Senior Legal Counsel (Contract)
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Key skills for this role
About the Role
MENA Recruit is seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel for a 6-month contract assignment in Dubai. You will provide strategic legal support on hospitality transactions, including Hotel Management Agreements, hotel development, and mixed-use projects.
Key Skills for This Role
Responsibilities
- Lead the drafting, review, negotiation, and management of Hotel Management Agreements (HMAs) and related hospitality contracts
- Advise on hotel development, acquisition, and operational matters across hospitality projects
- Provide legal support on mixed use developments incorporating hotel, residential, retail, and leisure components
- Draft and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including development, management, operational, and service contracts
- Support project development teams on legal and contractual risk management throughout the project lifecycle
- Provide practical, business focused legal advice to senior stakeholders and management
- Manage external counsel where required and ensure legal compliance across transactions and projects
- Assist with dispute avoidance, contract interpretation, and risk mitigation strategies
Requirements
- 8–12+ years’ post qualification experience (PQE), with qualification as a lawyer from a Commonwealth jurisdiction
- England & Wales qualification is strongly preferred; however, candidates qualified in other Commonwealth jurisdictions, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and comparable jurisdictions, will also be considered
- Significant and demonstrable experience in the hospitality sector
- Extensive experience in drafting and negotiating hotel management agreements (HMAs) and a wide range of hospitality related commercial agreements
- Strong experience advising on hotel development projects and mixed use developments involving hospitality assets
- Experience may have been gained through in house roles within hotel operators, hospitality groups, real estate developers, or property development companies
- Proven experience advising hospitality, hotel, and real estate clients on transactions and development projects
- Fluent English communication skills, both written and spoken
- Strong commercial acumen and stakeholder management capabilities
- Candidate must be based in Dubai
Full Job Posting
The Role
- We are seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel to join a Dubai based organization on a 6 month contract assignment.
- This role requires a highly commercial lawyer with deep expertise in the hospitality sector, particularly in relation to Hotel Management Agreements (HMAs), hotel development projects, and mixed use developments involving hospitality assets.
- The successful candidate will provide strategic legal support across hospitality transactions, development projects, and commercial agreements, working closely with business stakeholders and project teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the drafting, review, negotiation, and management of Hotel Management Agreements (HMAs) and related hospitality contracts.
- Advise on hotel development, acquisition, and operational matters across hospitality projects.
- Provide legal support on mixed use developments incorporating hotel, residential, retail, and leisure components.
- Draft and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including development, management, operational, and service contracts.
- Support project development teams on legal and contractual risk management throughout the project lifecycle.
- Provide practical, business focused legal advice to senior stakeholders and management.
- Manage external counsel where required and ensure legal compliance across transactions and projects.
- Assist with dispute avoidance, contract interpretation, and risk mitigation strategies.
Requirements
- 8–12+ years’ post qualification experience (PQE), with qualification as a lawyer from a Commonwealth jurisdiction.
- England & Wales qualification is strongly preferred; however, candidates qualified in other Commonwealth jurisdictions, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and comparable jurisdictions, will also be considered.
- Significant and demonstrable experience in the hospitality sector.
- Extensive experience in drafting and negotiating hotel management agreements (HMAs) and a wide range of hospitality related commercial agreements.
- Strong experience advising on hotel development projects and mixed use developments involving hospitality assets.
- Experience may have been gained through in house roles within hotel operators, hospitality groups, real estate developers, or property development companies.
- Proven experience advising hospitality, hotel, and real estate clients on transactions and development projects.
- Fluent English communication skills, both written and spoken.
- Strong commercial acumen and stakeholder management capabilities.
- Candidate must be based in Dubai.
About the company
- MENA Recruit came to fruition in response to a growing need for international legal talent in London and Dubai.
- Over the last two decades, with roots firmly planted in the Middle East and operations expanding into the APAC region, MENA Recruit has gained intuitive industry knowledge and expertise.
- The company is dedicated to delivering the highest quality of talent and service to its clients while working tenaciously towards helping them achieve higher retention rates.
- Presently, MENA Recruit provides services to organizations and professionals in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
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