Associate Counsel – Advanced Planning

Manulife

Associate Counsel advising John Hancock life-insurance clients on advanced estate, wealth-transfer, and business planning. Providing legal guidance, education, content development, and risk-aware sales support.

Posted 9/10/2026full-timeRemote • Massachusetts • 🇺🇸 United StatesJuniorMid-Level💰 $128,550 - $222,820 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in advanced estate planning, wealth transfer strategies, and life insurance products, with a strong ability to analyze complex legal and tax issues. Proven skills in communication, project management, and stakeholder engagement to support business growth and compliance.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Juris DoctorEstate PlanningWealth Transfer StrategiesLife Insurance Industry KnowledgeAdvanced Planning Concepts

ATS Keywords

Tailor your resume

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills

Legal AnalysisTax PlanningBusiness Succession PlanningCharitable PlanningRegulatory ComplianceProject ManagementContent DevelopmentEducational Material DraftingTechnical WritingPresentation Skills

Soft Skills

Exceptional CommunicationNegotiation SkillsInfluencing SkillsNetworking SkillsCustomer Service Skills

Certifications & Qualifications

Admission to U.S. State Bar

Industry Keywords

Advanced MarketsEstate TaxGift TaxGeneration-Skipping Transfer TaxLife Insurance ProductsSales StrategiesCompliance FrameworksMarket TrendsStakeholder CommunicationResearch Projects

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Provide written and verbal consultation on complex life insurance opportunities involving wealth transfer, estate planning, business succession, charitable planning, executive benefits, and related tax matters
Analyze sophisticated client fact patterns and develop technically sound, commercially relevant planning approaches
Partner with sales professionals and distributors to clarify objectives and communicate recommendations
Manage inquiries, research, follow-up, and stakeholder communication independently
Serve as a technical resource on federal estate, gift, generation-skipping transfer, income, and related tax issues
Research emerging planning strategies, legislative and regulatory developments, and industry trends
Assist with complex legal, regulatory, and compliance matters within legal, compliance, and enterprise risk frameworks
Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, Underwriting, Product, Operations, Marketing, and Sales leadership
Draft and review educational, promotional, and technical materials, including case studies, presentations, articles, guides, and field-facing resources
Conduct legal and technical review of materials for accuracy, clarity, and alignment with applicable standards
Develop and deliver education on advanced planning and legislative, regulatory, tax, and industry developments
Present at conferences, study groups, webinars, producer meetings, and internal forums
Contribute ideas for market-facing resources that simplify complex planning concepts
Participate as an Advanced Markets subject matter expert on product, underwriting, marketing, distribution, new market, and business initiatives
Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders
Lead or contribute to research projects, working groups, industry committees, and strategic initiatives
Share field intelligence and technical insights supporting business growth, product positioning, and responsible innovation

Requirements

What you’ll need

Juris Doctor
Admission in good standing to at least one U.S. state bar
Minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience in high-end estate planning, private wealth, life insurance, advanced markets, tax, business planning, or a closely related discipline
Demonstrated technical knowledge of sophisticated estate and wealth transfer planning and business planning
Strong knowledge of the life insurance industry, products, sales strategies, and advanced planning concepts
Ability to analyze complex legal and tax issues and translate them into practical guidance
Marketing or content development experience, with an interest in editorial drafting and educational or promotional materials
Strong writing, editorial, project management, organization, and customer service skills
Exceptional communication and presentation skills
Highly developed negotiation, influencing, and networking skills
Ability to travel to industry and distributor conferences and meetings

Benefits

Comp & perks

Incentive programs and incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance
Health insurance
Dental insurance
Mental health benefits
Vision insurance
Short- and long-term disability insurance
Life and AD&D insurance coverage
Adoption/surrogacy benefits
Wellness benefits
Employee/family assistance plans
Retirement savings plans, including pension and 401(k) savings plans
Global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions
Financial education and counseling resources
Up to 11 paid holidays
3 personal days
150 hours of vacation
40 hours of sick time, or more where required by law
Statutory leaves of absence
Flexible work environment
Learning and career growth support
Well-being and inclusion support