About Us
Live Oak Bank is a digital bank that serves small business owners across the country. Our groundbreaking spin on service and technology has fueled our mission to be America’s Small Business Bank. Our products help customers buy, build, and expand their business, and our high-yield savings and CD products help them grow their hard-earned money. At Live Oak, we never lose sight of the well-being of our people. We believe our employees are the heart of our company. Our commitment to our customers and culture is intertwined, and we seek those who embody and embrace what it takes to empower the American dream.
How This Role Impacts Live Oak and Its People
The Senior Counsel, Lending and Operations provides hands‑on legal advice and operational guidance focused on transaction execution within the Bank’s lending and operations functions. This role partners closely with lending, closing, and operations teams to support efficient, consistent, and compliant loan execution. The Senior Counsel serves as a trusted legal resource for complex, transaction level matters and contributes to reducing legal friction while supporting timely and high-quality outcomes for the Bank and its clients.
What You'll Do at Live Oak
Serve as lead counsel for in-house SBA 7(a) loan closings and other assigned lending transactions.
Provide legal support to the Bank and advise business and operational leaders on legal matters related to lending and day-to-day operational activities.
Define issues, perform legal research, analyze transaction level legal questions, evaluate alternatives, and provide practical legal guidance that supports timely execution and risk management.
Serve as an operationally embedded legal partner by working closely with lending, closing, and operations teams on loan execution, documentation, exceptions, and modifications.
Assist loan closing and loan modification teams with questions related to closings, loan documentation, loan exceptions, compliance, and loan modifications.
Prepare, review, and negotiate legal documents to document and close lending transactions, including promissory notes, guarantees, mortgages or deeds of trust, assignments, security agreements, real estate closing statements, and modification agreements.
Review, analyze, prepare, and negotiate due diligence items as applicable, including title commitments and exceptions, surveys, searches, purchase agreements, noncompetition agreements, leases, organizational documents, and inter‑creditor agreements.
Oversee the filing of applicable security documents to perfect liens in real and personal property collateral.
Coordinate with the Closing team to clear post-closing exceptions.
Work closely with lending teams to support the development and execution of loan products by providing practical legal input tied to transaction structure and documentation.
Interact regularly with cross functional partners, including Closing, Operations, and Finance, to address operational issues, process questions, and documentation requirements.
Provide subject‑matter expertise and guidance to legal colleagues and cross functional partners and contribute to knowledge sharing and professional development within the Legal team.
Escalate complex, high risk, or non‑standard legal issues to the Managing Counsel, Lending and Operations as appropriate to ensure sound outcomes for the Bank and its clients.
Maintain a high standard of regulatory awareness including BSA, AML, CIP, and OFAC.
Required Experience
A juris doctorate degree (or equivalent) and license to practice in at least one state.
A minimum of five years professional legal experience.
Experience with commercial real estate closings or other commercial loan transactions.
Preferred Experience
Experience with SBA loan closing and documentation.
Experience drafting and reviewing organizational and corporate documentation.
Experience supporting lending operations in a regulated financial institution.
Our Values
Dedication: Possess a deep commitment to Live Oak Bank’s mission and core values, exemplified through a strong work ethic, adaptability and pride in your work.
Ownership: Take initiative to deliver positive results by proactively and creatively solving problems, while maintaining a high degree of quality.
Respect: Treat everyone with courtesy, politeness, and kindness.
Innovation: Embrace fresh ideas and fearlessly contribute new solutions to emerging or existing problems.
Teamwork: Foster collaboration, accountability, and trust with others and understand that together, we do more
For a detailed overview of our employee benefits please visit: http://www.liveoakbank.com/careers/
Live Oak Bank is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer, Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled. We consider applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, veteran status or disability. Equal access to programs, service and employment is available to all persons. Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify human resources at [email protected].
EEO is the Law
The base pay range for this position is $113,080.00 - $154,200.00 per year. Compensation may also include annual bonuses and long-term incentives, subject to various metrics and company policy. A candidate’s salary is determined by several factors including travel, relevant work experience or skills and expertise.Please note that we provide at least the minimum requirement of paid sick leave to our employees who reside in states that require employer-paid sick leave, including but not limited to Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
Skills Required
- Juris Doctorate degree and license to practice in at least one state
- Minimum of five years professional legal experience
- Experience with commercial real estate closings or other commercial loan transactions
Live Oak Bank Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Live Oak Bank and has not been reviewed or approved by Live Oak Bank.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is strong, with fully paid medical for employees and dependents plus on‑site clinic access, physical therapy, and wellness resources at headquarters. Dental, vision, life, and disability coverage are included.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid time off is generous, with roughly four weeks plus bank holidays and floating days, alongside multiple paid parental options and paid short‑ and long‑term disability.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings include a 401(k) match and an employee stock purchase plan, complemented by bonus and stock programs in some roles.
Live Oak Bank Insights
What We Do
Live Oak Bank has had the privilege of helping thousands of passionate, driven people turn their dreams into reality. These everyday heroes aren’t in it for the fortune or the fame. They’re in it to make a difference, just like we are. As one of the last banks to get a charter before the start of the Great Recession, Live Oak emerged out of the rubble of 2008 as the first bank to keep the customer at the center of the business model. We put a groundbreaking spin on what banking could be, focused on service and technology to redefine banking. Live Oak is a digital, cloud-based bank serving small business owners in all 50 states. We are the #1 SBA 7(a) lender by dollar volume* in the country and our mission is to be America’s small business bank. We aim to fulfill that mission through banking products that help business owners buy, build and expand, along with FDIC-insured checking, high-yield savings and CD accounts to grow their hard-earned money. Our family of companies under the holding and parent company Live Oak Bancshares (NYSE: LOB), and our subsidiaries, partner with businesses who share a groundbreaking focus on service and technology to redefine banking. Our mantra is to treat every customer like the only customer and our mission is to be America’s small business bank.
