My client a leading real estate developer in Abu Dhabi requires a Legal Manager for their Projects and Construction Department to play a pivotal role in the construction legal team, providing expert, high-level legal support to the Legal Director (Projects & Construction) and General Counsel.
The role is responsible for driving the day-to-day legal coverage across a broad portfolio of major procurement projects, construction, real estate developments, and strategic joint ventures. This includes taking a leading operational role in drafting and negotiating complex, non-standard agreements as well as company standard contract templates, managing active disputes and litigation, ensuring regulatory compliance, and acting as a trusted legal advisor to key internal project stakeholders.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assisting the Legal Director, General Counsel and other members of the legal team with company day-to-day legal affairs, with particular emphasis on procurement and projects and construction matters.
- Analyze and help prepare and negotiate contracts (including with consultants, contractors, suppliers and commercial partners), leases, licenses, corporate organizational documents, opinions and other documents as and when needed.
- Managing alternative dispute resolution, prosecuting and defending litigation, and settling outstanding matters under the oversight of the Legal Director.
- Managing external counsel in preparing briefs, complaints, answers and replies as well as ensuring cost-effective delivery and high-quality work product on specialized contentious and non-contentious matters under the supervision of the Legal Director.
- Serving as a key legal business partner to project managers, procurement leads, and business units by providing proactive, commercial legal counsel on project delivery, contract administration, and procurement strategies.
- Representing the construction legal team in project steering committees, risk panels, or cross-functional working groups as delegated by the Legal Director or General Counsel. Identify potential risks and propose solutions to mitigate legal risks.
- Drafting and updating standardized legal templates, guidance notes, and playbooks, and delivering targeted training to internal project and procurement teams.
- Supervising and training more junior members of the legal department.
- Any other task or duty associated with legal work or as directed by the Legal Director and/or General Counsel
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
- Bar membership
- Bachelor of laws
- 4+ years of legal experience in a law firm or company that operates in the field of development.
- Previous private practice experience in an international law firm or a reputable comparable company is essential.
- Excellent verbal, written and presentation and communication skills in English.
