Legal Counsel Full Time

We are looking to recruit an experienced Arabic speaking Legal Counsel to join our Legal & Compliance team based in Dubai, UAE. In this role, you will act as a strategic business partner, providing high-level legal expertise and guidance to support the company’s objectives and drive its growth. This role is critical in navigating complex legal landscapes, mitigating risks, and ensuring regulatory compliance, all while fostering innovation and enabling sound decision-making. As a key member of the Legal & Compliance team, the Senior Legal Counsel will align legal strategies with business goals, enhance corporate governance, and safeguards the company’s interests, contributing to sustainable success and competitive advantage.




Key Responsibilities

Legal strategy

• Support the Legal & Compliance team and the Regional Head of Legal & Compliance in developing, communicating and executing legal, compliance, regulatory and risk management strategies for the Middle East region.

Business partnering

• Maintain a focus across all business lines and service lines in the Middle East market to ensure comprehensive view of legal & compliance opportunities, best practices and risk.

Disputes resolution, investigations & litigations

• Responsible for managing the various disputes and coordinating litigation of Fugro affiliates in the Middle East.
• If needed, attend court cases as a representative of Fugro company(ies) and/or as a witness.
• Follow-up and monitor of court cases with the local lawyers and update the internal stakeholders accordingly.
• Review pleadings/memorandums.
• Collaborate with the Regional Head of Legal & Compliance, Country Manager, Finance Manager and Legal team members of the Middle East region to follow-up litigation cases and to efficiently resolve lawsuits.
• Define strategy for specific disputes and investigations.
• Managing disputes and investigation.

Contract Law

• Draft (from templates and/or from scratch), review, amend, revise, negotiate and terminate any and all commercial contracts, agreements and legal documents of any nature.
• Provide business-oriented legal advice on agreements/contracts directly to the relevant business line/service line or functions.
• Collaborate with and facilitating cross-team decision-making with the Procurement Team, the relevant business line or function and/or any other relevant internal stakeholder.
• Drive contract lifecycle from drafting to signature through completion of the full negotiation process till signature.
• Maintain a deep understanding of local laws and regulations and group legal requirements, legal risk and liability.
• Interpret contracts and advising business lines/service lines/functions on contractual responsibilities and risks mitigation.
• Drive contract and other Legal processes standardisation and automation.

Corporate law & commercial law

• Support Fugro affiliates on all corporate and commercial matters by providing business legal advice.

Compliance

• Continuously monitor compliance with cumulatively Fugro’s purpose, Fugro’s Code of Conduct, Fugro’s processes and policies and local laws and regulations and advise management accordingly.
• Roll out Compliance Program and trainings in the Middle East region develops and delivers compliance trainings upon specific needs of the organisation.

Legal risk management

• Protect Fugro by reducing/minimising the risks and closing the gaps and help Fugro’s affiliates’ management to execute flawlessly its business objectives.
• Develop, implement and manage a strategic plan for the provision of legal services in accordance with and in support of business objectives.
• Provide business legal advice, assistance and support.
• Liaise with relevant departments to ensure that where legal risks have been identified, appropriate courses of actions to close the gaps have been taken.
• Provide risk management advice to internal stakeholders.

Intellectual property

• Coordinate with the global IP department based in the Netherlands the protection, enforcement and defense of the intellectual property rights (IPR) of Fugro in the Middle East & India region.

Data protection

• Implement data protection policies and procedures that comply with relevant data protection laws (e.g., GDPR etc).
• Ensure these policies are communicated effectively across the organization.
• Monitor and ensure compliance with data protection regulations at local, national, and international levels.
• Conduct regular audits and assessments to identify compliance gaps and address them promptly.
• Develop and deliver training programs to educate employees on data protection principles, their responsibilities, and the importance of safeguarding data.
• Foster a culture of data protection awareness within the organization.

Antitrust law

• Provide legal advice on antitrust and competition matters
• Manage risk assessment.
• Lead internal due diligence, audit and investigations.
• Roll out compliance program and training.

Labour law

• Act as Legal business partner for HR department (legal advice on employment contract, termination, dismissal, disciplinary sanctions, labour litigation etc.)

What Skills & Experience Will You Have?

• Master’s degree in law (business law/corporate Law/commercial law)
• Generalist in-house legal counsel
• Admitted to the Bar Association
• Fluent in English and Arabic is a must
• Between 6-8 years of experience in a similar position
• Broad expertise across various areas of law, including corporate, commercial, contracts, compliance, corporate governance etc.
• Law practice in a law firm or as in-house legal counsel in a multinational company or a combination of both
• Experience working in offshore projects/marine/ EPC/ engineering companies is highly preferred.