Legal Counsel (Shipping)

Innergy Consulting Pte. Ltd; Singapore; On-site; SGD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established international shipping group seeks an experienced Legal Counsel in Singapore. The role involves overseeing legal, contractual, compliance, and governance matters across diverse maritime and logistics businesses. Candidates should have at least 8 years of in-house commercial legal experience, particularly in the shipping or maritime sector. Fluency in Mandarin is mandatory due to regional stakeholder interface. Key responsibilities include strategic legal advice, contract negotiation, and corporate governance management.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of relevant legal experience, preferably in an in-house commercial legal role.
• Strong knowledge of shipping cargoes and maritime-related laws and regulations.
• Able to work independently in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal advice on maritime and commercial law matters.
• Draft, review and negotiate various commercial contracts.
• Lead legal support for corporate transactions like M&A and joint ventures.
• Conduct and oversee legal due diligence for projects and acquisitions.
• Manage corporate governance matters including regulatory filings.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Fluent in Chinese (Mandarin)

Excellent drafting skills

Negotiation skills

Education

Bachelors Degree in Law (LLB or equivalent)

Job description

We are looking for a highly experienced Legal Counsel for an established international shipping group with regional and global operations. This is a key leadership role where you will oversee all legal, contractual, compliance and governance matter across the Groups diverse maritime and logistics businesses.

The ideal candidate will bring strong in-house commercial legal experience within the shipping or maritime sector, possess excellent stakeholder management skills, and be comfortable operating in a fast-moving, cross-border environment. Fluency in Chinese (Mandarin) is a mandatory requirement for this role due to regional stakeholder interface.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal advice on maritime, admiralty and commercial law matter across local and regional operations.
• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts including NDAs, vendor/supplier agreements, service contracts and licensing agreements.
• Lead legal support for corporate transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, and strategic investments (SPAs, SHAs, JVAs, term sheets).
• Partner closely with business units on deal structuring, regulatory issues, risk management and compliance strategy.
• Conduct and oversee legal due diligence for projects, acquisitions and investments.
• Support and strengthen the Groups compliance framework, including policy development, training and internal investigations.
• Manage corporate governance matters, including board and shareholder resolutions, minutes, regulatory filings and corporate secretarial support.
• Maintain and oversee the contract management system and internal legal database.
• Manage relationships with external counsels, regulators and internal stakeholders across jurisdictions.
• Act as a cross-functional legal advisor aligning legal requirements with commercial and operational objectives.
• Undertake special projects and ad-hoc legal/compliance initiatives as directed by management.

Requirements

• Bachelors Degree in Law (LLB or equivalent).
• Minimum 8 years of relevant legal experience, preferably in an in-house commercial legal role.
• Prior experience in shipping, maritime, commodities or infrastructure sectors is strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of shipping cargoes and maritime-related laws and regulations.
• Fluent in both English and Chinese (Mandarin) mandatory due to regional stakeholder interface.
• Excellent drafting, analytical and negotiation skills with strong attention to detail.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and organisational skills.
• Able to work independently and cross-functionally in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• High level of professional integrity, commercial judgment and risk awareness.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified. Thank you for your understanding.