Legal Counsel - Islamic Finance

Key Result Areas

• Draft and review standard and recurring Islamic banking documentation, including Murabaha and commodity Murabaha, Ijarah, Wakala and related facility and security documents, working to templates and under the direction of the Senior Legal Counsel.

• Provide day-to-day legal support on business-as-usual Islamic queries from business teams, escalating novel, complex or high-risk matters to the Senior Legal Counsel.

• Support product updates and amendments arising from Shariah-driven structural changes, AAOIFI standards, regulatory developments and campaign launches.

• Monitor legal, regulatory and Shariah developments relevant to the Islamic product suite and flag their documentation impact.

• Contribute to the development and implementation of Islamic legal policies, procedures, precedents and templates.

• Build and maintain the Bank’s Islamic legal precedent bank, template library, clause library and position papers.

• Maintain matter trackers, documentation logs and turnaround reporting for Islamic legal work, including App4Legal records.

• Conduct legal research on Islamic finance structures, AAOIFI standards and comparative market practice to support the Senior Legal Counsel.

• Prepare first drafts of memoranda, product notes and briefing materials on Islamic legal matters.

• Collaborate with business teams and stakeholders to support commercially sound and legally robust Islamic documentation outcomes.

• Support the coordination of inputs between Business, Shariah Governance, Legal and external counsel, and follow through to closure.

• Assist in the preparation of instructions to external counsel and in the review and quality control of external work product.

• Identify legal risks in standard Islamic documentation and escalate appropriately.

• Support Islamic product development workstreams, including documentation gap analysis and comparison against market practice.

5 Operating Environment, Framework and Boundaries, Working Relationships

Operating Environment

Provide Islamic legal drafting and documentation support across the Bank’s Islamic product suite, spanning wholesale, retail, international and treasury products, delivered from MGN-PAK to business teams located primarily in the UAE and Bahrain.

Framework

Documentation and drafting; Islamic product knowledge; Legal research; Knowledge management; Risk identification and escalation; Legislation (laws, regulations and AAOIFI standards); Collaboration and teamwork; Communication; Problem solving.

Boundaries

Scope of work and role limited to law and the role of a legal adviser within the above framework, operating under the supervision of the Senior Legal Counsel – Islamic Banking. The role does not determine Shariah compliance and does not hold independent sign-off authority on novel or high-value Islamic structures.

Working Relationships

Senior Legal Counsel – Islamic Banking; colleagues in the Legal Division and MGN; cross-functional teams; Islamic Banking business and product teams; Shariah Governance; and, as directed, external counsel.

6 Problem Solving

Analytical Thinking

• Analyse standard Islamic documentation against approved templates and identify deviations, gaps and inconsistencies.

• Apply logical reasoning to legal and documentation issues and devise practical drafting solutions.

Regulatory and Shariah Awareness

• Understand the practical application of AAOIFI standards and Shariah requirements to documentation.

• Interpret and apply evolving Islamic banking and finance legislation and guidance as it affects the product suite.

Risk Management

• Identify legal risks in standard Islamic financing structures and documentation, with an understanding of a risk-based approach.

Judgement and Escalation

• Distinguish between routine matters that can be progressed independently and matters requiring escalation to the Senior Legal Counsel.

Delivery and Stakeholders

• Manage a high volume of concurrent requests and prioritise effectively against business deadlines.

• Communicate legal concepts clearly and concisely to non-lawyers and stakeholders across locations and time zones.

7 Decision Making Authority & Responsibility

• Progress routine and template-based Islamic documentation independently within agreed parameters.

• Escalate novel structures, material deviations from precedent, and high-value or high-risk matters to the Senior Legal Counsel – Islamic Banking.

• Accountable for the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of drafting and documentation output.

• Accountable for the integrity and currency of the Islamic legal knowledge base.

8 Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Experience

Minimum 8–10 years’ post-qualification experience in banking and finance law, preferably with a leading law firm and/or a financial institution, including demonstrable exposure to Islamic banking products and Shariah-compliant documentation.

Core Areas

Islamic Banking and Islamic Finance; Banking & Finance; Corporate and Commercial; Retail and Consumer Banking products; Transaction Banking (Trade Finance and Cash Solutions); Financial Services and Financial Services Regulation.

Education

Law degree from a reputable university; admission to practice law in a recognised jurisdiction (covering areas: banking and finance, financial services and regulation, and corporate and commercial). A certification in Islamic finance or Islamic banking, such as CIFE, AAOIFI CSAA or equivalent, is an advantage.

Technical Skills and Market Knowledge

• General working knowledge of core Islamic finance structures, including Murabaha, commodity Murabaha (Tawarruq), Ijarah, Wakala, Mudaraba, Musharaka and Sukuk.

• Familiarity with AAOIFI Shariah standards and their practical impact on documentation.

• Understanding of conventional banking documentation, including LMA-based facility agreements and security packages, and how Islamic equivalents differ.

• Strong legal drafting skills, with demonstrated accuracy and attention to detail.

• Strong legal research skills and the ability to produce clear, usable written analysis.

• Problem solving and analytical thinking.

• Experience building or maintaining precedent banks, template libraries or knowledge management tools.

• Comfortable operating in a remote delivery model supporting stakeholders in other jurisdictions.

• Proficiency with legal workflow and matter management systems; experience with Legal-AI tools

• Effective collaboration with business units, support functions and multicultural teams across locations and time zones.

• Effective communication and people skills.

• Agile and proven ability to perform under pressure with composure and focus.

• Legal practice certificate or licence.

Languages

Fluent in English. Arabic is a plus.

Originally posted on Himalayas