Corporate Lawyer | 5 - 10 Years' PQE | Abu Dhabi

Role Overview

Our client is a well-capitalised Abu Dhabi-based fintech group building a Sharia-compliant digital banking platform for launch in the UAE and selected international markets. With strong institutional backing and regulatory approval in progress, they are building out their legal function and are seeking a Corporate Lawyer to join as an early member of the in-house team.

Key Responsibilities

You will:

Provide day-to-day corporate and commercial legal support across the group as it moves from pre-launch through to full operational banking
Advise on regulatory licensing, corporate structuring and governance matters in connection with the UAE Central Bank approval process and ongoing compliance
Draft, review and negotiate commercial agreements across the group's product verticals including payments, wealth management and embedded finance
Support fundraising, investor relations and strategic partnerships, including reviewing investment documentation and shareholder arrangements
Advise on Sharia-compliant product structuring and the legal framework for Islamic financial services
Work cross-functionally with product, technology, compliance and finance teams in a fast-moving environment
Manage relationships with external counsel across multiple jurisdictions as the business expands regionally

Candidate Profile

The successful lawyer will be:

Common law qualified with 5 to 10 years' PQE in corporate, commercial or financial services law
Experienced in a combination of private practice and in-house, ideally with exposure to fintech, digital banking or financial services
Comfortable with the pace of an early-stage business, with the ability to build processes and frameworks from scratch
Familiar with UAE corporate law and regulatory frameworks, or bringing strong transferable experience from another major market
Commercially sharp with the confidence to advise founders and senior leadership directly on a wide range of legal and business matters
Interested in Islamic finance, digital banking and the intersection of technology and financial services

Corporate Lawyer | 5 - 10 PQE | Abu Dhabi