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POSITION SUMMARY

MOHG’s Legal Department currently includes the Group Counsel, three other lawyers and four support staff based in Hong Kong, Geneva and London, and manages all legal issues affecting the Group worldwide. The Legal Counsel is responsible for assisting the Group Counsel in overseeing legal issues related to all MOHG entities worldwide, including providing legal advice, reviewing and preparing of major contractual documentation, managing MOHG’s intellectual property folio and providing legal support to MOHG corporate offices, hotels and branded residences. MOHG is currently experiencing steady growth and has an urgent need for further legal resources in its London Office. The Legal Counsel will report directly to the Group Counsel in Hong Kong and the Deputy Group Counsel in Geneva. The scope of the role is worldwide but primarily legal support to MOHG’s business and development activities in EMEA given geography and time zone considerations. The lawyer will also work closely with other departments to advance MOHG’s long-term business objectives while protecting its legal rights and interests.

SCOPE AND RANGE OF POSITION

To deliver legal services to MOHG entities that support the current and future business strategies of the Group including:

• Draft and review legal documentation for MOHG, particularly agreements for new hotel and residences projects.
• Provide legal advice, or where appropriate engage external counsel to provide advice, to entities within the MOHG corporate structure.
• Negotiate and prepare, or engage external counsel to prepare, major contracts for the Group to ensure MOHG’s interests are adequately protected.
• Liaise with and provide legal support to Development, Finance, Operations, Human Resources, I.T., Sales and Marketing, F&B, Spa and Wellness, and other departments.
• Protect and manage MOHG’s intellectual property rights and provide administration support for MOHG’s corporate structure.
• Assist the Group in ensuring corporate and colleague compliance with legislation such as data privacy and competition laws, and with the MOHG Code of Conduct and other internal policies and procedures.
• Manage disputes and litigation and provide legal and tactical advice after consultation with external counsel, if necessary.
• Provide legal advice and support to MOHG hotels and residences or if appropriate, assist hotel management to seek necessary legal advice and support.
• Liaise with Jardine Matheson Group Legal, Secretariat and Tax in deal structuring and other matters affecting the MOIL listed entity or JM Group relating to MOHG.
• Support major transactions such as sale and purchase of hotels, and related and new business ventures such as branded residences, gift cards, and global loyalty programmes.

Required Skills and Experience

• Good law degree, preferably in a common law jurisdiction
• Active and in good standing with the relevant bar or law society
• At least 2 years Post-Qualification experience in law firm and/or hospitality industry
• Faultless fluency in legal-level English
• All other foreign language skills also an advantage
• Excellent communications and interpersonal skills
• Excellent negotiating and drafting skills
• Ability to work independently while interacting with and advising all levels of the organization
• Ability to interact in a dynamic, international environment that is leanly-staffed
• Capacity to adapt to different cultures around the world
• Willingness to travel regularly

Personal Attributes

• Intelligence, initiative and independence
• Presence, personality, maturity and grace under pressure
• Service-oriented; sense of humility; sense of humour

Ideally in the first year or two, the candidate would be willing to work in Hong Kong and/or Geneva, or at least for several months per year, together with other MOHG Legal Counsel to become familiar with the industry and hotel precedents in order to be able to negotiate deals independently with Owners and their counsel with capability and confidence as soon as possible.