Associate (Abu Dhabi) - Private Investment Funds

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 400,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in the UAE seeks an experienced investment funds associate to join a growing regional funds practice with a global footprint. The role focuses on representing sovereigns and asset managers in DFSA/ADGM funds and cross‑border matters, closely aligned with London and New York networks.

The candidate brings 3–6 years PQE, solid funds experience, and a strong academic profile, with a track record in complex transactions and client development within a leading

Qualifications

• 3 to 6 years PQE in England and Wales terms (or equivalent).
• Experience within leading US or UK investment funds practices required.
• Strong academic record and qualifications.
• Strong technical and commercial background.
• Highly effective communicator (oral and written).
• Able to work effectively as part of a team and participate in business development.

Responsibilities

• Working on a wide variety of investment funds matters for a range of clients.
• Contributing to developing and deepening relationships with existing key clients.
• Involvement in the highest profile transactions in the market, regionally and globally.
• Mentoring more junior colleagues and demonstrating leadership on corporate transactions.
• Developing and managing client relationships and seeking new opportunities.
• Participating in and initiating specific business development activities.

Skills

Investment funds experience

Client relationship management

Strong communication skills

Team collaboration

Business development

Job description

Role Summary

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced investment funds associate to be part of an expanding global funds practice within one of the global elite law firms with a well‑established regional presence. At the practice’s core is representation of some of the region’s most sophisticated institutional investors in connection with their global funds investment programmes (including blind pool investments across a range of strategies and geographies, bespoke funds‑of‑one/managed accounts, co‑investments, LP and GP secondaries, strategic investments in global sponsors including joint ventures, GP stake investments and revenue share arrangements), representing regional sponsors on raising DFSA and ADGM‑domiciled funds, and representing global asset managers on their DIFC and ADGM operations.

The role will entail working closely with the MENA investment funds team, as well as the firm’s broader funds network (especially based in London and New York), with the aim of consolidating and expanding an already‑diversified stream of investment funds work. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a small but global funds practice which is very much in growth phase.

Practice Group

We are widely regarded as having one of the leading corporate transactional and advisory practices in the world and we continue to act on some of the most prestigious and complex international deals – the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is no exception to this, where our corporate practice covers M&A (particularly cross border), joint ventures, securities and capital market transactions, regulatory, restructurings and reorganisations as well as more general corporate advisory work.

We act for a variety of organisations including sovereign wealth funds and government investment vehicles, leading regional and international corporates, international and regional banks, some of the most successful regional and international private equity houses, supporting them with their most complex and strategically important transactions.

Our core sectors include financial institutions, energy(especially oil & gas) and utilities, healthcare, retail and consumer and telecommunications within which we advise on outbound investments across the globe as well mandates throughout the region including in the GCC, wider Middle East and North Africa.

Our corporate practice is ranked Band 1 across the Middle East by all of the leading legal research directories.

Our Middle East team has over 50 lawyers across the region in the UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Our Global M&A and Capital (GMAC) (Corporate) Practice is Freshfields MENA’s largest practice with over 25 lawyers throughout the region.

Key Responsibilities and Deliverables

• Working on a wide variety of investment funds matters for a range of clients

• Contributing to developing and deepening relationships with existing key clients

• Involvement in the highest profile transactions in the market, not only regionally but globally

• Mentoring more junior colleagues and demonstrating leadership on corporate transactions

• Developing and managing client relationships

• Participating in and initiating specific business development activities

Key Requirements

• 3 to 6 years PQE in England and Wales terms (or equivalent)

• Experience within leading US or UK investment funds practices required

• Strong academic record and qualifications

• Strong technical and commercial background

• Highly effective communicator (both oral and written)

• Able to work effectively as part of a team

• Confident, self‑motivated and committed to providing excellent client service

• Able to manage a high degree of responsibility of work demands

• Enthusiastic participant in business development activities, including networking, organising and delivering seminars, attending conferences and publishing as well as proactive involvement in knowledge management