Legal Counsel

Company Description

Location

Reports To

Job Summary

1. DFSA, DIFC & Regulated Activities

• Provide legal and regulatory support to a DFSA-regulated Fund Manager, including Listed and Private Funds, REITs, SPVs, and holding structures.
• Advise on ongoing compliance with: DFSA Rulebooks (CIR, GEN, COB, AML, FUND, IFR) and DIFC Companies Law, Operating Law, and Data Protection Law
• Support regulatory filings, notifications, waivers, variations of permission, and ongoing engagement with the DFSA and DIFC Registrar.
• Advise on Connected Persons, conflicts of interest, related-party transactions, disclosures, and market abuse controls.
• Review and negotiate fund documentation, including:
• i.
• Offering documents
• ii.
• Management agreements
• iii.
• Investment management and advisory arrangements
• iv.
• Service provider agreements (property managers, valuers, administrators)

2. Funds, REITs & Structured Financial Products

• Support the structuring, launch, and ongoing operation of REITs, private and public funds, co-investment
• vehicles, and feeder/master structures.
• Advise on cross-border fund distribution, investor documentation, and jurisdiction-specific constraints.
• Support financings, refinancings, Sukuk/Islamic structures, leverage facilities, and security arrangements.
• Work closely with compliance and finance teams on corporate structuring and regulatory alignment.

3. New Business Ventures & Expansion

• Provide legal support for non-regulated and ancillary businesses, including:
• Software development and SaaS platforms
• AI-enabled products and internal tooling
• IP-heavy manufacturing (advanced materials, engineering, proprietary technologies)
• Support group expansion into new jurisdictions, including:
• i.
• Entity formation
• ii.
• Licensing considerations
• iii.
• Local regulatory overlays
• Draft and negotiate commercial agreements, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and distribution
• arrangements.

4. Intellectual Property & Technology

• Support IP strategy across the group, including:
• i.
• Patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets
• ii.
• Licensing, assignment, and intra-group IP arrangements
• iii.
• Advise on software licensing models, open-source risks, and SaaS terms.
• Support compliance with data protection, cybersecurity, and AI-related regulatory requirements (including DIFC
• Data Protection Law and international standards).

5. Risk, Governance & Stakeholder Management

• Identify and manage legal and regulatory risk across a diverse, multi-entity group.
• Act as a key interface with external legal counsel
• Contribute to strategic decision-making and long-term business planning from a legal perspective.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer (Common Law jurisdiction strongly preferred).
• Minimum 4 years’ post-qualification experience, including:
• i.
• Funds/asset management / REITs
• ii.
• Financial services regulation in the DIFC / DFSA environment
• Strong working knowledge of: DFSA regulatory framework, and DIFC Companies and Operating Laws
• Experience supporting senior management and Boards in regulated environments.
• Ability to manage multiple work-streams across regulated and non-regulated businesses.