Role Purpose
We are looking for an accomplished and commercially oriented legal professional to join the Group Legal function as Senior Manager – Legal , based in Pune.
The role will report directly to the Group General Counsel in Dubai and will have a broad mandate covering commercial contracts, mergers & acquisitions, strategic transactions, litigation and dispute management, corporate and regulatory compliance, governance, financing and general corporate advisory .
This is intended to be a hands-on senior legal role for an individual who can independently manage complex and high-stakes matters, partner closely with senior business stakeholders, and coordinate effectively with external counsel across multiple jurisdictions.
The ideal candidate will bring a combination of Tier-1 law firm training and strong in-house commercial experience . Previous experience with a leading corporate law firm, particularly in M&A;, corporate transactions, banking/finance or commercial advisory, will be strongly preferred.
Key Responsibilities
1. Mergers & Acquisitions / Strategic Transactions
- Lead and support complex M&A;, investments, acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures, strategic partnerships and corporate restructuring transactions.
- Manage the complete legal lifecycle of transactions, including structuring, legal due diligence, risk identification, negotiation, documentation, signing and closing.
- Draft, review and negotiate transaction documentation including:
- Share Purchase Agreements
- Share Subscription Agreements
- Shareholders' Agreements
- Joint Venture Agreements
- Business/Asset Transfer Agreements
- Investment Agreements
- Term Sheets and Letters of Intent
- Ancillary transaction and closing documentation
- Work closely with senior management, finance, tax and other stakeholders on transaction structuring and execution.
- Identify significant legal and contractual risks and provide practical mitigation strategies.
- Manage external law firms and specialist counsel involved in transactions.
1. Commercial Contracts & Business Advisory
- Draft, review, negotiate and finalize sophisticated commercial and corporate agreements.
- Independently handle high-value and high-risk contractual negotiations.
- Advise business teams on contractual rights, obligations, liabilities, indemnities, warranties, termination provisions, limitation of liability and other material commercial terms.
- Support contracts involving procurement, services, technology, licensing, partnerships, vendors, customers, consultants and other commercial arrangements.
- Develop practical positions that appropriately balance legal protection with commercial objectives.
- Establish and continuously improve templates, contracting standards and legal playbooks.
- Support stakeholders throughout the contract lifecycle, including amendments, renewals,
disputes and exits.
1. Litigation, Arbitration & Dispute Management
- Manage significant commercial litigation, arbitration, regulatory disputes and other contentious matters.
- Develop litigation and dispute strategy in consultation with the Group General Counsel and relevant business stakeholders.
- Appoint, brief and manage external advocates and law firms.
- Review pleadings, notices, claims, responses, settlement proposals and other legal documentation.
- Monitor material litigation and provide clear assessments of legal exposure and potential business impact.
- Drive commercially sensible dispute resolution strategies and settlements where appropriate.
- Maintain effective oversight of external legal costs and case progress.
1. Compliance & Regulatory Advisory
- Advise the organization on applicable laws, regulations and compliance requirements.
- Partner with relevant stakeholders to strengthen legal and regulatory compliance frameworks.
- Identify emerging legal or regulatory risks affecting the business.
- Support internal policies, legal controls and governance mechanisms.
- Provide advice on regulatory matters arising from business operations and strategic initiatives.
- Coordinate with specialist counsel where regulatory complexity requires external expertise.
1. Corporate Governance
- Provide legal advice on corporate governance matters across relevant Group entities.
- Support corporate restructuring, entity-related transactions and significant corporate actions.
- Review resolutions, authorizations and other corporate documentation where required.
- Work closely with Finance, Tax, Compliance, Company Secretarial and senior leadership teams on matters involving governance or corporate legal risk.
- Support the Group General Counsel in maintaining appropriate governance standards across the organization.
1. Financing & Corporate Transactions
- Provide legal support for financing and investment transactions when required.
- Review and negotiate financing agreements and related security documentation.
- Advise on legal aspects of corporate funding, debt arrangements, guarantees and other financing structures.
- Coordinate with financial institutions, investors and external legal advisors.
- Support complex restructuring or special-situation transactions as required.
1. Legal Risk Management
- Proactively identify material legal risks across business activities and transactions.
- Provide clear,
concise and commercially relevant legal advice to senior stakeholders.
- Escalate material legal exposure appropriately to the Group General Counsel.
- Develop practical mitigation plans rather than limiting advice to identification of legal issues.
- Support improvements in legal processes, controls, documentation and risk management.
1. External Counsel Management
- Select and coordinate with external law firms, advocates and specialist legal advisors.
- Establish clear scopes, timelines and expected deliverables.
- Challenge external legal advice where necessary and ensure recommendations remain commercially practical.
- Monitor legal spend and drive appropriate cost discipline.
- Reduce dependency on external counsel by independently handling matters where sufficient internal capability exists.
1. Business Partnering
- Act as a trusted legal advisor to senior management and functional leaders.
- Translate complex legal issues into clear business implications and actionable recommendations.
- Work effectively across geographies, functions and seniority levels.
- Participate in strategic discussions where significant contractual, transactional, regulatory or litigation exposure exists.
- Develop strong relationships while maintaining independence of legal judgment.
Candidate Profile Education & Professional Qualification
- LL.B. from a reputed university/law school.
- Qualified to practice law in India.
- Additional professional or postgraduate qualifications will be advantageous.
Experience
- Ideally 8–14 years of relevant post-qualification experience , with flexibility for exceptional candidates.
- Significant experience with a Tier-1 or highly regarded corporate law firm is strongly preferred.
- Candidates who began their careers in leading law firms and subsequently transitioned into sophisticated in-house roles would be particularly relevant.
- Solid experience in corporate/M&A; and complex commercial contracting is essential.
- Meaningful experience managing litigation, disputes and compliance/regulatory matters.
- Experience advising senior management on high-value or high-risk legal matters.
- Experience operating in a complex, fast-growing or multi-entity organization would be advantageous.
- Cross-border transaction or multi-jurisdictional experience would be highly desirable.
Core Technical Competencies The successful candidate should demonstrate strong capability across:
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Corporate & Commercial Law
- Contract Drafting & Negotiation
- Corporate Restructuring
- Legal Due Diligence
- Litigation & Arbitration
- Regulatory Compliance
- Corporate Governance
- Legal Risk Management
- Financing & Security Documentation
- External Counsel Management
- Transaction Management
- Legal Research & Interpretation
📌 Group Senior Legal Manager / Associate Counsel (Pune)
🏢 SPIRO
📍 Pune