Strategic Counsel Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The U.S. Bank Law Division is seeking an experienced attorney to join its Operations, Technology and Regulatory Team supporting strategic enterprise innovation initiatives, and core bank regulatory matters. This position sits at the intersection of banking regulation, emerging technology, digital assets, payments, and corporate strategy.

The attorney will provide legal advice and strategic counsel regarding prudential banking regulation, corporate activities, investments, affiliate transactions, and new products and services, which may include innovative products or money movement solutions such as stablecoins and digital assets. This role will partner closely with business leaders, risk management, compliance, government relations, and Law Division subject matter experts to help the Bank navigate a rapidly evolving legal and regulatory environment.

The ideal candidate is a collaborative, intellectually curious, and business-minded attorney who enjoys solving novel legal issues, advising on strategic initiatives, engaging with regulators and industry groups, and translating complex legal requirements into practical, actionable guidance.

This is a unique opportunity to help shape the Bank's approach to financial innovation while also supporting critical enterprise regulatory initiatives, regulatory advocacy efforts, and strategic corporate projects. The role provides exposure to cutting-edge legal issues involving bank regulation, fintech innovation, and enterprise risk management in a highly collaborative environment.

Primary Responsibilities:

Bank Regulatory and Enterprise Advisory

• Provide legal counsel regarding core federal banking laws and regulations, including prudential, safety and soundness, corporate governance, affiliate transaction, investment, and permissible activity requirements applicable to U.S. Bank's operations and strategic initiatives.

• Assist with regulatory approvals, applications, notices, and filings involving new activities, products and services, mergers and acquisitions, investments, corporate organizational changes, and other strategic transactions.

• Draft legal memoranda, regulatory analyses, enterprise policies, procedures, and governance documents.

• Provide legal interpretation and guidance to Law Division attorneys, business lines, Corporate Risk, Compliance, Audit, Government Relations, and other enterprise stakeholders regarding applicable banking laws and regulations.

• Support enterprise regulatory change management efforts and evaluate the impact of evolving regulatory requirements on business operations and strategic initiatives.

Regulatory Engagement and Industry Leadership

• Monitor legislative, regulatory, and supervisory developments and assess their impact on the Bank's products, operations, risk profile, and strategic objectives, including as necessary, interpreting and advising on Genius Act and implementing regulations as well as other emerging laws, regulations and supervisory guidance.

• Draft or contribute to comment letters, advocacy materials, and regulatory engagement efforts.

• Interact with federal and state banking regulators and support examination, supervisory, and regulatory approval processes.

• Participate in trade associations, industry working groups, and other external forums focused on banking, payments, digital assets, and financial innovation.

• Educate internal stakeholders regarding emerging legal risks, opportunities, and industry best practices.

Preferred Skills/Experience:

• J.D. from an accredited law school.

• Active bar membership in good standing.

• 10+ years of legal experience in a law firm, financial institution, fintech, regulatory agency, or combination thereof.

• Significant experience advising on banking, financial services, payments, fintech, technology, corporate regulatory, or related matters.

• Strong legal drafting, analytical, and issue-spotting capabilities.

• Experience advising on bank regulatory matters, including federal banking and bank holding company statutes, regulations, and supervisory guidance.

• Experience with digital assets, blockchain technology, tokenization, stablecoins, payments, money movement, custody, trust activities, or emerging financial technologies.

• Familiarity with securities, commodities, and investment management regulatory frameworks, including the Securities Act of 1933, Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Investment Company Act of 1940, and Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

• Experience working directly with federal banking regulators and participating in regulatory applications, approvals, examinations, or enforcement-related matters.

• Experience drafting comment letters, regulatory analyses, or policy advocacy materials.

Skills & Attributes:

Collaborative: Builds trusted relationships across business lines, technology, risk, compliance, government relations, and legal teams to achieve effective outcomes.

Curious: Demonstrates strong interest in emerging technologies, evolving business models, and changing regulatory frameworks.

Strategic: Balances legal, regulatory, operational, and business considerations to deliver practical and commercially informed advice.

Creative: Brings solutions-oriented thinking to complex and novel legal challenges.

Engaged: Takes initiative, drives projects forward, and contributes actively to Law Division and enterprise priorities.

Effective Communicator: Translates complex legal and regulatory concepts into clear, concise, and actionable guidance for senior leaders and business partners.

Strong Judgment: Exercises sound legal and business judgment in a dynamic and rapidly evolving environment.

We are proud that U.S. Bank has been recognized as a World's Most Ethical Company by the Ethisphere Institute and has been named the #1 Most Admired Superregional Bank by Fortune magazine.

The Law Division has received several awards for its pro bono contributions, including the Minnesota Corporate Pro Bono Council's "Excellence in Pro Bono Award," and we encourage our legal professionals to contribute time and expertise to pro bono work as part of their role. In addition, the Law Division has been recognized for its leadership and engagement in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

Successful candidates for a position in the U.S. Bank Law Division support U.S. Bank's core values, which guide what we do every day:

• We do the right thing

• We power potential

• We stay a step ahead

• We draw strength from diversity

• We put people first

In the U.S. Bank Law Division, we honor those values through our mission: "we guide our clients to remarkable results with expert legal counsel and ethical leadership." Our commitment is evident in the work we do, not only for the Bank, but for our communities. The Law Division has received several awards for its pro bono contributions, including the Minnesota Corporate Pro Bono Council's "Excellence in Pro Bono Award," and we encourage our legal professionals to contribute time and expertise to pro bono work as part of their role. In addition, the Law Division has been recognized for its leadership and engagement in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.