Legal Counsel

YOU ARE an exceptional lawyer with at least 3 years PQE and considerable hospitality industry experience.

YOU WILL help Mandarin Oriental achieve its ambitious growth goals by supporting Development in negotiating and documenting new hotel management and residences branding agreements while assisting your colleagues in all parts of the business to achieve the exceptional, every day, everywhere.

This is an international role offering interesting work across a diverse range of cultures and jurisdictions. Mandarin Oriental executives with differing levels of seniority, commercial acumen and languages will have direct access to you and rely upon your judgement and advice. You need to be very intelligent, articulate, and hard-working, with initiative and independence. You will be expected to take important decisions under conditions of stress, and justify and be accountable for those decisions. Your level of communication will be expected to be the best in the company. You will have to manage outside legal providers and hold them to account for their advice and fees, especially law firm partners. You will be expected to have excellent drafting and negotiation skills, and will have plenty of opportunity to exercise them. You will give presentations and provide training, both in person and on-line. You will help to develop policies and procedures to empower your colleagues and enable the Legal Department to apply its resources efficiently. You will be the conscience of the company and a defender of its commitment to compliance, ethics and sustainability, but you will have to do so with persuasion rather than fiat. You will be expected to provide business solutions to legal issues, and your role and responsibilities will grow based on trust and performance. You will be always a responsible representative of the company and its values.

Reporting to Mandarin Oriental's Group Counsel (based in Hong Kong) you will work alongside other lawyers in the Legal Department, currently based in Hong Kong, London and Geneva. The Legal Counsel is responsible for managing all legal issues related to Mandarin Oriental's business and entities worldwide, including providing legal advice, drafting and negotiating major contractual documentation, handling litigation and disputes, and providing legal support to Mandarin Oriental's corporate offices, hotels and branded residences. Your primary focus is on supporting Mandarin Oriental's business and development activities relating to hotel and branded residences projects. You will work closely with other corporate departments to advance Mandarin Oriental's long-term business objectives while protecting its legal rights and interests.

Mandarin Oriental is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world's most luxurious hotels, resorts and residences. Renowned for creating outstanding properties, each destination reflects the Group's dual Asian heritage, local culture and unique design. Driven by a passion for the exceptional, every day, everywhere, the Group's mission is to craft time enriching experiences that transform the ordinary to the exceptional and guests to fans through its legendary service. The Group now operates 41 hotels, 12 residences and 26 exclusive homes in 26 countries and territories with many more projects under development. Mandarin Oriental continues to drive its reputation as an innovative leader in luxury hospitality, delivering sustainable growth over the long term. The Group is a member of the Jardine Matheson Group.

1. Law degree, and current admission in a common law jurisdiction
2. At least three years PQE
3. Considerable experience with hospitality work, preferably hotel management agreements
4. Faultless fluency in legal-level English, both written and spoken (fluency in other languages an advantage)
5. Excellent communications and interpersonal skills
6. Excellent negotiating and drafting skills
7. Ability to work independently while interacting with and advising all levels of the organization
8. Ability to interact in a dynamic, international environment that is leanly-staffed
9. Capacity to adapt to different cultures around the world

1. Intelligence, initiative, and independence
2. Presence, personality, maturity and grace under pressure
3. Comfort and facility with being a public face of the Department and of the company
4. Service-oriented; sense of humility; sense of humour
5. A genuine enthusiasm for the "Mandarin Oriental" brand
6. Willingness to travel regularly
7. Absolute integrity

You will undergo an intense apprenticeship to put you in a position to independently negotiate deals with Owners and their counsel with capability and confidence as soon as possible.