Group Senior Legal Manager / Associate Counsel

Role Purpose

We are looking for an accomplished and commercially oriented legal professional to join the Group Legal function as Senior Manager – Legal, based in Pune.

The role will report directly to the Group General Counsel in Dubai and will have a broad mandate covering commercial contracts, mergers & acquisitions, strategic transactions, litigation and dispute management, corporate and regulatory compliance, governance, financing and general corporate advisory.

This is intended to be a hands-on senior legal role for an individual who can independently manage complex and high-stakes matters, partner closely with senior business stakeholders, and coordinate effectively with external counsel across multiple jurisdictions.

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of Tier-1 law firm training and strong in-house commercial experience. Previous experience with a leading corporate law firm, particularly in M&A, corporate transactions, banking/finance or commercial advisory, will be strongly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

1. Mergers & Acquisitions / Strategic Transactions

• Lead and support complex M&A, investments, acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures, strategic partnerships and corporate restructuring transactions.
• Manage the complete legal lifecycle of transactions, including structuring, legal due diligence, risk identification, negotiation, documentation, signing and closing.
• Draft, review and negotiate transaction documentation including:
• Share Purchase Agreements
• Share Subscription Agreements
• Shareholders Agreements
• Joint Venture Agreements
• Business/Asset Transfer Agreements
• Investment Agreements
• Term Sheets and Letters of Intent
• Ancillary transaction and closing documentation
• Work closely with senior management, finance, tax and other stakeholders on transaction structuring and execution.
• Identify significant legal and contractual risks and provide practical mitigation strategies.
• Manage external law firms and specialist counsel involved in transactions.

2. Commercial Contracts & Business Advisory

• Draft, review, negotiate and finalize sophisticated commercial and corporate agreements.
• Independently handle high-value and high-risk contractual negotiations.
• Advise business teams on contractual rights, obligations, liabilities, indemnities, warranties, termination provisions, limitation of liability and other material commercial terms.
• Support contracts involving procurement, services, technology, licensing, partnerships, vendors, customers, consultants and other commercial arrangements.
• Develop practical positions that appropriately balance legal protection with commercial objectives.
• Establish and continuously improve templates, contracting standards and legal playbooks.
• Support stakeholders throughout the contract lifecycle, including amendments, renewals, disputes and exits.

3. Litigation, Arbitration & Dispute Management

• Manage significant commercial litigation, arbitration, regulatory disputes and other contentious matters.
• Develop litigation and dispute strategy in consultation with the Group General Counsel and relevant business stakeholders.
• Appoint, brief and manage external advocates and law firms.
• Review pleadings, notices, claims, responses, settlement proposals and other legal documentation.
• Monitor material litigation and provide clear assessments of legal exposure and potential business impact.
• Drive commercially sensible dispute resolution strategies and settlements where appropriate.
• Maintain effective oversight of external legal costs and case progress.

4. Compliance & Regulatory Advisory

• Advise the organization on applicable laws, regulations and compliance requirements.
• Partner with relevant stakeholders to strengthen legal and regulatory compliance frameworks.
• Identify emerging legal or regulatory risks affecting the business.
• Support internal policies, legal controls and governance mechanisms.
• Provide advice on regulatory matters arising from business operations and strategic initiatives.
• Coordinate with specialist counsel where regulatory complexity requires external expertise.

5. Corporate Governance

• Provide legal advice on corporate governance matters across relevant Group entities.
• Support corporate restructuring, entity-related transactions and significant corporate actions.
• Review resolutions, authorizations and other corporate documentation where required.
• Work closely with Finance, Tax, Compliance, Company Secretarial and senior leadership teams on matters involving governance or corporate legal risk.
• Support the Group General Counsel in maintaining appropriate governance standards across the organization.

6. Financing & Corporate Transactions

• Provide legal support for financing and investment transactions when required.
• Review and negotiate financing agreements and related security documentation.
• Advise on legal aspects of corporate funding, debt arrangements, guarantees and other financing structures.
• Coordinate with financial institutions, investors and external legal advisors.
• Support complex restructuring or special-situation transactions as required.

7. Legal Risk Management

• Proactively identify material legal risks across business activities and transactions.
• Provide clear, concise and commercially relevant legal advice to senior stakeholders.
• Escalate material legal exposure appropriately to the Group General Counsel.
• Develop practical mitigation plans rather than limiting advice to identification of legal issues.
• Support improvements in legal processes, controls, documentation and risk management.

8. External Counsel Management

• Select and coordinate with external law firms, advocates and specialist legal advisors.
• Establish clear scopes, timelines and expected deliverables.
• Challenge external legal advice where necessary and ensure recommendations remain commercially practical.
• Monitor legal spend and drive appropriate cost discipline.
• Reduce dependency on external counsel by independently handling matters where sufficient internal capability exists.

9. Business Partnering

• Act as a trusted legal advisor to senior management and functional leaders.
• Translate complex legal issues into clear business implications and actionable recommendations.
• Work effectively across geographies, functions and seniority levels.
• Participate in strategic discussions where significant contractual, transactional, regulatory or litigation exposure exists.
• Develop strong relationships while maintaining independence of legal judgment.

Candidate Profile

Education & Professional Qualification

• LL.B. from a reputed university/law school.
• Qualified to practice law in India.
• Additional professional or postgraduate qualifications will be advantageous.

Experience

• Ideally 8–14 years of relevant post-qualification experience, with flexibility for exceptional candidates.
• Significant experience with a Tier-1 or highly regarded corporate law firm is strongly preferred.
• Candidates who began their careers in leading law firms and subsequently transitioned into sophisticated in-house roles would be particularly relevant.
• Strong experience in corporate/M&A and complex commercial contracting is essential.
• Meaningful experience managing litigation, disputes and compliance/regulatory matters.
• Experience advising senior management on high-value or high-risk legal matters.
• Experience operating in a complex, fast-growing or multi-entity organization would be advantageous.
• Cross-border transaction or multi-jurisdictional experience would be highly desirable.

Core Technical Competencies

The successful candidate should demonstrate strong capability across:

• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Corporate & Commercial Law
• Contract Drafting & Negotiation
• Corporate Restructuring
• Legal Due Diligence
• Litigation & Arbitration
• Regulatory Compliance
• Corporate Governance
• Legal Risk Management
• Financing & Security Documentation
• External Counsel Management
• Transaction Management
• Legal Research & Interpretation