Legal Counsel

Legal Counsel

Job Purpose

To provide comprehensive legal support to a key business vertical within our organization and its entities by creating and maintaining robust legal registers, ensuring full statutory and regulatory compliance, managing key legal and intellectual property documentation, supporting contractual and litigation matters, and actively contributing to ongoing restructuring and strategic initiatives across jurisdictions.

Key Responsibilities

Legal Registers & Governance

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive Legal Register for all entities within the vertical across multiple jurisdictions.
• Establish a sustainable, periodic review cycle to ensure registers are current and fully compliant.
• Conduct a one-time detailed review of existing legal documents to identify discrepancies, inaccuracies, and missing information.
• Maintain a centralised and updated register of all title deeds for land and buildings owned across all entities within the vertical.

Compliance Management

• Design, implement, and monitor statutory and regulatory compliance trackers tailored to each entity and jurisdiction.
• Lead periodic compliance review meetings with country legal and business teams to track action items and ensure timely closure of pending requirements.
• Provide proactive guidance to ensure ongoing compliance with corporate governance and local regulations.

Legal Document Custodianship & Databases

• Develop and maintain a secure, centralised repository for all historical and ongoing legal cases involving the vertical.
• Create and manage a comprehensive Trademark & Intellectual Property database, including registrations, renewals, oppositions, and related documentation.
• Act as custodian of original title deeds and other critical physical legal documents, ensuring secure storage and efficient retrieval processes.

Contract Management & Legal Representation

• Support end-to-end contract lifecycle management by partnering with senior legal management and cross-functional teams (Trade, Operations, Finance, Treasury, Risk, etc.).
• Draft, review, negotiate, and finalise commercial agreements to safeguard organisational interests.
• Work with senior legal management to represent our client's entities in litigation, arbitration, regulatory hearings, and settlements across relevant jurisdictions when required.

Support to Restructuring Initiatives

• Provide legal and compliance support to the CFO’s Office and restructuring project teams on mergers, de-mergers, share transfers, asset transfers, liquidations, and related regulatory filings.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders and external advisors to ensure the smooth execution of restructuring processes.

Ad-hoc Projects & General Support

• Deliver timely legal advisory and transactional support to internal teams on emerging issues, new business initiatives, and cross-border matters.
• Assist with special projects requiring legal input, analysis, or document preparation.

Key Competencies

• Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication abilities.
• High attention to detail and strong process orientation.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, multi-jurisdictional environment.
• Proactive, self-driven, and collaborative approach.
• High mobility and willingness to travel at short notice across operating jurisdictions.

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum LLB from a recognised university; LLM preferred.
• Bar Certification / Practicing License in a UAE or international jurisdiction (added advantage).
• 5–7 years of progressive legal experience, preferably within diversified or multi-jurisdictional corporate groups.
• Demonstrated expertise in building and managing legal registers, compliance trackers, and document governance frameworks.
• Strong experience in drafting and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Exposure to litigation management, arbitration, and coordination with external counsel.
• Familiarity with intellectual property processes, including trademark filings, renewals, and oppositions.
• Experience in corporate restructuring activities such as mergers, de-mergers, and share/asset transfers.
• Understanding of UAE commercial, corporate, free zone, and regulatory frameworks (added advantage).