Counsel, Asia Legal

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Primary Functions & Essential Responsibilities

• Provide advice and guidance to the deal team across the globe at any time
• Act as deal facilitator who effectively balances legal and business risks whilst ensuring the firm’s and funds’ interests are represented and protected enabling legitimate opportunities to be furthered
• Identify issues and provide proactive solutions on deal-related legal matters
• Identify gaps and incorporate best practices and well-thought out systems to deal with frequently-seen or routine deal structures, legal issues, and contractual templates
• Provide legal support to the business on a range of operational matters, reviewing tenders, and corporate governance
• Manage outside counsel and ensure the highest and best use of their services. Defer to outside counsel's expertise where appropriate and avoid replicating their work
• Negotiate and interact with Ares key customers, business partners and investors

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with a minimum of 10 years' post-qualification experience
• Experience supporting alternative asset managers and private markets investment platforms, with deep expertise in private funds matters including fund formation, fund documentation, fundraising, investor negotiations, co-investments, and complex fund structures, gained at a leading law firm, private markets fund manager, or alternative asset management platform; real estate fund management experience preferred
• Strong understanding of the legal, regulatory, and governance considerations applicable to private investment funds, including experience advising on matters across key APAC jurisdictions
• Demonstrated experience supporting investment transactions and partnering closely with investment professionals to manage legal and commercial risks in a fast-paced environment
• Experience negotiating directly with institutional investors, counterparties, and external stakeholders on sophisticated commercial and fund-related matters
• Proven ability to manage external counsel efficiently with a focus on execution timing and completion while maintaining high-quality and commercially pragmatic legal advice
• Strong commercial judgment and ability to balance legal risk with business objectives
• Risk awareness across multiple substantive areas of law
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively across global teams and time zones
• Self-motivated, solutions-oriented, and comfortable operating in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment

Reporting Relationships

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.