About this role:
Wells Fargo is seeking an Equity Derivatives Attorney to join its legal team, providing expert legal support for corporate and institutional equity derivatives, complex financial products, and financing transactions. This role will serve as a legal advisor to front office sales and trading personnel, handling matters with significant impact on operations, strategy, and risk management across Equities.
In this role, you will:
- Serve as a legal advisor to leaders in equities, including equity derivatives and strategic equity solutions
- Advise on structuring, negotiation, and documentation of complex corporate equity derivative transactions, including issuer calls spreads, capped calls, accelerated share repurchase programs, qualified deferred compensation hedging transactions, and term margin loans
- Advise on equity swap master confirmation agreements, exotic derivatives, and bespoke basket transactions with institutional clients such as hedge funds, asset managers, pensions, and insurance companies
- Provide legal advice on the negotiation of OTC derivatives documentation, including options, forwards, swaps, collars, and risk-recycling transactions
- Advise on U.S. legal and regulatory frameworks, including the Exchange Act, Securities Act, Dodd-Frank Act, Investment Advisers Act, ERISA, and Federal Reserve Board Regulations U, T, and X
- Handle matters that have a significant impact on operations, strategies, or profitability
- Participate in highly complex legal projects
- Apply Enterprise and Legal Department policies and procedures, including to the management of outside counsel
- Identify and recommend opportunities
- Work with other leaders and subject matter experts in the Legal Department to provide comprehensive solutions to complex problems, including process improvement and risk control development
- Determine appropriate strategy and actions to meet moderate to high-risk deliverables
- Interpret and develop policies and procedures for functions with moderate complexity within scope of responsibility
- Develop relationships with and provide guidance to more experienced leadership, including executive officers, on issues that may present legal, regulatory, compliance, or reputational risk to the Company
- Collaborate with and influence all levels of professionals, including more experienced managers
- Collaborate with business teams to structure and negotiate transactions providing exposure to proprietary QIS/investible indices and strategies, ETFs and digital assets
- Engage and influence stakeholders, providing innovative, timely, and reliable legal advice
Required Qualifications:
- 5+ years of Law experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education
- Active State Bar membership or the equivalent in a country outside the United States
Desired Qualifications:
- 5+ years of experience as a derivatives attorney, with significant exposure to equity derivatives, prime brokerage, and complex structured products
- Demonstrated expertise in U.S. securities and derivatives regulations
- Experience negotiating with institutional and corporate clients
- Experience with Private bank transactions and complex hedging/monetization products
- Significant knowledge and experience covering sales and trading activities, derivatives, and structured products in a major law firm or in-house legal department
- Experience with U.S. laws, rules, and regulations relevant to equity derivatives, structured products, and private banking, including SEC, FINRA, OCC, and CFTC
- Experience providing legal advice and support in connection with risk and regulatory issues within large, matrixed organizations
- Understanding of complex business activities and operations
- Strong process and project management skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to adapt quickly to a changing environment while building relationships and negotiating for positive business outcomes while effectively managing legal risk
- Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
Job Expectations:
- Position will require onsite presence from any of the required locations listed
- Ability to work a hybrid schedule, in office at least 3 days a week
- This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship
- Relocation assistance is not available for this position
Pay Range
Reflected is the base pay range offered for this position. Pay may vary depending on factors including but not limited to demonstrated examples of prior performance, skills, experience, or work location. Employees may also be eligible for incentive opportunities.
$191,000.00 - $305,000.00Benefits
Wells Fargo provides eligible employees with a comprehensive set of benefits, many of which are listed below. Visit Benefits - Wells Fargo Jobs for an overview of the following benefit plans and programs offered to employees.
- Health benefits
- 401(k) Plan
- Paid time off
- Disability benefits
- Life insurance, critical illness insurance, and accident insurance
- Parental leave
- Critical caregiving leave
- Discounts and savings
- Commuter benefits
- Tuition reimbursement
- Scholarships for dependent children
- Adoption reimbursement
Posting End Date:
27 May 2026*Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.
We Value Equal Opportunity
Wells Fargo is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected characteristic.
Employees support our focus on building strong customer relationships balanced with a strong risk mitigating and compliance-driven culture which firmly establishes those disciplines as critical to the success of our customers and company. They are accountable for execution of all applicable risk programs (Credit, Market, Financial Crimes, Operational, Regulatory Compliance), which includes effectively following and adhering to applicable Wells Fargo policies and procedures, appropriately fulfilling risk and compliance obligations, timely and effective escalation and remediation of issues, and making sound risk decisions. There is emphasis on proactive monitoring, governance, risk identification and escalation, as well as making sound risk decisions commensurate with the business unit’s risk appetite and all risk and compliance program requirements.
Applicants with Disabilities
To request a medical accommodation during the application or interview process, visit Disability Inclusion at Wells Fargo.
Drug and Alcohol Policy
Wells Fargo maintains a drug free workplace. Please see our Drug and Alcohol Policy to learn more.
Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:
a. Third-Party recordings are prohibited unless authorized by Wells Fargo.
b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.

