General Legal Counsel

Role: General Counsel – Private Family Office
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Salary: €70,000 – €90,000
Permanent | Full-time
 
Overview and Opportunity
A newly established private family office is looking for a General Counsel to join its Barcelona team. This is a rare opportunity to build the legal function from the ground up as the sole in-house lawyer, with a full handover from the current external solicitors.
 
Due to the nature of the role, all applications are treated in the strictest confidence. Further details about the family office will be shared with shortlisted candidates once a non-disclosure agreement has been signed.
 
Job description
You will be the family office’s single point of legal contact, advising on a broad mix of corporate, commercial and property matters across multiple jurisdictions. You will work closely with the principal and the wider team, and manage external counsel and advisers where specialist input is needed.
 
This is a hands-on, autonomous role for a lawyer who is comfortable with discretion, ownership and building structure in a start-up environment.
 
Main Responsibilities:

• Acting as sole General Counsel, providing practical and commercial legal advice to the family office
• Taking over legal matters from the current external solicitors through a structured handover
• Advising on corporate and commercial matters, including structuring, governance and contracts
• Leading on M&A and corporate transactions
• Advising on property acquisitions, portfolio matters and related documentation
• Managing legal issues across EU and Asian jurisdictions, including Hong Kong
• Coordinating with the holding company and its advisers
• Handling notarial requirements and formalities
• Instructing and managing external counsel across jurisdictions where required
• Supporting on employment and immigration matters as they arise
• Maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality, compliance and risk management

Ideal Candidate:

• Qualified to practise in Spain
• Experience advising across multiple jurisdictions, ideally the EU and Asia (Hong Kong)
• Previous experience within a family office or similar private wealth environment
• Strong corporate, commercial and property experience, including M&A
• Experience of employment and immigration law would be advantageous
• Fluent Spanish and/or Catalan
• Ability to handle notarial matters
• Excellent judgement, discretion and commercial awareness
• Comfortable working independently as a sole legal counsel in a start-up environment
• Strong communication skills and the confidence to advise senior stakeholders

Benefits:

• Up to €70,000 – €90,000 depending on experience
• Permanent, full-time position
• Office-based Monday to Friday in Barcelona
• Opportunity to shape and build the legal function of a new family office
• High level of autonomy and direct exposure to the principal
• No regular travel requirement

To apply for this role in confidence, please send your CV to: sophie-jo@achieveprofessionals.com