Senior Legal Counsel

Company Description

Real estate investment fund.

Location

DIFC.

Reports To

Chief Operating Officer / Head of Legal; Dotted reporting to the Board and relevant Committees.

Job Summary

The Senior Legal Counsel will provide strategic, commercial, and regulatory legal support to a DFSA- regulated Fund Manager and REIT platform, while also supporting the establishment, structuring, and scaling of new business ventures across software, intellectual property, advanced manufacturing, and cross-border financial products.

The role requires a hybrid regulatory-commercial mindset, combining deep expertise in DFSA/DIFC financial services regulation with the ability to support technology-driven, IP-intensive, and multi-jurisdictional businesses. The successful candidate will operate as a trusted advisor to senior management and the Board, supporting both regulated activities and non-regulated growth initiatives within a complex group structure.

Responsibilities

1. DFSA, DIFC & Regulated Activities

Provide legal and regulatory support to a DFSA-regulated Fund Manager, including Listed and Private Funds, REITs, SPVs, and holding structures.

Advise on ongoing compliance with: DFSA Rulebooks (CIR, GEN, COB, AML, FUND, IFR) and DIFC Companies Law, Operating Law, and Data Protection Law

Support regulatory filings, notifications, waivers, variations of permission, and ongoing engagement with the DFSA and DIFC Registrar.

Advise on Connected Persons, conflicts of interest, related-party transactions, disclosures, and market abuse controls.

Review and negotiate fund documentation, including:

i. Offering documents

ii. Management agreements

iii. Investment management and advisory arrangements

iv. Service provider agreements (property managers, valuers, administrators)

2. Funds, REITs & Structured Financial Products

Support the structuring, launch, and ongoing operation of REITs, private and public funds, co-investment

vehicles, and feeder/master structures.

Advise on cross-border fund distribution, investor documentation, and jurisdiction-specific constraints.

Support financings, refinancings, Sukuk/Islamic structures, leverage facilities, and security arrangements.

Work closely with compliance and finance teams on corporate structuring and regulatory alignment.

3. New Business Ventures & Expansion

Provide legal support for non-regulated and ancillary businesses, including:

Software development and SaaS platforms

AI-enabled products and internal tooling

IP-heavy manufacturing (advanced materials, engineering, proprietary technologies)

Support group expansion into new jurisdictions, including:

i. Entity formation

ii. Licensing considerations

iii. Local regulatory overlays

Draft and negotiate commercial agreements, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and distribution

arrangements.

4. Intellectual Property & Technology

Support IP strategy across the group, including:

i. Patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets

ii. Licensing, assignment, and intra-group IP arrangements

iii. Advise on software licensing models, open-source risks, and SaaS terms.

Support compliance with data protection, cybersecurity, and AI-related regulatory requirements (including DIFC

Data Protection Law and international standards).

5. Risk, Governance & Stakeholder Management

Identify and manage legal and regulatory risk across a diverse, multi-entity group.

Act as a key interface with external legal counsel

Contribute to strategic decision-making and long-term business planning from a legal perspective.

Qualifications

Qualified lawyer (Common Law jurisdiction strongly preferred).

Minimum 5-8 years post-qualification experience, including:

i. Funds/asset management / REITs

ii. Financial services regulation in the DIFC / DFSA environment

Strong working knowledge of: DFSA regulatory framework, and DIFC Companies and Operating Laws

Experience supporting senior management and Boards in regulated environments.

Ability to manage multiple work-streams across regulated and non-regulated businesses.