Employment Legal Counsel

Job description / Role

EY is a global professional services firm engaged in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The MENA organisation is a part of Ernst & Young Global, which has member firms with offices in more than 140 countries worldwide. EY in MENA has approximately 500 partners and employs around 12,000 members of staff.

Within the professional services environment, the application of risk management is fundamental to the successful delivery of our client services and promotion and protection of our brand. Risk management encompasses the technical advice and processes, which support the delivery of service quality, contain the threat of litigation and limit damage to our reputation.

The MENA Legal team is well established and highly regarded within the organisation. The MENA legal team comprises of six legal practitioners and is led by General Counsel. The Legal team is looking to employ an employment specialist.

The Legal Team

The work within the Legal team is highly varied and covers all legal issues arising from the running of a professional services business, including litigation, intellectual property, general commercial, employment, tortious and contractual matters. Much of the legal work is at the cutting edge of business practice as the firm constantly finds innovative ways to help our clients’ businesses.

The Role
• Providing day to day legal support for HR business partners and specialists, including with employment/secondment agreements, absence/leave matters and change programmes
• Supporting the Employee Relations team on complex grievance, disciplinary and dismissal processes as well as early negotiation of potential employee disputes and settlement agreements. Also providing strategic litigation support on employment claims.
• Advising, drafting and negotiating employment related aspects of client matters including contracts, master service agreements and tenders
• Providing employment law support to the Partner Matters team, including restrictive covenant potential removals/negotiated exits and partner disputes
• Giving employment law input into EY projects
• Conducting investigations in relation to business and conduct issues, including whistleblowing reports and external complaints
• Conducting and/or supporting employment aspects of due diligence and acquisitions
• Reviewing, amending and implementing changes to policies, procedures and standard documentation in light of legal developments

Requirements

• A high quality employment lawyer with at least 7 years of post-qualification experience.
• Employment law experience gained in either a reputable firm (or equivalent) and/or in-house.
• Commercial awareness of the business issues facing the organisation and the ability to deal with problems in a practical and common sense way.
• Ability to operate as a sole employment lawyer with limited use of external counsel
• Proven ability to establish a high degree of credibility, respect and trust at all levels, including with senior members of the firm, some of whom have a considerable understanding of the law.
• Ability to lead, take responsibility and act autonomously including an ability to take difficult decisions and provide substantiated arguments.
• Strong personal communication skills, capable of dealing with wide range of people.
• Effective planning and organising skills to prioritise key areas of responsibility, tasks and projects.
• The ability to keep calm in a crisis and to cope well with conflicting deadlines.
• Negotiation and influencing skills.
• Strong team player who is both committed and flexible.
• Fluent Arabic is a must

About the Company

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available on our site.

The MENA practice of EY has been operating in the region since 1923. For over 95 years, we have grown to over 7,500 people united across 21 offices and 16 countries, sharing the same values and an unwavering commitment to quality. As an organization, we continue to develop outstanding leaders who deliver exceptional services to our clients and who contribute to our communities. We are proud of our accomplishments over the years, reaffirming our position as the largest and most established professional services organization in the region