Role overview
Our client is a leading UAE-headquartered bank with an extensive international presence across corporate and institutional banking. The legal team is looking to hire a senior legal counsel to support the bank's corporate finance activities, sitting within a small team that advises on the full range of lending and structured finance transactions across both conventional and Islamic finance. The role covers bilateral and syndicated lending, project finance, acquisition and leveraged finance, fund finance, real estate finance and asset-backed transactions, as well as debt restructurings and complex lending arrangements. The successful candidate will work with a high degree of autonomy, engaging directly with the business, external counsel and counterparties on live transactions. This is a strong opportunity for a banking and finance lawyer looking to move in-house (or already in-house) at one of the region's most active lenders, with genuine transactional volume and exposure to complex, cross-border work.
Key responsibilities
- Structure, draft, review and negotiate transaction documentation for bilateral and syndicated lending facilities across project finance, structured finance, leveraged and acquisition finance, fund finance, real estate finance and asset finance
- Advise on debt restructurings and other complex lending arrangements, including all ancillary documentation
- Provide legal advice and support to the corporate finance business, balancing commercial objectives with the bank's legal risk framework
- Coordinate with external counsel across multiple jurisdictions on cross-border transactions
- Assist with new product launches, conducting legal and regulatory due diligence across applicable geographies
- Draft and maintain standardised legal agreements, facility templates and standard terms in line with international best practice
- Monitor legislative and regulatory developments relevant to lending and corporate finance activity, and advise the business on compliance implications
Candidate profile
- Qualified lawyer (England and Wales preferred) with approximately 8 to 10 years' PQE
- Strong banking and finance background from a reputable law firm or in-house at a major financial institution
- Significant experience across both conventional and Islamic finance transactions
- Confident working with LMA-standard documentation and complex facility structures
- Recent UAE or GCC transactional experience is required
- Extensive drafting and negotiation experience across syndicated lending, project finance, acquisition finance, real estate finance or structured finance
- Comfortable operating independently with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment
- Commercially minded, with a long-term outlook and genuine interest in building a career in the region
- Open on law firm background; the focus is on capability and relevant experience rather than firm pedigree
- About Meyssa Legal
- Meyssa Legal specialises in placing high-calibre legal professionals across the UAE and the wider Middle East. We offer discreet, strategic career advice and long-term relationship support.
- All applications are treated with strict confidence.
About Meyssa Legal
Meyssa Legal places lawyers across private practice and in-house roles in the UAE, with deep experience in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We work consultatively with leading firms, in-house teams, and senior counsel across banking and finance, disputes, corporate, regulatory, and TMT.
Our approach prioritises judgment over targets and discretion over volume. We brief every role in confidence, submit only candidates we genuinely believe fit, and treat every conversation as the start of a long-term relationship.
