Islamic Finance Lawyer

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 an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

Deal Highlights and Recognition

Clifford Chance has again garnered the most Tier 1 rankings of any firm across the Middle East in 2023, as well as the most global-wide Tier 1 rankings of any other firm.

Bonds, Loans and Sukuk Awards 2023 :

ESG Bond Deal of the Year - The Government of the Emirate of Sharjah

Global Corporate Sukuk Deal of the Year - Air Lease Corporation

Global Sovereign Sukuk Deal of the Year - The Arab Republic of Egypt Represented by the Ministry of Finance

IFN Law Awards 2023:

Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year , Law Firm of the Year

Airline Economics Aviation 100 Middle East & Africa & Islamic Finance Awards 2023:

Airline Economics Middle East & Africa Overall Deal of the Year - Air Lease Corporation

Some deal highlights include:

• The first sukuk to use transportation rights as part of the pool of underlying assets which also include ijara assets and a commodity murabaha Government of Malaysiasukuk.
• The first two sukuk issued by African sovereigns Senegal and South Africa.
• The United Kingdom's inaugural 200 million sukuk.
• The first ever sukuk issuance by the Republic of Turkey
• One of Asia Pacific's first internationally rated multi-currency sukuk issuanceprogrammes.
• The first sukuk convertible into units in a real estate investment trust and the first convertible sukuk issuance in Singapore.
• An ijara facility structured using real estate in the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC), the first time this has been done.
• The first sukuk issuance by a Saudi Arabian government entity with the benefit of an express guarantee from the Ministry of Finance.
• A rated issue of an Islamic instrument by a non-financial institution and a corporate entity that is not a government related entity, in the UAE.
• The largest ever private sector Islamic financing in Qatar.
• The largest SAR-denominated revolving credit facility and the largest single-tranche syndicated corporate credit facility ever conducted in Saudi Arabia.
• The first investment grade sukuk for a US corporation

Key Attractions

• We are the world's leading global finance practice and one of the world's leading Islamic Finance practices.
• You will work on ground-breaking deals for top tier clients and across the asset classes.
• The range, calibre and international scope of our deal flow is unique - and makes us stand out from our competitors.
• We are proud of our reputation for being a very informal, supportive, meritocratic and diverse group and reinforce this with regular social events - both ad hoc and organised.
• We are based in one of the most prestigious business developments in Dubai.
• We run a sophisticated internal training programme that is unmatched in Dubai.
• Our remuneration package is one of the most attractive in the market.
  
  

The Role

The team concentrates on Islamic finance work across the asset classes. Our work spans the whole of the MENA region and beyond. We work on a broad variety of matters under both English and UAE law including:

• Project financings across all sectors, especially petrochemicals, power and water
• General banking transactions such as syndicated corporate financings, acquisition and real estate finance
• Islamic structuring of capital markets (sukuk), structured products and funds.
• We act for the leading global and regional financial institutions as well as leading regional corporates.
• Lawyers are given the chance to handle a tremendous variety of work and the partners actively work towards ensuring individual lawyers receive their preferred mix of work.
• You will be given responsibility for running transactions and working closely with clients.This means that you will develop outstanding transaction management and organisational skills as well as developing superb technical abilities.
• This role has strong career progression possibilities for the right candidate.
  
  

Your experience

Minimum criteria / essential requirements

• You will be a Senior qualified lawyer.
• You will have gained 3-6years post-qualified experience at a similar firm, or at an overseas similar common law practice.
• You will have gained mid to senior-level Islamic finance experience as a practising lawyer working on large and complex transactions.

Skills and knowledge

• You will be able to demonstrate excellent document drafting skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication and analytical skills, along with a high level of commercial and cultural awareness.
• Good exposure to collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams and other jurisdictions.
• To have an appetite for developing client relationships, developing more junior talent and thought leadership.
  
  

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.

Find out more about our inclusive culture here