General Counsel (Chief Legal Officer)

General Counsel (Chief Legal Officer) — Job Description

Summary

• The General Counsel (GC) / Chief Legal Officer (CLO) leads legal strategy and risk management, provides counsel to the executive team and board, and oversees compliance, corporate governance, transactions, and dispute resolution to protect and enable the business.

Key responsibilities

• Legal strategy & counsel: Advise CEO, board, and executive team on legal, regulatory, and commercial risks tied to strategy and operations.
• Corporate governance: Manage board governance, board materials, minutes, charters, bylaws, corporate records, and SEC/filings obligations (if public).
• Transactions & commercial contracting: Negotiate and draft high-value commercial agreements (customer, vendor, partner, reseller, channel), strategic alliances, joint ventures, and international contracts.
• M&A, investments & capital markets: Lead or coordinate legal due diligence, deal structuring, documentation, negotiation, and post-close integration for acquisitions, divestitures, and financings; support IPOs or other capital markets activities.
• Compliance & regulatory: Design and oversee compliance programs (anti-corruption/anti-bribery, trade controls, export, competition/antitrust, industry-specific regulations), licensing, and regulatory interactions.
• Privacy & data protection: Partner on privacy program implementation, data processing agreements, vendor risk assessments, and regulatory responses (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, sector-specific rules).
• Employment, benefits & HR legal support: Advise on executive employment agreements, severances, equity plans, employee classification, workplace policies, and dispute prevention/management.
• Intellectual property: Protect and manage IP portfolio (patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets), licensing agreements, and enforcement strategy.
• Litigation & dispute management: Manage litigation, arbitration, government investigations, and regulatory enforcement—oversee outside counsel, budgets, and strategy.
• Risk management & insurance: Oversee enterprise risk identification, insurance placement and claims, indemnities, and liability management.
• Policy, code of conduct & ethics: Draft and maintain policies, codes of conduct, whistleblower programs, and training to embed legal and ethical standards.
• Legal operations & outside counsel: Build and manage in-house legal team, select and supervise outside counsel, control legal spend, and optimize matter workflows and technology.
• IP, products & safety compliance: Advise on product compliance, warranties, recalls, safety, and regulatory certifications (as applicable).
• Crisis management & communications: Support cross-functional incident response (data breaches, regulatory notices, major disputes) and coordinate legal messaging with communications and executive teams.
• Board & investor relations support: Prepare and advise on board materials, investor disclosures, director obligations, and sensitive governance matters.
• Ethics & corporate culture: Promote legal risk awareness and ethical decision-making across the organization.

Qualifications

• Experience: 10+ years of progressive legal experience; prior GC/CLO, Deputy GC, or senior in-house counsel experience preferred.
• Industry: Relevant domain experience valuable (tech/SaaS, healthcare, fintech, manufacturing, regulated industries).
• Education & credentials: J.D. (or equivalent) and admission to the bar in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (or relevant country); additional qualifications relevant to jurisdiction/regulation helpful.
• Skills:
• Strong commercial contracting and negotiation skills
• M&A, corporate finance, and securities experience (if applicable)
• Regulatory, compliance, and privacy law expertise
• Litigation and dispute resolution management
• IP protection and licensing knowledge
• Ability to translate legal risk into practical business guidance
• Leadership in building legal teams and managing outside counsel
• Personal attributes: Trusted advisor, pragmatic, decisive, clear communicator, ethical, and business-oriented.

Success metrics (examples)

• Timely legal support to business initiatives and transaction outcomes
• Legal spend as a % of company revenue and outside counsel efficiency
• Contract cycle time reductions and increased contract throughput
• Number and severity of legal/regulatory incidents and time-to-resolution
• Compliance program maturity (audit results, remediation velocity)
• Successful completion of M&A, financings, or IPO milestones
• Employee/legal training completion and policy adoption rates

Reporting & structure

• Reports to: CEO (commonly) or CLO/General Counsel depending on structure; may have dotted reporting to the Board or its Governance/Legal Committee.
• Direct reports: Deputy General Counsel, Head of Corporate, Head of Litigation/Disputes, Head of Privacy & Data Protection, Head of Compliance/Regulatory, IP Counsel, Legal Operations/Paralegal team
• Works closely with: CEO, CFO, CHRO, CTO, CISO, COO, Head of Product, and external regulators/counsel

Compensation & perks (sample)

• Competitive base salary + performance bonus; equity common for senior roles
• Benefits: health, retirement, flexible PTO, professional development, bar dues and CLE support

Onboarding priorities (first 90 days)

• Audit legal landscape: review active litigation, major contracts, compliance gaps, IP portfolio, corporate records, and key regulatory exposures.
• Stabilize urgent risks: address material open issues (claims, investigations, contractual breaches), set priorities with the executive team.
• Deliver a 6–12 month legal roadmap: staffing, contract playbooks, compliance program upgrades (privacy, anti-corruption), outside counsel plan, and metrics for legal operations.

Variants

• GC (Startup): Hands-on generalist covering contracts, IP, founders’ equity, fundraising, and employment matters.
• GC (Scale-up): Builds team, formalizes policies, supports larger transactions, and scales compliance.
• CLO (Enterprise/Public): Focus on governance, regulatory programs, litigation management, and board-facing matters.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: AED610.10 - AED1,673.89 per hour

Work Location: On the road