Senior Legal Counsel

Job purpose

Responsible for entire gamut of legal affairs and corporate legal matters of the company. Provide legal opinions, advise, interpretations, complex risk mitigations and due diligences on contracts, agreements, deeds, and other legal draftings and documents from the projects, commercial, drilling, subsurface and other functions. Recommend settlement of claims in connection with complex major projects. Interface with external counsel in respect of litigation that the company is involved in, and advice on alternative dispute resolution.

Key accountabilities

Job specific accountabilities

• Plan, organize, coordinate and supervise the activities of legal affairs of the company.
• Define and draw up as required major complex contract agreements between other parties and the company. This involves analyzing the contract conditions and making recommendations as to legally acceptable courses of actions to be taken.
• Formulate principles to be followed in contracts policies, ensure that the agreements meet with the laws of U.A.E.
• Provide preventive legal advice to senior management, procurement division and project function on all topics such as curative legal advice, to minimise disputes and litigation, which is costly to the company.
• Be involved in the preparation, review and negotiation of company contractual transactions to limit potential risk exposure, providing legal representation for the company, ensuring that all matters of business comply with company policies and ethical standards.
• Provision of comprehensive legal services to the contract and procurement function.
• Risk assessment of transactions on international deals that require negotiation of issues that involve international law.
• Study and scan contractor's claims likely to have an effect on the company operations. This involves analyzing claims and making legal recommendations and ensuring all relevant points are brought to the attention of the procurement division.
• Participate in negotiation of settlements of disputes arising out of claims or contracts as required, prepare submission in arbitration cases and coordinate with the company advocate when representing the company in court actions both locally and abroad.
• Draft and review different contracts in the oil and gas, construction, drilling sector.
• Supervise and give guidance and counseling to subordinate staff in the legal department.
• Advise on how new regulatory initiatives impact the entire business of the company.
• Advise on corporate governance and give recommendations on the adoption of corporate governance policies.
• Advise management on legal and regulatory changes that impact the business of the company.
• Comply with all UAE, ADNOC, ADNOC Drilling and client Asset Integrity Management codes of practice.

Qualifications, experience, knowledge & skills

Minimum qualification
Bachelor degree in law from a recognized university.

Minimum experience & knowledge & skills
8 years of experience in petroleum or major industrial concern with broad legal background, preferably in the UAE, out of which 5 years of experience as legal advisor to senior management.
Proficiency in Arabic and English.
Must be computer literate.