Senior Legal Adviser

DFDL was established in 1994 and founded on a unique vision: to create an integrated legal and tax advisory firm with in-depth knowledge of the developing jurisdictions in which we are based. Our dedicated professionals exhibit the understanding and insight necessary to assist you in navigating the legal and tax complexities and challenges. Drawing on a wide-ranging industry experience and finely tuned local knowledge in the countries we operate in, we strive to provide concise, commercially focused, and innovative advice, staying true to our original motto: “One Region. One Firm.”

DFDL has 12 offices, including collaborating firms, in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

As a full-service firm, DFDL provides legal and tax services across various industry sectors. To better serve our client's business needs, we have also organized our expertise into the following practice groups:

• Anti-Trust and Competition
• Aviation and Logistics
• Banking and Finance
• Compliance and Investigations
• Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions
• Dispute Resolution
• Employment
• Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure
• Investment Funds
• Real Estate and Hospitality
• Restructuring
• Tax and Transfer Pricing
• Technology, Media and Telecoms

Position:

We are looking to recruit a Senior Legal Adviser to be based out of the firm’s office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work in a multi-cultural environment with career development and personal growth opportunities.

Reports to: Heads of Practice Group

Key external relationships: Clients, Government Ministries, Chambers of Commerce, Business Associations

Key internal relationships: Partners, Senior Managers and all staff of the Vietnam Office

Salary range: Competitive, varying based on the qualifications and experience of the successful applicant.

Position type: Full Time – Regular

Applicants eligible: Vietnamese Only

Working Hour: Monday to Friday, from 9:00am to 12:30pm and from 2:00pm to 6:30pm

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Main duties of the role

• Report to and take instruction from the Partners, Managing Director, Deputy Managing Director and any supervising legal advisers;
• Provide legal advice exclusively on behalf of DFDL and to Clients of DFDL;
• Undertake all activities typical of a legal adviser, including drafting of contracts, letters of advice, legal opinions and other legal instruments;
• Draft and deliver fee proposals, keep accurate time records, review and revise invoices and assist
• in collection of outstanding invoices;
• Peer review the work of other advisers and provide constructive feedback as necessary;
• Supervise and provide leadership and coaching to more junior legal advisers and legal assistants;
• Participate actively in DFDL’s business development efforts, including government relations,
• various chambers of commerce, business clubs and other relevant groups;
• Participate in knowledge management, professional development and Firm administrative activities as requested; and
• Other tasks not specifically listed in this document may be assigned from time to time.

Requirements:
Essential skills & proficiency

• Excellent technical knowledge of the laws and practices in their area of expertise in the jurisdiction in which she/he works;
• Good commercial skills, notably willing and able to play an important role in business development supported by DFDL’s efforts in this field;
• Minimum 5 years post-qualification experience as a lawyer;
• Exposure to general management (managing small teams of staff and having budget accountability within a performance management culture, including P&L management);
• Experience successfully leading, motivating and developing others;
• Demonstrates experience in developing and maintaining a satisfied clientele of local and international corporations;
• Skilled communicator, able to make presentations and deliver key messages to specialists and non-specialists alike;
• Strong oral and written communication skills in English;
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office suite;
• Exhibits honesty, reliability, and a commitment to strict confidentiality;
• University level qualifications in Law;
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage change within an organization; and
• Strong team building skills.

Desirable

• Prior work experience at a law firm or multi-national corporation is an advantage;
• Friendly and approachable, with good people skills;
• Ability to manage time and work under pressure to meet deadlines.

Privacy Notice

In accordance with the Vietnamese Government's Decree 13/2023/ND-CP dated 17 April 2023 on personal data protection, by applying for this position, the candidate agrees to allow the company to collect, hold, use, and process the candidate’s personal data, both electronically and in hard copy formats, for the purposes of recruitment administration. This includes data processing in order to maintain candidates' personnel files and ensure compliance with applicable procedures, laws, and regulations.

All applications and expressions of interest will be treated confidentially and reviewed only by DFDL Senior Management and the Human Resources team.

Please note that this position is open until filled. Applications will be reviewed and processed on a rolling basis and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.