Senior Legal Counsel

Aquis Search is retained on a confidential mandate for a global proprietary trading firm hiring a Senior Lawyer to anchor its legal coverage across crypto and high-frequency trading activity.

Our client is a privately owned, technology-driven trading business operating across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. They run a lean, flat structure that sits between a startup and a mature firm: minimal bureaucracy, smart people, and significant individual ownership.

This is a senior, hands-on role for a lawyer who can operate independently, partner directly with management, and grow into broader influence as crypto operations scale.

Role is Five days in office initially, with openness to a hybrid arrangement once the lawyer is fully embedded.

What you will do

• Provide senior legal support across high-frequency and automated trading, including exchange trading (traditional and digital asset exchanges), market access, colocation, cloud infrastructure, and algorithmic trading
• Advise on regulatory frameworks relevant to HFT, proprietary trading, market conduct, and trading infrastructure across multiple jurisdictions
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex commercial and trading-related agreements, including exchange access and connectivity agreements, technology, data and infrastructure contracts, and counterparty, broker, and vendor arrangements
• Identify legal, regulatory, and contractual risks early and propose practical, business-oriented mitigation
• Work closely with the Cyprus tax and legal team and the Dubai-based crypto compliance function
• Partner with trading, technology, market making, business relations, and operations teams across geographies

What we are looking for

• 10+ years of relevant legal experience, ideally across proprietary or high-frequency trading, financial markets infrastructure, fintech, or digital assets. Consulting backgrounds with strong corporate, commercial, or banking law focus will also be considered
• Strong crypto-related legal experience is a significant advantage; HFT experience is the other primary filter
• Deep understanding of financial markets, trading mechanics, and technology-driven businesses
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and English-language communication skills
• A proactive, solution-oriented mindset, comfortable owning issues from identification through resolution rather than waiting for direction
• Commercial pragmatism balanced with legal rigour
• Senior enough to operate without supervision today, with the potential to mentor and grow into broader leadership as the function scales

If this sounds like you, please click apply or drop a note on aditisidana@aquissearch.com for a confidential chat.