Senior Legal Counsel (Contract) – Dubai

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel to join a Dubai-based organization on a 6-month contract assignment. This role requires a highly commercial lawyer with deep expertise in the hospitality sector, particularly in relation to Hotel Management Agreements (HMAs), hotel dev...

The Role
We are seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel to join a Dubai-based organization on a 6-month contract assignment. This role requires a highly commercial lawyer with deep expertise in the hospitality sector, particularly in relation to Hotel Management Agreements (HMAs), hotel development projects, and mixed-use developments involving hospitality assets. The successful candidate will provide strategic legal support across hospitality transactions, development projects, and commercial agreements, working closely with business stakeholders and project teams. Key Responsibilities • Lead the drafting, review, negotiation, and management of Hotel Management Agreements (HMAs) and related hospitality contracts. • Advise on hotel development, acquisition, and operational matters across hospitality projects. • Provide legal support on mixed-use developments incorporating hotel, residential, retail, and leisure components. • Draft and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including development, management, operational, and service contracts. • Support project development teams on legal and contractual risk management throughout the project lifecycle. • Provide practical, business-focused legal advice to senior stakeholders and management. • Manage external counsel where required and ensure legal compliance across transactions and projects. • Assist with dispute avoidance, contract interpretation, and risk mitigation strategies.

Requirements
Requirements • 8–12+ years’ post-qualification experience (PQE), with qualification as a lawyer from a Commonwealth jurisdiction. • England & Wales qualification is strongly preferred; however, candidates qualified in other Commonwealth jurisdictions, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and comparable jurisdictions, will also be considered. • Significant and demonstrable experience in the hospitality sector. • Extensive experience in drafting and negotiating hotel management agreements (HMAs) and a wide range of hospitality-related commercial agreements. • Strong experience advising on hotel development projects and mixed-use developments involving hospitality assets. • Experience may have been gained through in-house roles within hotel operators, hospitality groups, real estate developers, or property development companies. • Proven experience advising hospitality, hotel, and real estate clients on transactions and development projects. • Fluent English communication skills, both written and spoken. • Strong commercial acumen and stakeholder management capabilities. • Candidate must be based in Dubai. #SeniorLegalCounsel #LegalCounsel #HospitalityLaw #HotelManagementAgreements #HMA #HotelDevelopment #HospitalityDevelopment #MixedUseDevelopment #CommercialContracts #RealEstateLaw #ProjectDevelopment #InHouseCounsel #LegalJobs #LegalRecruitment #LawyerJobs #HospitalityJobs #HotelIndustry #HospitalityLegal #DubaiJobs #UAEJobs #MiddleEastLegal #CommonwealthLawyer #EnglandAndWalesQualified #HospitalityCareers #ContractLawyer #LegalCareers #HospitalityRecruitment #HotelLaw #DevelopmentProjects #HiringNow #ImmediateStart #DubaiLegalJobs #SeniorCounsel #LegalProfessionals #HospitalityExperts #TemporaryContract #LegalHiring #MENAJobs #Recruitment #NowHiring

About the company
MENA Recruit came to fruition in response to a growing need for international legal talent in London and Dubai. Its initial focus began in the Legal sector, evolving as a service provider for other sectors such as Administration, Marketing, Business Development, HR, IT, Finance and C-Suite positions. Over the last two decades, with roots firmly planted in the Middle East and operations expanding into the APAC region, MENA Recruit has gained intuitive industry knowledge and expertise. With its unique, people-focused approach, the firm has yielded competitive advantage for its clients and rewarding careers for the professionals it has supported throughout the years. The company is dedicated to delivering the highest quality of talent and service to its clients while working tenaciously towards helping them achieve higher retention rates. For this reason, MENA Recruit is considered by both candidates and clients as a consultant in the truest sense of the word, offering guidance to both people and organizations on how to adapt to the constant change in market conditions and how to anticipate present and future challenges. Presently, MENA Recruit provides services to organizations and professionals in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and the United Kingdom. With such an extensive global reach, strong brand value, decades of expertise, and an innovative approach towards business challenges, its clear why MENA Recruit is the partner of choice for both in-house recruiters and candidates internationally.