment and have limits on personal trading.

You may request copies of these policies from SWIB’s talent acquisition team and any questions can be answered by SWIB’s compliance team.

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