Opportunity This is a rare opportunity that will offer an aspiring lawyer a broad regional remit, the ability to practice both contentious and non-contentious employment law with a focus on providing commercially orientated advice and practical solutions, and, subject to the candidate developing a robust business case and demonstrating the qualities Clyde & Co requires of its senior lawyers, a clear accelerated career trajectory to legal director and subsequently partnership. Our MEA Employment Team Clyde & Co is one of very few firms in the region that has a dedicated locally based team of specialist employment and incentives lawyers advising on the varied issues facing businesses day to day. The team is a diverse and growing group of three partners and eight fee earners which includes native Arabic speakers and, provides advice across the Middle East and Africa region in all areas of contentious and non-contentious employment law. Our focus is on providing commercially orientated advice and practical solutions within the ambit of a large full-service international law firm. Working with members of the Firm's network of offices and correspondent lawyers , the team regularly provides project management support to clients on cross-border issues. We have a number of third party firms Our Work and Our Sector Focus Regionally the MEA Employment Team advises clients across various sectors, including construction, technology, education, healthcare, hospitality, retail and insurance. We advise clients on a wide range of issues fulfilling a trusted advisor role, navigating compliance with local laws in the context of international human capital best practice, advising on sensitive employee investigations, whistleblowing and other regulatory issues. We also advise on corporate transactions and restructures. We have team members based on the ground in KSA, Qatar and UAE; with a view to increasing our on the ground footprint more widely in the region within the next three years. As part of its regional reach, the Team advises on free zone regulations, including the QFC and QFZ in Qatar and ADGM and DIFC in the UAE and the IBZ in Riyadh KSA. Clients The team acts for multinational clients, large family owned businesses as well as Government owned and Government decreed entities. A key part of our strategy is to diversify our client base, supplementing our blue chip multinational clients with a growing group of regional conglomerates established in this region and becoming international organisations. Work Highlights - Advising a Qatar employer on the arrest and imposition of travel bans on several of its employees in the context of a whistleblowing claim.
- Advising the DIFC Authority on the implementation of DIFC Law No. 2 of 2019, as amended (the DIFC Employment Law), including drafting new sections of the law.
- Advising multinational employers on compliance with Nitiqat, their requirements to train Saudi nationals, employ disabled Saudi nationals and plan strategically for the development of the Saudi workforce.
- Advising an international employer with a registered entity in Oman on the application of certain international sanctions and the associated reporting requirements for one of its employees.
- Drafting a service agreement template to seek to reduce the risk of Jordanian freelancers being assessed an employees should a dispute arise, including instructing local Jordanian counsel.
- Advising an international Qatar based consultancy in relation to the termination of two employees' employment and one consultancy agreement for breach of confidentiality and use of employer knowhow and Intellectual Property Rights.
- Working with a UAE free zone authority to benchmark their existing labour and immigration rules and practices against those of other regional free zones and international jurisdictions.
- Advising the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre on its employment regulations and preparing template employment contracts and guidance documentation to be issued to its members.
- Advising Bayer Middle East on multi-jurisdictional advice regarding employer health and safety obligations in the Middle East.
- Advising McKinsey & Company across 39 different jurisdictions regarding the recruitment process to assess a candidate's suitability for an employment position.
- Advising the UAE based office of a multinational construction company on HSE requirements and creating an HSE register of laws and regulations for benchmarking and compliance .
- Advising Thinkwell on the staffing and immigration considerations associated with Australian Pavilion at Expo2020 Dubai.
- Advising Accenture Middle East on a range of matters including, notably, the implications of Covid-19.
- Advising and representing a professional services firm in a claim brought in the DIFC for discrimination and harassment.
- Conducting an internal investigation on behalf of a multinational organisation following a whistleblowing complaint regarding harassment and bullying behaviour by a senior member of staff.
- Representing a financial services firm in the Saudi Courts in respect of a claim for breach of contract and unlawful dismissal.
- Advising a Qatar based international Embassy in relation to employee termination for misuse of social media, including advising in relation to the internal investigation, documents to be drafted and circulated and subsequent cancellation of visas and repatriation.
What the directories say Clients appreciate that "the senior lawyers have significant experience in the region and are therefore well versed in navigating any issue that arises. They understand the policy behind the laws and offer practical insight." A fellow practitioner enthused: "If anyone asked me who the market leaders are, I'd say them." Chambers & Partners 2021 Rebecca Ford has a strong presence in the market and is acknowledged by commentators for her deep understanding of employment matters in the UAE. She regularly handles employment disputes in the DIFC and ADGM courts on behalf of financial services and education clients. Peers acknowledge her as "an excellent lawyer"who is "well respected in the market." Sara Khoja receives high praise from commentators, who say: "She is someone you want on your side,"noting that she is "really fantastic"and "put us at ease during a stressful time."She is also known for her "deep-rooted knowledge of the region, its laws and regulatory bodies,"while also being "very responsive and commercial."Her practice encompasses workplace investigations and defending employers against claims for unfair dismissal, as well as providing support on the employment implications of major M&A transactions. "The 'absolutely outstanding' Emma Higham focuses on employment issues and 'goes above and beyond' for her clients, providing 'in-depth knowledge of the law and practice in Qatar'." Legal 500 2020. Not only an excellent lawyer, Emma Higham is a great connector. '' Over the years Emma Higham has created platforms for clients with common interests to network and meet." "She's fantastic, she's a real ambassador of our work and she's a great networker." - Chambers 2020 The Role We are looking for a Senior Associate to join our busy MEA Employment Team. This is a key hire for the group and subject to the candidate developing a robust business case and demonstrating the qualities Clyde & Co requires of its senior lawyers, comes with an accelerated clear career trajectory. The role will be based in Dubai with a requirement to travel as necessary across the region and, to our offices in KSA and Qatar. The role will have a regional remit and cover contentious and non-contentious matters. The ideal candidate will have a strong employment background, gained within a large-scale international or regional top tier firm . Whilst the primary business language of the practice is English, Arabic language skills would be a plus. Key Responsibilities - Providing advice and support to clients on a full range of employment issues and laws across the region, including recruitment and mobilisation procedures, remuneration and benefits packages, grievance and disciplinary procedures and issues arising on the termination of employment with a particular focus on UAE, KSA and Qatar.
- Interacting directly with local and international clients from a wide range of sectors;
- Drafting and amending employment contracts, employee handbooks, policies and procedures and other employment-related documentation;
- Advising clients on employment disputes and drafting settlement agreements;
- Instructing and liaising closely with correspondent law firms across the region
- Supporting the corporate department with employment issues arising out of transactions, such as undertaking employment due diligence, drafting warranties and indemnities in agreements and the transfer of employees;
- Drafting advice to clients on employment legal issues so that it is commercial in nature;
- To work closely with clients and continually developing the aptitude to foster long term client relationships;
- Assisting Partners in delegation of work to and supervision of juniors of the MEA Employment Team;
- As a senior member of the MEA Employment Team supporting and implementing the three year team strategy agreed with the MEA Board;
- Taking ownership on a wide range of business development initiatives;
- Contributing to the employment practices know how and precedents system;
- Supporting the MEA Employment Team's cross-selling initiatives to other MEA practice areas and the global Clyde & Co network;
- Assisting with the preparation and delivery of proposals, pitches, presentations and legal training materials; and
- Acting as a mentor to junior members of the MEA Employment team.
Essential Skills & Experience The ideal candidate will have: - Have attained a degree certificate(s) from a reputed institution, achieving a minimum grade of 2:1 or equivalent;
- At least 5 years of post-qualification experience or equivalent;
- Training and experience gained with either a well-recognised international or regional top tier law firm or a reputable Employment boutique;
- Have worked extensively on employment-related matters. Regional experience would be an advantage. In the absence of regional experience, the candidate must demonstrate a clear and demonstrable commitment to building their practice in the Middle East;
- Has a genuine commitment to building a career with Clyde & Co in the Middle East
- Strong drafting skills and negotiation skills with a keen attention to detail;
- Confidence, initiative and drive to assume responsibility, work independently and take a pro-active and commercial approach to solving issues;
- Experience in carrying out detailed and methodical legal research using available resources;
- Demonstrates an ability to interact confidently with clients and develop business pro-actively;
- A natural aptitude and drive for business development and the ability to foster long term relationships with a view to developing a business case for promotion to legal director and eventual partnership/establishing a profitable / long-term practice;
- Have a mature and flexible personality and has the ability to work well within a team; and
- Be self-motivated and possesses a very pro-active attitude towards completing jobs and developing business.
Clyde & Co Clyde & Co is a global law firm which has quadrupled in size over the past decade. Revenues from the firm's 50+ offices* worldwide rose to £627million for the last financial year. The firm has over 1800 fee earners, across six continents, with 4000 staff advising corporates, financial institutions, private individuals and governments. Clyde & Co in the Middle East and Africa With over 30 years' experience in the region and the largest presence of any international law firm in the Middle East, we pride ourselves on being able to help clients recognise and overcome the challenges of doing business in the Middle East and Africa. In the Middle East, our more than 40 partners and 150 legal professionals work from four offices located across the region. Our Dubai office acts as a central hub for our Middle East and Africa regional operations that include, in the Middle East, offices in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Doha in Qatar and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Our large regional presence enables us to support our clients across the full spectrum of their corporate and commercial needs throughout the AGCC (Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) and wider Levant. Our deep sector knowledge covers insurance, energy, transport, infrastructure, marine and trade as well as aviation, education, defense, finance, healthcare, hospitality and technology. *includes associated offices. APPLY NOW |
