Senior Legal Counsel

About the role

We are seeking a senior, hands‑on lawyer to lead legal coverage for a global proprietary trading firm operating across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The role will initially be office‑based with the possibility of a hybrid arrangement once fully embedded.

Key responsibilities

• Provide senior legal support for high‑frequency and automated trading activities, including exchange trading (traditional and digital‑asset), market access, colocation, cloud infrastructure and algorithmic trading.
• Advise on regulatory frameworks relevant to HFT, proprietary trading, market conduct and trading infrastructure across multiple jurisdictions.
• Draft, review and negotiate complex commercial and trading‑related agreements such as exchange access, connectivity, technology, data, infrastructure, counter‑party, broker and vendor contracts.
• Identify legal, regulatory and contractual risks early and propose practical, business‑oriented mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate closely with the Cyprus tax and legal team and the Dubai‑based crypto compliance function.
• Partner with trading, technology, market‑making, business‑relations and operations teams across geographies.

Required profile

• 10+ years of relevant legal experience, preferably in proprietary or high‑frequency trading, financial‑markets infrastructure, fintech or digital assets.
• Strong crypto‑related legal experience is a significant advantage; HFT experience is the other primary filter.
• Deep understanding of financial markets, trading mechanics and technology‑driven businesses.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation and English‑language communication skills.
• Proactive, solution‑oriented mindset with the ability to own issues from identification through resolution.
• Commercial pragmatism balanced with legal rigour.
• Senior enough to operate without supervision and potential to mentor as the function scales.

Required skills