Associate - Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions

at  Baker McKenzie

THE TEAM

Our UAE offices offer clients one of the strongest corporate, M&A, private equity, venture capital, investment funds and commercial practices in the UAE. Our team in the UAE works closely with global clients including major tech companies and multinationals, the region’s leading sovereign wealth funds, private equity and venture capital funds and family offices. With offices across the region including in Saudi Arabia (’Tier 1’ for Commercial, Corporate and M&A), Egypt (’Tier 1’ for Commercial, Corporate and M&A), Bahrain (’Tier 1’ for Commercial, Corporate and M&A), Turkey (’Tier 1’ for Commercial, Corporate and M&A) the UAE team is fully integrated and offers clients unrivalled coverage for their most sensitive transactions. We are known for our deep knowledge of not just the UAE legal environment but the regional deal landscape and for being able to offer fully integrated advice across the region and globally.
Clients include private equity funds, publicly listed companies, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions and major national and multinational corporations. Our practice is broad, and much of what we do is cross-border.
As the Practice is fast growing, the prospects of career promotion are promising for the selected candidate. The emphasis is on developing well rounded, technically astute, commercially aware, relationship-focused lawyers, who are interested in a long-term career in a global law f irm.

KEY SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate all or the majority of the following:

• A qualified lawyer with excellent academic credentials.
• Experience and training with a leading international firm.
• First rate technical skills.
• Excellent English communication skills (fluency in reading, writing, speaking ).
• Significant experience on M&A, private equity, venture capital and/or investment funds matters.
• Arabic language is an added value.
• Strong client service orientation - a “client f irst” mentality.
• Ability to develop strong relationships with clients.
• Maturity, gravitas and emotional intelligence.
• Ability to work well in both a team and individually.
• A keenness to learn.
• Respects and enjoys the diversity of backgrounds found in the firm and amongst our client base.
• Qualified candidates will have the ability to function smoothly in a global team environment with culturally diverse team members.

Our Mergers & Acquisitions team is currently seeking an ambitious, energetic and talented corporate Mid-level Associate, with at least 1 to 4 years PQE. This role will include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Advising on large scale, complex, cross-border M&A, venture capital, private equity, and/or investment funds transactions.
• Working closely with SWFs, national and multinational corporations and regional and global funds and family offices.
• Drafting and negotiating key transaction documents, working with members of the team to manage due diligence, disclosure exercises and closings.
• Taking responsibility for providing high level of client service.
• Advising on key transaction documents including term sheets, offer letters, subscription agreements, share sale and purchase agreements, shareholders’ agreements, joint venture agreements and ancillary documentation.
• Developing relationships with clients including gaining knowledge of the client’s businesses, economic drivers, market and sector requirements in order to ensure advice is relevant and commercial.
• Working as part of a team including assisting with the supervision of junior lawyers and paralegals, and taking an active part in sharing knowledge and experience with the team
• Associates are given regular and direct contact with clients.
• If of interest, opportunities for secondments with clients are available. Posting to other offices under the firm’s associate transfer programme is also a possibility.