Associate Counsel, Emerging Markets

500 Global; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

500 Global is seeking an Associate Counsel to lead transactional and commercial legal matters across its emerging markets portfolio in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and beyond. You will draft and negotiate investment documents, fund documents, and advisory agreements while ensuring compliance and risk management.

Based in Kuala Lumpur, you will collaborate with portfolio teams, manage external counsel, and help structure new vehicles and entities across jurisdictions to scale the

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer admitted to practise in at least one jurisdiction.
• At least 5 years post-qualification experience in corporate, venture and commercial transactions.
• Direct experience advising on venture capital or private equity transactions.
• Prior experience in or advising a fund manager, including fund formation and LP documentation.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills with commercial judgment under time pressure.
• Experience managing external counsel across multiple jurisdictions.
• Clear, concise written and verbal communication in English.

Responsibilities

• Lead legal execution on investment transactions across emerging markets, including term sheets and shareholder agreements.
• Draft, negotiate and close commercial agreements for the emerging markets business.
• Provide risk-adjusted commercial legal advice to investment and program teams.
• Execute entity formation, maintenance, licensing and wind-down across ex-US entities.
• Maintain templates and precedents for the emerging markets business and monitor regulatory developments.
• Support fund and regulatory matters including fund formation and licensing.
• Collaborate on employment documentation for non-US entities and advise on engagement structures.
• Engage and manage external counsel across jurisdictions, controlling scope and cost.

Skills

Venture capital transactions

Contract negotiation

Legal drafting

Cross-border advisory

English communication

Time-zone coordination

External counsel management

Education

Law degree

Job description

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

• Country Malaysia
• Region Southeast Asia

About Us

500 Global is a venture capital firm with $2.2B in assets under management that invests in founders building fast-growing technology companies. We focus on markets where technology, innovation, and capital can unlock long-term value and drive

Job Description

Job Scope

Associate Counsel, Emerging Markets owns transactional and commercial legal matters across the firm’s emerging markets business (asset management and solutions) across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and other emerging markets: investment and fund documentation, advisory and program agreements, government and sovereign mandates, and the legal structuring and operationalisation of new vehicles and entities. It converts the strategic direction of the firm into signed, actionable documentation, and carries direct accountability for the quality, timeliness and commercial soundness of legal outputs across the regional portfolio and for managing external counsel across jurisdictions.

Key Responsibilities

Lead legal execution on investment transactions across emerging markets, including term sheets, subscription and shareholder agreements, SAFEs and convertible instruments, follow-on rounds, secondaries and exits, from initial review through to closing.

Own the drafting, negotiation and closing of commercial agreements for the emerging markets business, including advisory and program agreements, government and sovereign mandates and tenders, partnership and sponsorship agreements, and vendor contracts, translating commercial terms agreed at Partner level into clear and enforceable documentation.

Provide risk-adjusted, commercial legal advice to investment, program and business development teams, giving clear recommendations on structure, risk allocation and negotiation positions rather than issue-spotting alone.

Execute entity formation, maintenance, licensing and wind-down across the firm’s ex-US entities (including Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Egypt, UAE and KSA) within the policy and parameters set, coordinating external providers and tracking compliance obligations, licensing and key deadlines across the footprint.

Establish and maintain the library of templates, precedents and standard positions for the emerging markets business, keep legal records and repositories accurate and complete, and monitor regulatory developments in relevant jurisdictions, flagging implications for investing, program and fundraising activity.

Support fund and regulatory matters, including fund formation and licensing, regulatory filings and compliance calendars, and the legal workstream for bringing legacy fund structures in-house.

Collaborate with the People Team on the legal aspects of employment documentation for non-US entities, including employment and contractor templates, localisation of policies and handbooks, and advice on engagement structures..

Engage and manage external counsel across jurisdictions, defining scope, controlling cost and timelines, and reviewing outputs so that advice is fit for purpose and consistent with 500 Global positions and precedents.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

Qualified lawyer admitted to practise in at least one jurisdiction, with a law degree from a reputable university.

At least 5 years post-qualification experience in private practice and/or in-house roles, with a sustained focus on corporate, venture and commercial transactions.

Direct experience advising on venture capital or private equity transactions, including term sheets, shareholder agreements and convertible instruments, and comfort working at speed across a high volume of deals.

Prior experience in or advising a fund manager, including fund formation, LP documentation and side letters, is a strong advantage.

Strong drafting and negotiation skills, with the judgement to distinguish material risk from nice-to-haves and to give clear, commercial recommendations under time pressure.

Experience managing external counsel across multiple jurisdictions, including scoping, budgeting and quality control.

Clear, concise written and verbal communication in English, with the ability to explain legal positions to investment partners, founders and government or institutional counterparties.

Comfortable operating across time zones and cultures in a distributed, fast-moving organisation, with a high degree of discretion and integrity.

Exceptional attention to detail and a bias to action, taking ownership of matters end to end and moving them to closure.