Senior Legal Counsel

Job description / Role

Introduction
At IBM, work is more than a job - it's a calling: To build. To design. To code. To consult. To think along with clients and sell. To make markets. To invent. To collaborate. Not just to do something better, but to attempt things you've never thought possible. Are you ready to lead in this new era of technology and solve some of the world's most challenging problems? If so, lets talk.

Your Role and Responsibilities
IBM Legal is currently looking for an experienced attorney with strong academic credentials to join its MEA Legal Team. Reporting to MEA Legal Counsel , the successful candidate will be based in Dubai with a focus on Middle East. The role will involve executive engagement, negotiating, drafting, and analyzing a wide variety of transactions including strategic outsourcing, software, cloud, analytics, sales, business partner, finance, supplier and teaming agreements with both local and multinational customers and suppliers in the region as well as leading and working collaboratively with other members of the MEA Legal team and other Legal team members in and across other jurisdictions.

Candidates must be self starters, highly motivated, articulate, demonstrate superior communication, negotiation, drafting, people and organizational skills, and be comfortable and confident in dealing directly with all levels of management. Knowledge of IT, networking, services, hardware and software industries is a strong plus. The successful candidate will be able to work independently but collaboratively with a high energy and talented team of professionals.

Requirements:
- Admitted attorney/solicitor with 15+ years PQE including in-house experience. Local UAE experience a plus and preferred.
- Management experience preferred. Regional and cross boarder experience preferred
- Multinational/international legal knowledge and expertise.
- Knowledge of contractual law, anti-trust, company law, labor law, Intellectual Property and litigation. Ability to negotiate, draft and vet contracts that address complex and difficult issues.
- Ability to manage outside counsel. Ability to speak articulately and persuasively to individuals at senior management level. Impact is significant.
- Ability to determine appropriate action/solutions to complex legal and business issues dealing with clients and customers. Team management experience is a plus.
- Requires law degree. Admitted to practice in at least one jurisdiction with relevant practice experience.
- Minimum 8+ years law firm or industry relevant experience required.
- English & Arabic Fluency is essential

Requirements

Competencies & Skills:
- Ability to lead and function in a team and work independently
- Ability to accept responsibility/high ethical standards
- Ability to identify and assess risks and make objective decisions in the best interest of the company, taking the relevant legal and business issues into consideration
- Excellent drafting, negotiation and interpersonal skills
- Ability to react positively to a changing environment
- Ability to express clearly both verbally and writing

Required Technical and Professional Expertise
- B-Proc or B Degree with LLB - or like legal degree-
- Admission as attorney/solicitor or advocate
- Minimum 8+ years post admission experience in practice as an attorney or advocate and relevant in-house experience preferably as leader of an in-house department in the ME.
- Knowledge of networking, consulting services, hardware and software industries a strong plus
- Relevant in-house experience

Preferred Technical and Professional Expertise
- Additional business, tax, commercial or other appropriate qualification is preferable

About the Company

For more than six decades, IBM Middle East & Pakistan has played a vital role in shaping the information technology landscape of the region. Today, IBM is part of the region's technological fabric, solving real-world business and societal challenges, through its offices in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Pakistan, and also a diversity of centers across the region.

Within the region, IBM currently has groundbreaking initiatives in cloud computing, analytics, mobile, security, as well as nanotechnology, eGovernment, healthcare and many more, collaborating with leading educational institutes and governments. IBM supports hundreds of clients to drive transformation through technology, contributes to regional research & development programs and has an active Corporate Service Corps (CSC) program.

Reinvention is a keyword in the company's history and, today, IBM is much more than a "hardware, software, services" company. IBM is now emerging as a cognitive solutions and cloud platform company.