Senior Lawyer

Role Purpose

The Senior Lawyer is responsible for providing a broad range of in-house legal services across countries in the MENA region. The Candidate will be responsible for providing legal support on a variety of disciplines as they relate to the business. This includes corporate, commercial, construction, banking, employment, IP, project finance, technology, litigation and governance amongst others.  The successful candidate will be responsible for providing legal advice, negotiating and drafting contracts in English and Arabic, managing risk and liaising with stakeholders throughout the business and it’s subsidiaries in various sectors.  The Senior Lawyer should be able to work autonomously on legal matters, take a commercial approach to problem solving and support internal and external stakeholders on legal, regulatory, compliance and transactions, taking the lead where required but still provide legal support as part of the wider BEEAH Legal team.

Accountabilities

•  Analyze, draft, and summarize complex documentation in short timeframes where the attention to detail and correct advice is critical.
• Advise on complex legal issues to manage and mitigate risk while protecting the Group’s interests across the region whilst maintaining empathy, professional independence and objectivity.
• Advise on commercial contractual arrangements such as JDAS, MOUs, NDAs, EL’s and Term Sheets,
• Draft, review or comment on specific contracts and agreements including bid documentation, project, corporate and finance documentation and supporting other departments within the group on matters such as IT, insurance, HR and audit.
• Be able to negotiate independently and close out documentation with counterparties.
• Assist bid teams to bring projects to a successful financial close.
• Prioritize a substantial caseload of matters and work openly and collaboratively with a small but in-house team, supported by external counsel where appropriate.
• Utilize superior time management skills to efficiently manage workload priorities.
• Uses initiative to promote international best practices and strategic deployment of legal service delivery across the BEEAH Group.
• Consult and manage external lawyers on selected legal matters across a broad spectrum of legal issues using a disciplined approach to minimizing external spend.
• Acts as gatekeeper to help ensure corporate compliance with all applicable policies, rules, laws and regulations.
• Uses personal integrity and ethics to ensure all customer contracts are in compliance with applicable laws, regulations and company policies.
• Build close and trusted rapport with senior management to act as a trusted business advisor.
• Perform other incidental and ancillary tasks and duties as may be requested by the Group General Counsel or other members of Senior Management.

Experience & Qualification

• Bachelor’s Degree in law (Specialization in Corporate / Commercial Law preferred) from a recognized jurisdiction.
• As a guide, 5 - 8 years of PQE experience in-house or a combination of both international law firm and multinational Group.

Knowledge & Skills

• General knowledge of the laws of  United Arab Emirates  
• Corporate and commercial law
• Knowledge of project finance structures would be an advantage.
• The candidate ideally will have international experience (eg. common law jurisdictions such as UK) or alternatively have worked in Europe or the US but this will not be a prerequisite.
• Direct exposure to the Middle Eastern markets is required.
• The candidate should come from either in-house or a top tier local or international law firm.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with proficiency in oral and written Arabic is essential.

Technical Competencies

• Problem solving: ability to think analytically, clearly and present solutions to legal issues to all levels within the organization.

• Well-organized, structured and proactive way of working, including adherence to deadline
• Sound judgment
• Business orientation: ability to balance legal considerations with commercial considerations
• Ability to work independently but also as part of teams
• Ability to perform under pressure in an often fast-paced situation
• Ability to work in an environment with multiple stakeholders and within a framework governed by corporate policies and business practices
• Fluent in spoken English and Arabic
• Excellent drafting skills in English and Arabic
• Excellent negotiation skills
• Attention to Detail: a high standard of quality must be present in all legal documentation
• Ethical Standards: must demonstrate high ethical and professional standards