Banking & Finance Lawyer

Job Description

The Role

Our work spans the whole of the MENA region and beyond. The team advises on the full range of banking and project finance transactions including limited recourse project finance, Islamic finance, secured and unsecured bilateral and syndicated loans, leveraged and acquisition finance, rescheduling and restructuring, loan transfers, derivatives, and other financial products.

The team offers specialist advice in the following legal areas:

• Bank Lending: Advising on the full range of banking transactions including secured and unsecured bilateral and syndicated loans, leveraged and acquisition finance, rescheduling and restructuring, loan transfers, participations and acquisitions and disposals.
• Projects: Clients include arrangers, lenders, debt and equity financiers, borrowers, project sponsors, export-credit agencies, and international financial organisations.
• Islamic Finance: We devise and deliver financing solutions that are specific to the needs of our clients.

The team devises and delivers financing solutions that are specific to the needs of our clients. As a leader in the growing Islamic finance field, in the past year Clifford Chance has closed more than US$25 billion worth of transactions, groundbreaking deals that have provided innovative Shari'a compliant structures for clients in markets across the Middle East and beyond.

Key Attractions

AS&H Clifford Chance is the current holder of the prestigious IFLR Saudi Arabian Law Firm of the Year, and the team has won the award for all but one of the past fourteen years since the inception of this award. The team was also ranked first by Mergermarket, both in terms of M&A deal value and deal volume in Saudi Arabia for 2018.

You will work on leading deals for top tier clients. The range, calibre, and international scope of the deal flow is unique.

Recent deal highlights include advising:

• The lenders to Saudi Aramco on a USD10 Billion Term Loan Financing;
• The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund on a number of high-profile mandates both in Saudi Arabia and internationally including a USD10 Billion Term Loan Financing;
• Several Government ministries on privatisation mandates, implementing one of the key objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030;
• The merger of SABB and Al-Alawwal, two of the leading banks in Saudi Arabia;
• The acquisition of souq.com by Amazon;
• Crédit Agricole on the disposal of a 16.2% stake in Banque Saudi Fransi to Kingdom Holding Company;
• The financiers on the US$10 billion revolving credit facility financing for Saudi Aramco;
• General Electric on the Saudi aspects of its US$17bn acquisition of Alstom's global power transmission business.

The sophisticated internal training programme offered is unmatched in the region and includes local monthly courses run by The Academy with the opportunity to attend training programmes across the Clifford Chance network of offices.

The team is proud of their reputation for being a very informal, supportive, and meritocratic group.

You will feel part of a well-organised and structured team which forms a supportive environment in which you can learn and flourish.

The remuneration package offered is one of the most attractive in the market and earnings are currently tax-free.

Key Responsibilities

You will be given the opportunity to handle a variety of work, including general banking and finance, Islamic finance, and project finance transactions.

Qualifications

Your experience

• Proven track record of acting on a variety of finance transactions.
• All candidates should be fluent in English and will have previous experience working in a Magic Circle or top tier international law firm. Fluency in Arabic language would be valued but it is not a prerequisite.
• In all cases, candidates should have first-class legal ability coupled with a practical commercial approach; excellent drafting, analytical and communication skills; and enjoy being part of a friendly outgoing team. You must also have exceptional results throughout your academic history.
• Experience in, or exposure to, advising on Saudi Law aspects of international cross-border transactions would be advantageous.
• You should also have a genuine and demonstrable interest in, or affinity for, the Middle East.

Company Description

Who we are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work, and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part of an innovative, diverse, and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

Saudi Arabia is a G20 economy and is going through a tremendous amount of change as the kingdom diversifies away from oil production and seeks to implement Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Programme. It is a very exciting time to be a lawyer in the Kingdom!

AS&H Clifford Chance is the leading law firm in Saudi Arabia with a deep bench of 12 partners and a total of 64 Saudi nationals and internationally qualified lawyers who specialise across a range of practice areas. Our team offers Saudi and international clients the greatest depth of top Saudi and internationally qualified foreign lawyers as well as continuity and stability.

The Financial Markets team is the leading Financial Markets practice in Saudi Arabia and has been involved in more multi-billion dollar conventional and Islamic financings than any other in Saudi Arabia, which provides us with unparalleled experience in this area.

Additional Information

Equal opportunities statement

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age. This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer, and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration, and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm.