Legal Counsel Food & Beverage

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Legal Counsel to join our team and provide comprehensive legal support across the business, with a particular focus on food & beverage operations, commercial leasing, franchising, service-level agreements, and commercial contracts.

The successful candidate will act as a trusted legal advisor to the business, supporting commercial teams and management on day-to-day legal matters while identifying and managing legal and contractual risks. The role requires strong commercial awareness, excellent contract drafting and negotiation skills, and the ability to provide practical, business-focused legal advice in a fast-paced F&B environment.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial & General Legal Advisory

• Provide timely, practical and commercially focused legal advice and business teams on a broad range of operational and commercial matters.
• Advise on legal risks arising from day-to-day F&B operations, new business initiatives, partnerships and commercial arrangements.
• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, ensuring the company's interests are appropriately protected.
• Support business teams in interpreting contractual obligations, rights, liabilities and termination provisions.
• Identify potential legal and regulatory risks and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.
• Support the development and implementation of legal policies, procedures, templates and contract standards.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders to ensure legal requirements are incorporated into business decisions and projects.
• Review and negotiation of retail, restaurant and commercial leases, including new locations, renewals, extensions, assignments and amendments.
• Advise on lease terms including rent, service charges, fit-out obligations, commencement dates, break clauses, renewal rights, exclusivity, permitted use, termination and landlord/tenant obligations.
• Review and negotiate lease-related documentation, including heads of terms, lease agreements, amendments, side letters and related agreements.
• Advise operational and development teams on legal considerations relating to new F&B locations and expansion projects.
• Provide legal support on franchise arrangements, including drafting, reviewing and negotiating franchise agreements and related documentation.
• Advise on franchisee rights and obligations, territory, fees, intellectual property, operational standards, brand protection, performance requirements and termination.
• Support the business in managing legal aspects of franchise relationships and addressing contractual breaches and disputes.
• Draft, review and negotiate Service Level Agreements and supplier/service provider agreements.
• Advise on service standards, KPIs, performance obligations, remedies, service credits, liability, indemnities, termination and dispute resolution.
• Review agreements with suppliers, consultants, contractors, technology providers, logistics providers.
• Ensure contractual arrangements appropriately allocate commercial and operational risks.
• Maintain oversight of key commercial contracts, contractual obligations, renewal dates and termination rights.
• Develop and maintain standard contract templates and playbooks.
• Support the business in managing contractual claims, disputes, breaches and negotiations.
• Work with Finance, Procurement, Operations, Development, HR and other functions on cross-functional legal matters.
• Manage external legal counsel where required and ensure legal spend is appropriately controlled.

Qualifications & Experience

• 7+ years of post-qualification legal experience, preferably gained within an F&B, hospitality, retail, consumer, real estate or similarly commercial environment.
• Qualified lawyer with a recognised legal qualification.
• Strong experience in commercial contracts, leasing and franchising.
• Demonstrated experience drafting and negotiating SLAs and complex commercial agreements.
• Experience advising businesses operating across multiple locations or jurisdictions is preferred.
• Strong understanding of commercial and operational legal risks within the F&B or hospitality sector.
• Fluent written and spoken English is essential.
• Arabic language skills are an added advantage.
• Experience working with external counsel and managing multiple stakeholders is preferred.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong commercial and business-oriented mindset.
• Excellent contract drafting and negotiation skills.
• Strong knowledge of leasing and commercial real estate matters.
• Strong understanding of franchising arrangements.
• Ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, practical business advice.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and risk awareness.
• Ability to prioritise and manage multiple matters in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.
• High level of integrity, professionalism and confidentiality.