Job description

We are recruiting a Knowledge Lawyer for our Dubai office to support three departments: Debt Finance, Restructuring and Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure (ENRI).

This role will support three departments: Debt Finance, Restructuring and Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure (ENRI). Our Debt Finance and Restructuring teams advise on market-leading, cross-border financings and restructurings across the product spectrum. Our ENRI practice is a recognized global leader advising sponsors, lenders, borrowers, governments and project companies on the full lifecycle of infrastructure and energy transactions, including energy transition.

To identify the need for, create and maintain, core reference materials on complex legal matters to support Partners and Associates in all aspects of their transactional work and client relationships, ensuring accurate, relevant and up to date information and tools are available within the departments.
The role will also lead on the development of local standard form precedents, the centralization of know-how, and the monitoring and communication of market and legislative developments in the UAE and wider region.

• Prepare updates, answer enquiries, and create sophisticated guidance using legal skills developed through experience in the finance area.
• Develop, maintain and continuously improve high-quality local standard form precedents (SFPs), including but not limited to legal opinions, security documents and ancillary finance documentation, to provide partners and associates with cost effective, timely and market-standard documents that help progress client business.
• Monitor market practice and legislative and regulatory developments relevant to the UAE and broader Middle East finance markets, assess impact, communicate key points to the teams, and ensure timely updates to SFPs, guidance and practice notes.
• Play a lead role in centralising and curating know-how and precedents. Work collaboratively with associates and the advance delivery team to maintain an up-to-date, searchable precedent and know-how bank, including evaluating material for inclusion in the firms systems.
• Collaborating with Knowledge Lawyers in the London office and staying abreast of legal tech and similar initiatives in the knowledge space and where appropriate leading on the rollout of those initiatives in the Middle East.
• Provide ad hoc support and act as a central point of contact for associates and partners on general queries relating to know-how, trends, market positions and points of principle, responding accurately and usefully and in a timely manner on complex legal matters within own area of expertise.
• Prepare effective guidance material such as practice notes, drafting guides and whats market analyses to enable colleagues to access material that are fully up to date with precedent and market practice.
• Research legal or client/market-related material as requested to provide senior colleagues with clear and authoritative analyses, and gather, synthesise and produce up-to-date, readable material for inclusion in the firms opinion pieces and internal briefings.
• Design and, where required, assist with delivery of internal team training sessions on core SFPs, key legal developments and market practice; identify opportunities to repurpose internal training content for client training and know-how sessions.
• Support the conversion of internal updates into client-facing publications, including client alerts and thought leadership, ensuring clarity, practical insight and alignment with firm style.
• Support partners and associates in client relationship development by preparing and/or identifying useful written and electronic materials that demonstrate our market insight and capability.
• Assist and, when necessary, participate in important practice group projects designed to ensure A&O Shearmans knowledge base and documentation are maintained in line with new legislation, significant case law and regulatory changes.

• Qualified lawyer with a minimum of 6 years PQE
• Strong technical competence in finance law expected at level of qualification, with experience in complex security documents, opinions and related finance documentation.
• Demonstrable experience of monitoring market and legislative developments and translating them into practical updates to precedents, guidance and training.
• Self-starter with the desire and ability to continuously acquire, build upon and share knowledge; strong commercial acumen and pragmatic problem-solving mindset.
• Strong commercial/business acumen with the ability to deliver creative and pragmatic solutions and advice
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; able to build strong internal and external relationships
• High quality drafting skills with meticulous attention to detail and an ability to produce clear, concise guidance and publication to tight timelines.
• Language: Excellent written and spoken English is essential. Bilingual English/Arabic capability is desirable but not a prerequisite.