Legal Counsel - Wholesale Banking (UAE National ONLY)

Legal counsel will provide legal support on various banking and finance transactions, including bilateral and syndicated loans, structured finance, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional matters, and specialist banking products. Operating with significant autonomy, the role involves drafting, reviewing, and negotiating financing documentation, including LMA-based agreements and security packages, and advising on regulatory and legal risk issues across the bank’s Corporate & Investment Banking and International Banking Group. This role requires expertise in UAE and international banking laws, financial services regulation, and experience working with varied financing structures and regulatory frameworks. The lawyer is expected to contribute to legal policy development, and support bank-wide strategic initiatives, including innovation, digital transformation, and emerging technologies. A key responsibility includes promoting best practices in legal advice and documentation standards and ability to deliver under pressure in a dynamic, multicultural environment are essential.

• Draft and review various financing documentation, including LMA-based agreements and security packages, in line with UAE and international banking laws and best practice, under supervision of senior legal counsel.
• Assist and support senior lawyers in various banking and finance transactions, advice and research. 
• Assist in negotiations with counterparties, obligors, and third parties. 
• Provide sound legal advice on a wide range of wholesale banking financial products and services, transactions, and matters, under supervision of senior legal counsel.
• Contribute to Bank-wide initiatives and wholesale banking legal projects, including digital transformation, innovation, banking and financial products and services, initiatives with active engagement across the Bank’s international offices.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of legal policies, procedures, and templates.
• Collaborate with colleagues, business teams, and stakeholders, to contribute to innovative, commercially sound, and legally robust solutions.
• Undertake legal research on banking and finance laws and financial services regulations, cases, and topics. 
• Identify legal risks, ensure compliance with applicable banking and financial regulations, and support implementation of risk mitigation strategies.
• Proactively update legal knowledge and technical skills through training, seminars, and other resources
• Ensure legal advice complies with internal Bank policies, applicable laws and regulatory requirements.
• Review documents to establish customer’s capacity and due authority (i.e. POA, articles and by-laws, board and shareholders resolutions, commercial license, certificate of incumbency and related documents).
• Provide legal input on new products, services, operational strategies, and governance.
• Collaborate effectively with colleagues in a team-oriented environment.
• Manage own matters and deliverables, maintaining accurate records of advice and documentation through practice management tools.
   
• Emirati national with a Law Degree
• Minimum 3 years’ post-qualification experience in banking and finance law, preferably with a top-tier law firm.
• Knowledge / Experience in: Banking & Finance, Corporate Finance, Corporate and Commercial, Financial Services & Financial Services Regulation, Cross border financial transactions, and LMA documentation
• A strong academic record and a law degree from a reputable university. 
• Admission to practice law in a recognized jurisdiction. 
• Languages: Fluent in English and Arabic.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in drafting legal documents and interacting with clients, stakeholders, and colleagues. 
• Proficient in a range of computer applications.